# Was the Carrier, USS Enterprise, retired? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2007, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405 "2007-04-02T10:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/1 "2007-04-02T10:37:45Z")
Did anyone here about this? I heard a blurb that the City of Baltimore made a pitch to have it as a floating museum in the harbor, but the Navy deemed the harbor too shallow. And, instead of trying to find it a better home, they were just going to sink it? What’s the SD on this? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/2 "2007-04-02T10:53:03Z")
There’s nothing about it on the Tuna Surprise’s [website](http://www.enterprise.navy.mil/index.html). Considering the fact that the recent news section of the website seems to get updated daily, if there were anything to this story I think it would be there, too. Considering the date (4/2) I suspect the OP’s story might be a left over April Fool’s story. ETA: Which doesn’t even address the whole difficulty in keeping a decommed reactor plant conditioned after the ship is decommed. It’s been done for the Nautilus, but I would wonder whether they’d want to do the same thing for the Enterprise with her eight reactor plants. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/3 "2007-04-02T10:55:38Z")
**Jinx** wants to know where our nuclear wessels are. 😃 😛 ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/4 "2007-04-02T13:10:10Z")
Do you mean the WWII carrier Enterprise, the one with the “beehive” superstructure? Or the current USS Enterprise (CVN - 65)? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/5 "2007-04-02T15:01:31Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] **Jinx** wants to know where our nuclear wessels are. 😃 😛 [/QUOTE] They’re across the bay . . . in Alemeda. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/6 "2007-04-02T15:18:37Z")
[QUOTE=wiki] Enterprise is currently homeported at Norfolk, Virginia. As one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, she is scheduled for decommissioning in 2014-2015. Her intended replacement is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). Her current commanding officer is Captain Lawrence Rice. [/QUOTE] Support from [http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navycvn21.htm](http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navycvn21.htm) > [@](#): > > CVN-21 Program. CVN-21 (also called CVN-78) is the next planned aircraft carrier after CVN-77. CVN-21 simply means aircraft carrier for the 21st Century. In August 2004 DOD began describing the CVN-21 program as a 3-ship program encompassing CVN-21 and two similar follow-on ships (CVN-79 and CVN-80) to be procured in later years. On August 19, 2004, DOD reported that the estimated development cost for the 3-ship program had increased by $728 million, to $4.33 billion. DOD estimates that the 3-ship program would have a total acquisition cost of about $36.1 billion ($4.33 billion for development and $31.75 billion for procurement), or an average of about $12 billion per ship. > > CVN-21. CVN-21 is to be the replacement for the Enterprise, which is scheduled to retire in 2012-2014, at age 51-53, depending on how long its nuclear fuel core lasts. The Navy’s FY2006 budget submission defers the procurement of CVN-21 by one year, to FY2008. If procured in FY2008, CVN-21 would enter service in 2015. Here is the Big E’s official Website: [http://www.enterprise.navy.mil/](http://www.enterprise.navy.mil/) Jim ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/7 "2007-04-02T15:41:18Z")
[QUOTE=August West] Do you mean the WWII carrier Enterprise, the one with the “beehive” superstructure? [/QUOTE] According to Wiki [CV6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_%28CV-6%29), the WWII Enterprise, was sold as scrap in 1958, and the scrapping was complete by May 1960. So, I think it’s got to be the CVN-65. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/8 "2007-04-02T15:44:26Z")
Here [she](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=norfolk,+va&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=17&ll=36.956819,-76.328899&spn=0.00625,0.01163&t=k&iwloc=addr) is at home in Norfolk. She is the one in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/9 "2007-04-02T16:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=August West] Do you mean the WWII carrier Enterprise, the one with the “beehive” superstructure? Or the current USS Enterprise (CVN - 65)? [/QUOTE] The _what_? I think you have the two confused. The WWII _Enterprise_ was a _Yorktown_-class aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1938 and finally scrapped. It was Adm. Halsey’s flagship when he commanded that carrier division, and fought in every major campaign of the Pacific war. It certainly did _not_ have anything remotely resembling a bee-hive superstructure; its “island” was to starboard with bridge forward and single stack aft. The current _Enterprise_ started life with a decidely unusual superstructure with a domed cap above the bridge area and flat antenna (or radar?) arrays underneath. A 2001 picture shows her with a more conventional superstructure; that may be the source of the confusion. It’s the same ship, though. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/10 "2007-04-02T16:15:59Z")
