Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Butcher on March 11, 2012, 11:49:23 AM
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http://news.yahoo.com/storied-carrier-big-e-makes-final-voyage-180906276.html (http://news.yahoo.com/storied-carrier-big-e-makes-final-voyage-180906276.html)
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — When the makers of "Top Gun" were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship's otherwise drab interior.
A quarter-century later, the dice will still be dangling inside the tower of "the Big E" as the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sets sail on its final voyage Sunday.
The trinket is a reminder of the ship's storied 50-year history that includes action in several wars, a prominent role in the Cuban missile crisis and serving as a spotter ship for John Glenn's historic orbit of the earth.
"To serve on this ship, certainly in this capacity, you certainly have to be a student of the ship's history," said Rear Adm. Walter Carter, commander of the Enterprise strike group. "Fifty years of service, in our nation's history, we've never had a warship in service that long."
The Enterprise is the longest aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet. It is also the oldest, a distinction that brings pride as well as plenty of headaches for the ship's more than 4,000 crew members. The ship is effectively a small city that frequently needs repairs because of its age. It was originally designed to last 25 years, but a major overhaul in 1979 and other improvements have extended its life.
The ship largely looks like any other carrier on the inside and has modern amenities like gyms, a coffee shop and a television station with dozens of channels. It even produces its own daily newspaper while at sea.
But even the best-maintained ship faces challenges as it ages.
"It's kind of like when you get older and you know it's harder to get out of the bed in the morning. It takes you a couple hours to kind of really get up and then you're fine. Well, it's the same sort of thing here with Enterprise," Capt. William Hamilton, the ship's commanding officer, said days before the ship was set to deploy from Naval Station Norfolk.
Hamilton acknowledged all aircraft carriers have problems they're supposed to anticipate, but he said the Enterprise is more likely to have "unknown unknowns" than newer ships.
Machinists in charge of fixing unexpected problems say the things that can break down range from critical air conditioner units to elevators that lift fighter jets from the hangar bay to the flight deck. Moreover, the Enterprise has eight nuclear reactors to maintain — six more than any other U.S. carrier.
The problems are so notorious that sailors reporting to work aboard the Enterprise are often given joking condolences by their colleagues on shore and on other ships.
The ship regularly has to make its own parts from scratch when something breaks down. Spare parts for much of the ship, which is the only one of its class, simply don't exist.
"Life is hard on Enterprise," Hamilton said. "But when they leave here, they leave knowing if they can do this, they can do anything."
The challenges aboard the ship and the need to keep spirits up were highlighted last year, when former commanding officer Capt. Owen Honors was fired for airing raunchy videos that he said were intended to boost morale. During a hearing in which Honors was trying to avoid being kicked out of the Navy, he and his lawyers frequently referenced the difficult conditions on board. Honors was found to have committed misconduct, but ultimately allowed to stay in the service. He is retiring in April.
Hamilton acknowledged that maintaining morale on the ship — which has unofficial mottos like "There's tough, and then there's Enterprise tough" and "We eat pain like candy" — is still vital.
"As much as anything, it's just telling them face to face that you appreciate, the Navy appreciates, the nation appreciates what they're doing and then that goes a long, long way," he said.
The ship's crew members feel particularly proud to serve on a ship whose name has a distinguished place in naval history and pop culture.
Crew members who weren't even alive when "Top Gun" was in theaters in 1986 use the film to explain what it is they do on the ship, as well as exactly where it is they do it.
For Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Dennis, there's also pride in his ship having the same name as the ship featured in the "Star Trek" series.
"I always wanted to be a part of history, so being on this last deployment it'll be something I can definitely tell my children and grandchildren," he said.
The Enterprise is heading to the Middle East on its seven-month deployment, where it will be on standby in case of conflict with Iran or piracy threats off Somalia, among other things. The ship has experience with both scenarios, participating in a retaliatory strike against Iran for mining the Persian Gulf in 1988 and responding last year to the hijacking of a sailing vessel by Somali pirates, during which all four Americans on board were shot and killed.
