Enterprise (CVN 65) - Naval Cruise Book

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Left: Enterprise launching at Newport News Ship- building and Drydock Company, 24 September, 1960. Above: Mrs. William B. frank, wife of the Honorable William B. Frank, former Secretary of the Navy, christening Enterprise during launching ceremonies, 24 September 1960. The name ENTERPRISE has been part of Naval history since its beginning in 1 775. Eight ships have carried the name into battle, from the first ENTERPRISE, a 70-ton sloop captured from the British in 1775, to the nuclear pow ered attack air- craft carrier commissioned in 1961 . The latest EN- TERPRISE takes up a proud tradition set forth by her seven illustrious predecessors. The first ENTERPRISE was captured by Benedict Arnold from the British and was used to patrol the waters of Lake Chaplain and the Saint Lawrence River. The first ENTERPRISE, a 70-ton sloop, was re- placed by an eight-gun schooner, the second EN- TERPRISE. She served the Navy briefly, however, and mainly as a cargo ship. The third ENTERPRISE was a 12-gun schooner built at Baltimore, Md., From December 1799 to February 1 801 , with a frigate CONSTELLATION , she patrolled the West Indies, capturing and destroying several French ships which were threatening Ameri- can commercial shipping. The third ENTERPRISE spent the rest of her ca- reer in equally successful deployment, for six years n the Mediteranean, again protecting American commercial ships, and in the War of 1812, patrolling the United States ' east coast for invading British ships, After two other deployments, one in the Mediterranean and one in the Caribbean, her career came to an end in 1823. The fourth ENTERPRISE, built in 1 831 , spent the majority of her commission protecting North Ameri- can interests off the troubled shores of South Amer- ica. During her active days, she also traveled from South America ' s east coast to her west coast by way of Japan and the Pacific Ocean while carrying the honorable Edmund Roberts, who was negotiating treaties with countries in the Far East. From 1874-1909, the fifth ENTERPRISE was commissioned and decommissioned three times. During this time she made cruises to Europe, South America, Japan, and Australia. Her last 17 years were spent as a training ship for the Public Marine School in Massachusetts, taking summer cruises to England and Portugal. The sixth ENTERPRISE, in the service of the Second Naval district, performed harbor tug duties at Newport, Rhode Island. The seventh ENTERPRISE, an 827-foot 4-inch aircraft carrier, avoided destruction early in her career at Pearl Harbor when she was delayed at Wake Island by bad weather. Following the December 7th raid by the Japanese, the seventh ENTERPRISE took up patrol off Hawaii, and her planes sank a Japanese sub- marine on December 10th. Throughout the rest of World War II, with occa- sio nal time out for repairs, the Seventh ENTER- PRISE was engaged in many major battles and played a definite part in the United States ' eventual victory in the Pacific. Serving as a flagship for Admiral Halsey, and engaging in such well known major battles as the raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway where many Japanese ships were lost, including four carriers, the seventh ENTERPRISE continued her career as a distinguished and formidable American warship. She also instigated a new type of carrier warfare — night fighting. For the rest of her operations for the last years of war, the seventh ENTERPRISE used this method effectively. On May 14, 1945, a Japanese suicide plane dove into ENTERPRISE ' S forward elevator destroying it and starting fires. After repairs in Puget Sound, she returned veterans to New York from the European Theatre from September 1 945 to January 1 946, and was decommissioned on February 17, 1947. SIXIH LMLKl ' RISt SEVENTH ENTERPRISE HISTORY I 7

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On Jan. 23, ENTERPRISE was suddenly ordered into the Sea of Japan, following the seizure of USS PUEBLO by North Korea. She remained in the area nearly a month as the flagship of the specially-created Task Force 71. Relieved in the Sea of Japan on Feb. 16, she proceeded to Yankee Station, commencing combat operations on Feb. 22. On June 26, the Big E and her veteran air wing finished their third combat deployment. ENTERPRISE arrived in Alameda on July 18, made a brief call in her homeport, and departed July 27 for minor overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington. She left Bremerton on Sept. 28. After Christmas in port, she departed California on Jan., 6. 1969, Arriving in Pearl Harbor on Jan. 1 1, when she began preparing for her operational readiness inspection off the FHawaiian Islands. On Jan. 14, the ship was struck by an unfortunate and untimely disaster. Fire and explosions resulted after a missile on an aircraft on the flight deck was accidently set off, costing the lives of 28 crewmen, the loss of 15 aircraft, and extensive damage to her flight deck. The ship returned to Pearl Harber Naval Shipyard. Crewmen and Pearl Harber employees began immediate repairs on the Big E . The efforts and cooperation of these men were such that the world ' s mightiest carrier was again ready for sea on March 5. After five days of sea trials, the Big E departed Hawaii on March 1 1 , en route to Yankee Station for her fourth Vietnam tour. She reached the Gulf of Tonkin March 31, beginning immediate air strikes against the enemy. When the North Koreans shot down a Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft on April 1 6, ENTERPRISE was once again ordered into the Sea of Japan, where she was joined by three other carriers and numerous sup- port ships. As flagship for the newly reinstated Task Force 71, ENTER- PRISE became an integral part of the largest task force assemblied in more than 25 years. ENTERPRISE returned to Alameda in July 1 969 and soon sailed for her new home port in Norfolk, Va., arriving in August 1969. From Norfolk, the giant carrier returned to the Newport News Ship- building and Drydock Company where she underwent her second refuel- ing and overhaul. Having been refitted and refueled, ENTERPRISE com- pleted her sea trials in January 1 971 and then began the trip around South America for her home port at Alameda, Calif. In July, ENTERPRISE arrived at the Subic Bay Naval Base in the Repub- lic of the Philippines, and later that month, began her first line period of the cruise in the Gulf of Tonkin. After a six-day port visit to Singapore in September, ENTERPRISE and the nuclear-powered guided missile frigate USS BAINBRIDGE com- menced a transit into the Indian Ocean. During this transit. Task Group 77.5 demonstrated the quick response of nuclear vessels, conducted extensive training operations, and collected hydrographic and meteoro- logical data. After ENTERPRISE ' S run into the Indian Ocean and the Java Sea, she returned to Subic Bay on Oct. 2. After a 10-day stay, she returned to Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. On Dec. 1 0, while on the line, ENTERPRISE received orders to proceed to the Malacca Straits south of Singapore and await further orders. This movement was a result of the Indo-Pakistani War, which had begun a few days earlier. While awaiting further orders, ENTERPRISE was joined by several destroyers and a helicopter carrier. This task force became Contingency Force, Seventh Fleet, with ENTERPRISE as its flagship. Shortly after its formation, the task force was ordered to proceed into the Indian Ocean. On Jan, 7, 1972, ENTERPRISE received orders to cease operations in the Indian Ocean and proceed to Subic Bay. ENTERPRISE ended her fifth West-Pac deployment and headed home, arriving in Alameda Feb. 12. On Sept. 12,1 972, ENTERPRISE departed Alameda for her sixth com- bat deployment to Southeast Asia. The arrival of 1 973 brought good news to ENTERPRISE and the world, the announcement of a cease-fire in Vietnam. ENTERPRISE — A 200 Year Heritage FIRST ENTERPRISE SECOND ENTERPRISE FOURTH ENTERPRISE THIRD ENTERPRISE FIFTH ENTERPRISE 6 HISTORY