The City of Baltimore was interested in the USS Forrestal. CV-59 as a museum ship. ALas fund raising failed and the Forrestal ,(now in mothballs in Rhode Island) is to be towed out to see to be sunk. Two other carriers have been recently sunk, The USS Oriskany (CV-34) is a reef off Pensacola, the USS America (CV-66) was sunk in weapons tests in the Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/11 "2007-04-02T16:20:41Z")
There was interest in saving the WWII-era _Enterprise_ as a museum ship, but it eventually came to aught. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/12 "2007-04-02T16:25:20Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] There was interest in saving the WWII-era _Enterprise_ as a museum ship, but it eventually came to aught. [/QUOTE] That is a huge shame. IIRC, she was the most decorated ship in US History. I believe the New Jersey is second and did it over a much longer period. Jim ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/13 "2007-04-02T17:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=633squadron] The _what_? I think you have the two confused… The current _Enterprise_ started life with a decidely unusual superstructure with a domed cap above the bridge area and flat antenna (or radar?) arrays underneath. A 2001 picture shows her with a more conventional superstructure; that may be the source of the confusion. It’s the same ship, though. [/QUOTE] You are correct, I had my Big E history confused, it was the current one that had the beehive originally. I am fairly familiar with what she looks like now, since I spent most of 1992-1994 aboard her. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/14 "2007-04-02T17:54:08Z")
I bet he’s thinking of the carrier, John F. Kennedy. [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Kennedy-Decommissioning.php](http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Kennedy-Decommissioning.php) > [@](#): > > Sailors in blue lined the deck of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy on Friday as guns boomed to commemorate the decommissioning of “Big John” after nearly 40 years of service. > > … > > The cabin will be headed to a Navy museum. The carrier will be towed to Philadelphia, where it will be placed on inactive status. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/15 "2007-04-02T21:51:03Z")
[QUOTE=Jinx] they were just going to sink it? [/QUOTE] Obviously untrue. If anything, it would be sold for scrap. There’s a lot of valuable recyclable metal there! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/16 "2007-04-02T23:31:37Z")
[QUOTE=Eonwe] They’re across the bay . . . in Alemeda. [/QUOTE] I think you mean [Alameda](http://www.ci.alameda.ca.us/). ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/17 "2007-04-02T23:47:50Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] Obviously untrue. If anything, it would be sold for scrap. There’s a lot of valuable recyclable metal there! [/QUOTE] There is indeed. However, there are several problems: No US company will scrap the ship. In spite of the massive amount of materials that can be salvaged, it is not economically feasible for an American company. The last carrier scrapped was the _Coral Sea_, and the company tried to jettison the hulk to a foreign country many times without success. That leads to the next point: the US will not sell a capital ship to a foreign country for scrapping. The Navy won an injunction in the aforementioned _Coral Sea_ situation, and it remains a law that will certainly not be repealed. Even a 40-year-old aircraft carrier hulk is usable by other countries that lack a carrier, and the potential for third-party resale is real. There’s also the problem of disposing of a nuclear aircraft carrier, which we have never done before. We’ve done many submarines and smaller ships, but not a ship the size of an aircraft carrier. Chances are they’ll remove the reactors and either donate it or sink it. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/18 "2017-02-06T23:01:09Z")
Warning: reviving a zombie. (A simple search suggests this might be the most relevant existing thread.) The current USS Enterprise was officially decommissioned on Feb. 3, 2017 after being deactivated in 2012. More on the tear down [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65)#Decommissioning). The next USS Enterprise is scheduled to be operational in 2025. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/19 "2017-02-06T23:06:21Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Warning: reviving a zombie. (A simple search suggests this might be the most relevant existing thread.) > > The current USS Enterprise was officially decommissioned on Feb. 3, 2017 after being deactivated in 2012. More on the tear down [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65)#Decommissioning). > > The next USS Enterprise is scheduled to be operational in 2025. No bloody A,B,C,D or E! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405/20 "2017-02-07T00:35:29Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The current USS Enterprise was officially decommissioned on Feb. 3, 2017 after being deactivated in 2012. My FIL was a plank owner. He’s pretty bummed even though he’s admitted the eight-reactor design was something of a nightmare to manage. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405.md?page=2)