Final Voyage of the real USS Enterprise

[Bromptonboy]

Sad day for such an iconic and ground-breaking vessel:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/12/navys-legendary-carrier-uss-enterprise-on-final-voyage/?hpt=hp_t3


Of course we all know the answer to the question at the end of the article:

Whether there will be a ninth USS Enterprise remains to be seen...

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Yeah, we will see another Enterprise, I'm sure of it,

King

[ChrisMC]

Plenty of letters left in the alphabet.

2 great carriers, CV-6, the most decorated vessel in the entire history of the US Navy, and CVN-65, the first nuke carrier. I am interested to see how the great name is carreid on.

[turtlesrock]

that would be amazing, a real life enterprise-B!

[ChrisMC]

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=70899

They had the inactivation ceremony yesterday, and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that CVN-80 would carry on the name of Enterprise, it will be the third Ford-class carrier and the ninth U.S. ship to bear the name. The ceremony had about 12,000 people show up. The Enterprise was in service for 51 years, and had 23 commanding officers. An impressive run for one vessel.

[davekill]

Good article. I wonder if the Starship has ever been referred to as the 'Big E"? I've always liked that nickname.

[Feathers]

Good article. I wonder if the Starship has ever been referred to as the 'Big E"? I've always liked that nickname.

Only by Rico I think :)

[Bromptonboy]

http://wtkr.com/2013/06/18/uss-enterprise-to-go-on-final-voyage-for-inactivation/

Norfolk, Ca. - After 51 years of service, the USS Enterprise is headed to Newport News Shipbuilding for the final time this morning. NewsChannel 3′s Todd Corillo is the only television reporter onboard for the trip and is tweeting updates and photos from the journey.
Once at the shipyard the ship's nuclear fuel will be removed from its eight nuclear reactors.
The move will mark the final voyage for the ship before the formal decommissioning, which will take place once the defueling process at Newport News Shipbuilding is complete.
She is expected to stay in Newport News until 2016 when she will be towed to Puget Sound in Washington to be scrapped.
Nearly 150 shipyard workers were present for the move as a last tribute to a vessel that many of the workers had a role in building.
A veteran of 25 deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean, and the Middle East, Enterprise has served in nearly every major conflict to take place during her history.
From the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, to six deployments in support of the Vietnam conflict, through the Cold War and the Gulf Wars, Enterprise was there. On September 11, 2001, Enterprise aborted her transit home from a long deployment after the terrorist attacks, and steamed overnight to the North Arabian Sea. Big 'E' once again took her place in history when she launched the first strikes in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She completed her final deployment November 4, 2012.
Enterprise was inactivated December 1, 2012, following a week of tours for shipyard workers, veterans, families and friends. During the ceremony, the Secretary of the Navy announced that CVN-80 will be named USS Enterprise

[billybob476]

They forgot to mention that its nuclear reactor allowed Kirk and crew to get back to the 23rd century in the voyage home.

[davekill]

Scrapped!?

With such a revered legacy the Big E should be preserved as a floating museum.

...and could come in handy if there were a sneak Cylon attack, or was needed for a covert rescue mission :)

[Feathers]

These things have 8 reactors???? I never realised they were that big.