The USS Enterprise (CV-6), more affectionately known as the “Big E,” has been a monumental icon of the might and resilience of the United States Navy in World War II. Having been laid down on July 16, 1934, launched on October 3, 1936, and commissioned on May 12, 1938, with Captain Newton H. White at the helm, it was ordained that the Enterprise would achieve greatness. Sponsored by Lulie H. Swanson, wife of former Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson, this Yorktown-class carrier would go on to become the most decorated warship of the conflict, with 20 Battle Stars—three more than any other ship.
The Enterprise’s accolades did not stop there. She was also the only carrier to receive both the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation for service in WWII. On November 23, 1945, she was awarded the British Admiralty Pennant, a rare and proud decoration, seen almost exclusively on Royal Navy vessels. Great combat history includes illustrious sea battles: the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
From over twenty major actions of the Pacific War, Enterprise’s planes and guns downed 911 enemy aircraft, sank 71 ships, and damaged or destroyed 192 more. Her presence meant hope to the Allies and doom to the Axis.
In the post-war period, the Enterprise’s legend was feted nationwide. On 17 October 1945, she rejoined the fleet in New York Harbor for Navy Day celebrations, hosting over a quarter million visitors. President Harry S. Truman himself came to inspect the ship and received “passing honors” from the storied vessel. In the night sky, Night Air Group 55 illuminated the formation with a salute to the “Big E.”
In her final missions, the Enterprise took part in several Magic Carpet voyages that brought thousands of servicemen home. Moored at Bayonne, New Jersey, on January 18, 1946, she would never sail under her power again. Decommissioned on February 17, 1947, and stricken from the List of Naval Vessels on October 2, 1956, attempts to retain her as a national memorial failed when the estimates to repair her proved too prohibitive. By February 1960, the Enterprise was fully scrapped.
The legacy of the USS Enterprise lives beyond a physical existence. The name “Enterprise” has flown since the Revolutionary War as the banner of American liberty, justice, and freedom. The latest successor to this great name, the USS Enterprise VIII (CVN 65), carried on with this tradition as the first nuclear-power hulled carrier in the world, commissioned in 1961. That modern wonder, powered by eight nuclear reactors, played a very important role in a lot of conflicts, not to mention the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Indeed, the story behind Enterprise is one of valor and heroism of all the men and women who served on it—since the Revolutionary War, the said name was an identifier of American naval excellence. Looking to the future, the legacy of the Enterprise will live on through the commissioning of the ninth USS Enterprise, CVN 80, and its mission to ensure this storied name remains a symbol of American strength and resilience into the future.