The deployment will be the ship's 22nd. Following its return to Virginia in the fall, tens of thousands are expected to be on hand for a deactivation ceremony Dec. 1 that President Barack Obama has been invited to attend.
If "Top Gun" producer Jerry Bruckheimer wants to film a sequel, he'll have to find another ship. The following summer, Enterprise will be towed to the shipyard where it was built in nearby Newport News so its nuclear fuel can be removed, a process that will take until 2015. What remains of the ship after that will then be taken to Washington state so it can be scrapped.
The ship, among the first to respond after the Sept. 11 attacks, won't be turned into a museum like some other carriers. Crews have to cut large holes in the vessel to remove the nuclear fuel, and it would be too expensive to repair, said Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Self-Kyler, the Enterprise's public affairs officer.
Instead, many of the ship's alumni want another carrier to be named Enterprise in the future, which is not uncommon, she said.
This is the eighth ship to bear the name Enterprise, and there's a room on board dedicated as a museum to past incarnations. The preceding USS Enterprise was the most decorated ship in World War II, while the first Enterprise joined the U.S. fleet after it was captured from the British in 1775.
If a future carrier is renamed Enterprise, it's unclear if the fuzzy dice will make journeys on board that ship, too, or remain in a Navy museum.
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She is a grand old lady and will be missed. May the name be returned soon to continue to reap honors and serve the nation.
:salute
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She is a grand old lady and will be missed. May the name be returned soon to continue to reap honors and serve the nation.
:salute
This :salute
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My cousin Jim Rathgeber served aboard her.
An amazing ship with more history than most, I would not be surprised if our first star ship bears the name :)
-Frank aka GE
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I respect the US Navy's decision to name another after her, but after watching Battle 360 I personally would have retired the name after CVN-6.
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My cousin Jim Rathgeber served aboard her.
An amazing ship with more history than most, I would not be surprised if our first star ship bears the name :)
-Frank aka GE
Seems logical.
(http://emotibot.net/pix/3532.gif)
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I respect the US Navy's decision to name another after her, but after watching Battle 360 I personally would have retired the name after CVN-6.
Pfft, says you. By your accord they should have stopped using the name after the 1st Enterprise, a British Sloop was captured and used on Lake Champlain in 1775. After all, it was run aground on Benedict Arnold's orders and scuttled to prevent the British from using it, just two days after we procured it.
EDIT: Maybe one day you'll realize why there will be an 9th "USS Enterprise".
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9th you mean...
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9th you mean...
Whoops, correct 9th.
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The continuation of the big "E" in the US Navy is a great tradition. I agree with Karaya, it should continue.
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:salute
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My grandpa and dad built and worked on her and my other grandpa and a uncle served on her. She paid a lot of bills in my family. I think my dad even took me aboard for a tour when i was a kid. I remember standing on the flight deck scared out of my wits......jeez she was HUGE to a 7 or 8 year old kid. She was a sight to see rolling into Newport News for repairs.
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The continuation of the big "E" in the US Navy is a great tradition. I agree with Karaya, it should continue.
Sadly its most likely won't.
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(http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt292/Egenoth/USS_Enterprise-Kopi.jpg)
(http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x419/imasailorsmom2/NAVY%20-%20USS%20ENTERPRISE/110117-N-5324W-005-1-1.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/ReaperDuran/USS%20Enterprise/enterprise.jpg)
....and the real spaceship enterprise.....
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q237/jajboeglin/000Space_Shuttle_Enterprise_in_laun.jpg)
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Sadly its most likely won't.
Based on what?
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Based on what?
