The USS Enterprise (CV-6), almost universally known as “The Big E,” was one of the most renowned, storied warships in the history of the United States Navy. Laid down on 16 July 1934, launched on 3 October 1936, and commissioned on 12 May 1938, with Captain Newton H. White in command, the Enterprise promised from the very start to be something special. Lulie H. Swanson, the wife of former Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson, sponsored the ship which became the legendary ship of World War II.
With 20 Battle Stars – more than any other ship during the war – Enterprise’s combat record stands alone. The carrier also received the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation, the only carrier to be so distinguished for service in WWII. The British Admiralty Pennant was presented to Enterprise on November 23, 1945, the only ship outside the Royal Navy to receive this high honor. Notable engagements the ship was involved in include the Battle of Eastern Solomons, the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, and the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, culminating with the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
During the Pacific War, Enterprise would show up at every battle but two in more than twenty major actions. Its planes and guns shot down 911 enemy aircraft. Its bombers sank 71 ships and damaged or destroyed 192 others. The presence of the vessel instilled pride in the Allies and represented fear to the enemy.
Post-war, the story of Enterprise was publicized nationwide across newspaper headlines. On 17 October 1945, it rejoined the fleet in New York Harbor in time for Navy Day celebrations on 27 October. Moored at Pier 26 on the Hudson River, the ship received more than a quarter million visitors and gave “passing honors” to President Harry S. Truman during his review of the anchored ships. That same night, Night Air Group 55 flew in formation to salute the “Big E.”
The last missions of Enterprise were those of several Magic Carpet voyages, returning thousands of Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers to their loving families. On January 18, 1946, the ship moored at Bayonne, New Jersey, and would never again sail under its power. Decommissioned on February 17, 1947, and struck from the List of Naval Vessels on October 2, 1956, attempts to place Enterprise as a national memorial in Washington, D.C., proved too expensive; the ship was eventually sold for scrapping there in February 1960.
The USS Enterprise leaves a legacy not only of success during its wartime triumphs. Other ships carried its name, and in this next, Enterprise VIII CVA(N) 65, it continued a legacy of excellence, participating in everything from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Operation Enduring Freedom.
The history of the USS Enterprise belongs not just to the ship but to the gallant men who served on board. To be included among them was Ensign Eugene Allen Greene, who reported to Bombing Squadron Six on the Enterprise in March of 1942. One of Midway’s heroes, he personally and purposely bombed two enemy aircraft carriers. For his service in the Battle of Midway, Greene received the Navy Cross and posthumously the Purple Heart. The memory and heroic deeds of this young man lived on in the USS Eugene A. Greene DD/DDR-711, a Gearing-class destroyer named in his honor.
The USS Enterprise is a standing monument to American naval power, the courage of her crew, and thus the endless spirit of the United States Navy.