The World War II “Big E” carried four squadrons each of 18 planes, for a total of 72 aircraft.

Veterans of the World War II carrier USS Enterprise (CV 6), which served from 1938 until 1947, toured the nuclear-powered carrier of the same name just prior to commissioning. According to Harrison Weldon, president of the USS Enterprise Association in 1961, the visit was in part intended “to pass along the incredible luck of our ship to the new one.”

 

Core Issue

A decade later, Enterprise underwent a major overhaul. Following the ship’s refueling, Rickover wrote a letter to the president, all cabinet members, members of Congress and other officials to inform them of the success and significance of the Enterprise sea trials, and to make the case for nuclear propulsion for surface warships. The letter was dated “At Sea, North Atlantic, 20 January 1971.”

“During the last year the Enterprise has been completely overhauled and reactor cores of an entirely new design have been installed in her eight reactor plants. These new cores contain energy equivalent to the amount of oil which could be carried in a train of tank cars stretching from Washington to Boston. This will provide enough fuel to carry out all operations for the next 10-13 years, thus making her truly independent of fuel logistics support,” Rickover wrote.

In fact, nuclear carriers normally did require replenishment while under way from Navy oilers for fuel for the embarked aircraft, as well as for stores and ammunition. But “truly independent” was possible. In 1964, Enterprise, Long Beach and Bainbridge formed Task Force One and conducted “Operation Sea Orbit,” travelling 30,565 miles around the world without a single refueling or replenishment.

“We now have three nuclear-powered guided-missile ships in operation, the cruiser Long Beach, the frigate Bainbridge and the frigate Truxtun. Two more are under construction: the frigates California and South Carolina,” Rickover’s letter read.

“Nuclear power in surface warships gives them the ability to operate continuously at high speed which affords them protection not available to nonnuclear ships. This can mean the difference between winning and losing battles. As the number of our advance bases decreases and the size of the Fleet shrinks, the need for ships independent of the logistics umbilical cord for propulsion fuel will continue to increase,” wrote Rickover.

“The nuclear carrier task force with its capability of unlimited operation at high speed is the most powerful, least vulnerable surface ship force in the history of naval warfare,” he wrote.

“Nuclear-powered carrier task forces can steam at high speeds without concern for fuel conservation or slowing to refuel,” Rickover continued. “When necessary, nuclear ships can steam at high speeds to areas of low threat for replenishment of combat consumables such as weapons or aircraft fuel. These options are not available to conventionally powered ships.”

“Oil-fired ships must be refueled every few days; their operations will be restricted if the tankers they need are sunk or diverted by the presence of enemy ships,” Rickover wrote.

The importance of the role Enterprise has played in both national and naval history is a fact not lost on the sailors and Marines who served aboard the ship for her final deployment and up to the time of her decommissioning.

“The crew is very mindful that we are following the legacy of the more than 200,000 sailors who have come before us during the last 50 years,” said Hamilton. “It’s the sailors of this great warship, and the sailors that have served aboard ‘Big E’ over the past half-century that have established the legacy she enjoys.”