Here's a list of carriers since 1977 put into commission, if anything the Enterprise will share the same downgrade as the others do - Ticonderoga class cruiser.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
(CVN 69) 18 Oct 1977 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS Carl Vinson
(CVN 70) 13 Mar 1982 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS Theodore Roosevelt
(CVN 71) 25 Oct 1986 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS Abraham Lincoln
(CVN 72) 11 Nov 1989 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS George Washington
(CVN 73) 4 July 1992 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS John C. Stennis
(CVN 74) 9 Dec 1995 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS Harry S. Truman
(CVN 75) 25 July 1998 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS Ronald Reagan
(CVN 76) 12 July 2003 /
-- Active -- see Fact File
USS George H.W. Bush
(CVN 77) -- /
-- Active -- see Fact File
PCU Gerald R. Ford(CVN 78) under construction /
-- Active -- see Fact File
PCU John F. Kennedy(CVN 79) under construction /
-- Active -- see Fa
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PCU John F. Kennedy(CVN 79) under construction /
(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l273/woosle_2006/imagesqtbnANd9GcSjHGzK1TTnyQJdSnx95fMopLCq6W1j82FFcEekMq9fVLgru6lJ.jpg)
Its nice to see my old ship's name being carried on. 4 years I spent on the "Big John". She is in the Philly Yards right now undergoing preservation, and it looks like she will be going to New England (either Maine or Rhode Island) to be a museum.
Anyway... as for Enterprise... there are several petitions out there to get the name on one of the new Ford class carriers. There are 10 planned, and with a name like Enterprise... that has meant so much in American Naval history... I think the odds are good that it will happen.
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So the name will continue, just not on a carrier? That doesn't surprise me; there have been eight ships named Enterprise and only two were carriers.
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Aside from Gene Roddenberry choosing Enterprise over Lexington for Star Trek, the single greatest reason for a new carrier to be named Enterprise is this.
The Big E was the only carrier of the original 4 to survive the entire war. She was damaged and put in for a quick repair but for a short time it was "The Big E against the entire Japanese Navy".
Of course, the new Enterprise served for 50 years with distinction.
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Aside from Gene Roddenberry choosing Enterprise over Lexington for Star Trek, the single greatest reason for a new carrier to be named Enterprise is this.
The Big E was the only carrier of the original 4 to survive the entire war. She was damaged and put in for a quick repair but for a short time it was "The Big E against the entire Japanese Navy".
Of course, the new Enterprise served for 50 years with distinction.
The interesting thing about CVN-6 is:
On three separate occasions during the Pacific War, the Japanese announced that she had been sunk in battle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CV-6) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CV-6))
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I was always partial to the U.S.S. Yorktown, one of the earliest books I ever read was rendezvous at midway - a book about the Yorktown during Coral Sea and Midway engagement.
Interesting note I believe if the Japanese Submarine didn't spot the Yorktown, she very well might of survived two bombs and torpedoes at Midway, this includes the damage already taken at Coral sea.
(If ya don't know she was patched up in record time at Pearl by three crews working over time) to prepare for the Midway battle.
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I was always partial to the U.S.S. Yorktown, one of the earliest books I ever read was rendezvous at midway - a book about the Yorktown during Coral Sea and Midway engagement.
Interesting note I believe if the Japanese Submarine didn't spot the Yorktown, she very well might of survived two bombs and torpedoes at Midway, this includes the damage already taken at Coral sea.
(If ya don't know she was patched up in record time at Pearl by three crews working over time) to prepare for the Midway battle.
Midway was the quintisential CV battle. (I saw the Movie with my father as a teenager) Was there ever another ship named Yorktown? It was fortunate circumstances that we came out on top as well as bringing the Yorktown back into the fight so quickly. It gave the Japanese another target to focus on and I believed they were suprised by it's appearance in the fight.
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Midway was the quintisential CV battle. (I saw the Movie with my father as a teenager) Was there ever another ship named Yorktown? It was fortunate circumstances that we came out on top as well as bringing the Yorktown back into the fight so quickly. It gave the Japanese another target to focus on and I believed they were suprised by it's appearance in the fight.
Interesting they named the next ship Yorktown II, and we do have a Ticadaroga class Cruiser named Yorktown (I believe its being sold off for scrap now)