“The one ship that most nearly symbolizes the history of the United States Navy in World War II,” said James V. Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, referring to the USS Enterprise, CV6. Laid down on 16 July 1934, launched on 3 October 1936, and commissioned on 12 May 1938, she was the seventh Navy ship to bear the name and the sixth aircraft carrier. Captain Newton H. White, USN, was in command. Lulie H. Swanson, wife of former Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson, sponsored the Enterprise, which would go on to become the most decorated warship of World War II.
Accomplishing 20 Battle Stars, three more than any other ship, the Enterprise earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation, making the aircraft carrier the only one to receive both honors for service in WWII. She was awarded the British Admiralty Pennant on 23 November 1945, a decoration highly coveted and rarely given outside the Royal Navy. The major battles served by Enterprise included 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.
Enterprise’s aircraft and guns downed 911 enemy planes, sank 71 ships, and damaged or destroyed 192 more in engaging in all but two of the more than 20 major actions of the Pacific War. Her presence was a beacon of hope for the Allies, and a symbol of dread for the enemy.
After the war, the Enterprise’s exploits became widely known, and her name was emblazoned across newspaper headlines nationwide. On October 17, 1945, she rejoined the fleet in New York Harbor for Navy Day celebrations on October 27. Moored at Pier 26 on the Hudson River, she welcomed over a quarter million visitors and rendered “passing honors” to President Harry S. Truman. That night, Night Air Group 55 flew in formation to salute the “Big E.”
In her final active operations, the Enterprise took part in several Magic Carpet voyages returning thousands of Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers to home. Moored at Bayonne, New Jersey, on 18 January 1946, she would never again sail under her power. Decommissioned on 17 February 1947, and struck from the List of Naval Vessels on 2 October 1956, efforts to make Enterprise a national memorial were unsuccessful due to the high cost of repairs. By February 1960, Enterprise was fully scrapped.
The legacy of the USS Enterprise goes beyond CV-6. The name has stood for American liberty, justice, and freedom since the Revolutionary War. The newest Enterprise, CVN 65, was the eighth ship to bear the legendary name. The Congress-authorized CVN 65 was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, powered by eight nuclear reactors. A true marvel of engineering made from parts of more than 800 companies, it spoke to American ingenuity and determination.
Commissioned on November 25, 1961, the new Enterprise quickly proved her worth. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Enterprise played an important part in the naval blockade that forced the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missiles in Cuba. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Enterprise was one of the first units to respond and for months afterward, she supported Operation Enduring Freedom with her awesome striking power.
Following 25 deployments and 51 years of active service, the Enterprise finally was officially inactivated on December 1, 2012. Currently, the ship is undergoing an extensive terminal offload program in advance of her eventual decommissioning. The legacy of the Enterprise will live on in the future commissioning of the ninth Enterprise, CVN 80, and the name shall always be synonymous with excellence and valor in the United States Navy.