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In March 1 973, ENTERPRISE earned her second Battle Efficiency E tor attack aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet. The ship left Subic Bay May 30 to return to her home port of Alameda. On July 30, ENTERPRISE sailed from Alameda to Bremerton, WA, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, for a six-month shipyard period of altera- tions and refitting in preparation for taking on the Navy ' s newest fighter aircraft, the F-14A Tomcat. Returning to Alameda in early February 1974, ENTERPRISE began refresher training, carrier qualifications and air wing operations in Au- gust. ENTERPRISE won her third Battle Efficiency E for Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers. On Sept. 1 7, ENTERPRISE departed Alameda for her seventh deploy- ment to the Western Pacific and the first operational deployment overseas for the Tomcat. Between October and December, ENTERPRISE conducted routine operations in the South China Sea. After spending Christmas and New Years at Subic Bay, ENTERPRISE got underway on Jan. 7, 1975 to begin her fourth cruise in the Indian Ocean. A four-day visit to Mombasa, Kenya in early February was followed by disaster relief operations at Mauritius, a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean that had been struck by a devastat- ing cyclone. The 40-day excursion into the Indian Ocean ended with a four-day visit to Singapore in February while en route to Subic Bay. On April 29, ENTERPRISE aircraft flew 95 sorties in support of opera- tion Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon. Altera 15-day transit from Subic Bay, the Big E arrived at Alameda on May 20, 1975. ENTERPRISE left Alameda July 30, 1 976 on her eighth Western Pacific deployment. The ship arrived in the Philippines Sept. 6. Operation Kangaroo II in the Coral and Tasman Seas with ships of the Australian and New Zealand navies followed. ENTERPRISE visited Hobart, Tasmania from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. On Jan. 15, ENTERPRISE left Subic for the first all-nuclear-powered excursion into the Indian Ocean since 1 964. The ship was joined by the guided missile cruisers LONG BEACH and TRUXTUN, and the sub- marine TAUTOG. The long at-sea period was broken by a visit to Mom- basa, Kenya Feb. 19-23. Following the Indian Ocean cruise, ENTERPRISE made a final stop in Subic before leaving for Alameda March 17. She arrived in Alameda March 28, 1977. On April 4, 1978, Enterprise departed Alameda for her ninth Western Pacific deployment. From April 4 to May 4, ENTERPRISE participated in RIMPAC-78, a four nation naval exercise involving 42 ships, 225 aircraft and about 22,00 men. Maritime forces from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand participated in the exercise. After a short visit to Pearl Harbor, ENTERPRISE entered Subic Bay, R.P. for the first-of-four visits on 17 May. Following a 16-day operational period the ship was bound for Hong King. During this period, a group of 1 3 Vietnamese refugees were picked up from a sinking sampan about 90 miles west of Luzon, R. P. They were fed, clothed, and then transferred to USS HULL for further transit to Subic. On July 5, ENTERPRISE left Subic Bay en route to the Indian Ocean with a three-ship task group to conduct training operations. The 33-day excursion was broken by a port visit to Perth, Australia. After leaving Perth on Aug. 1 2, ENTERPRISE participated in the two-day Beacon South exercise conducted with units of the Royal Australian Air Force and the Right: First Enterprise Commanding Officer, Captain Vincent P. dePoix, 25 November T 961 — 20 luly 1963. Far Right: Senator Barry Coldwater visits Big f, 1 964. Below: During Big E ' s visit to Perth, Western Australian Pre- mier Brand is greeted by Ltjg. Robert I. Spane, at right, who was to become XO of Enterprise in April of 1981. M 1 . V 1 y 1 m 1 8 I HISTORY