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Storied carrier, 'the Big E,' makes final voyage
Associated Press (AP) ^ | Sat, Mar 10, 2012 | BROCK VERGAKIS

Posted on 03/11/2012 8:19:58 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

Storied carrier, 'the Big E,' makes final voyage

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — When the makers of "Top Gun" were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship's otherwise drab interior.

A quarter-century later, the dice will still be dangling inside the tower of "the Big E" as the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sets sail on its final voyage Sunday.

The trinket is a reminder of the ship's storied 50-year history that includes action in several wars, a prominent role in the Cuban missile crisis and serving as a spotter ship for John Glenn's historic orbit of the earth.

"To serve on this ship, certainly in this capacity, you certainly have to be a student of the ship's history," said Rear Adm. Walter Carter, commander of the Enterprise strike group. "Fifty years of service, in our nation's history, we've never had a warship in service that long."

The Enterprise is the longest aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet. It is also the oldest, a distinction that brings pride as well as plenty of headaches for the ship's more than 4,000 crew members. The ship is effectively a small city that frequently needs repairs because of its age. It was originally designed to last 25 years, but a major overhaul in 1979 and other improvements have extended its life.

The ship largely looks like any other carrier on the inside and has modern amenities like gyms, a coffee shop and a television station with dozens of channels. It even produces its own daily

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aircraftcarrier; cvn65; usn; ussenterprise
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Sailors move supplies and equipment as they prepare for the final deployment of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Enterprise at the Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. The ship's storied 50-year history includes action in several wars, a prominent role in the Cuban missile crisis and serving as a spotter ship for John Glenn's orbit of the Earth. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

1 posted on 03/11/2012 8:20:07 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

And we won’t have a ship named Enterprise. End of an era.


2 posted on 03/11/2012 8:25:53 PM PDT by Mmogamer (I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Is this the last Carrier not named after a person?


3 posted on 03/11/2012 8:30:59 PM PDT by Loud Mime (When conceit and anger are part of your religion, it's a political movement, not a religion.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

“The ship regularly has to make its own parts from scratch when something breaks down. Spare parts for much of the ship, which is the only one of its class, simply don’t exist.”

There just are not as many nuclear aircraft carrier parts stores as there used to be out in the middle of the Indian Ocean.


4 posted on 03/11/2012 8:33:38 PM PDT by Uncle Slayton
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To: Mmogamer

Obummer will name the next Carrier the ``Manifesto``


5 posted on 03/11/2012 8:34:03 PM PDT by bunkerhill7 (nope?? ? ?? ``?? Who knew?)
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To: bunkerhill7
Obummer will name the next Carrier the ``Manifesto``

It will either be the Fluke, the Bell, or the Wright.

6 posted on 03/11/2012 8:35:52 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Actually, CV-6 Enterprise was the Big-E. The CVN Enterprise is scheduled to be replaced by the politician class Gerald Ford. It gets worse, at least the CVN Nimitz was named after an admiral, but it's getting replaced by the new John F. Kennedy. There are no plans for naming another carrier the Enterprise.

7 posted on 03/11/2012 8:41:39 PM PDT by Snickering Hound
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To: Snickering Hound
The founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Jack Taylor flew off hte CV6.
8 posted on 03/11/2012 8:52:57 PM PDT by IncPen (Educating Barack Obama has been the most expensive project in human history)
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To: Uncle Slayton

I was a machine shop/welding shop tech. Parts fabrication capability is a huge advantage over depending on the Class IX system when you have a section full of welders & machinists who can create or copy just about anything. Not talking about aircraft parts, just what keeps your ship or your vehicles running.

At least that used to be the case. We’re (Army Reserve) still retiring forty plus year old 2 1/2 ton trucks made of solid steel that just simply refuse to die. Their aluminum successors have electronically shifted transmissions that fail if battery voltage drops below 12 1/2 v. OK, talking Army stuff instead of Navy but you get the point.

If your GPS fails you best know how to use a map & compass. Just sayin’.

Will miss the Big E.


9 posted on 03/11/2012 9:14:58 PM PDT by elcid1970 ("Deport all Muslims. Nuke Mecca now. Death to Islam means freedom for all mankind.")
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To: sukhoi-30mki
When the makers of "Top Gun" were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship's otherwise drab interior.

With apologies for this being so wayyyy off the topic of this threaed, but a few days ago, I happened to be talking with someone who was involved with the filming of Top Gun. He recalled (in so many words) that Mister Cruise was the most self-important, whiny, petulant, insulting, and demanding jerk that one could imagine during the filming of this movie.

.

10 posted on 03/11/2012 9:17:47 PM PDT by Seaplaner (Never give in. Never give in. Never...except to convictions of honour and good sense. W. Churchill)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

My former son in law was on the Enterprise heading home after a long cruise. Things changed quickly. It was 9-11 and they turned it around and headed for the Taliban.


11 posted on 03/11/2012 9:48:17 PM PDT by doug from upland (Just in case, it has been reserved: www.TheBitchIsBack2012.com)
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To: sukhoi-30mki
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2857403/posts
12 posted on 03/11/2012 10:07:22 PM PDT by Vroomfondel
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To: Snickering Hound

I had the honor of meeting one of CV-6’s Captains. His name was Matthias Gardner. He was Skipper during part of WW II.


13 posted on 03/11/2012 10:23:05 PM PDT by wjcsux ("In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell)
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14 posted on 03/11/2012 10:25:42 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Loud Mime
Is this the last Carrier not named after a person?
No. CV-66 USS America was. USS America did not undergo Service Life Extension Program and was retired after 30 years of service. Thank you Clinton and the 1993-95 Democrat Congress.
15 posted on 03/11/2012 10:37:16 PM PDT by rmlew ("Mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, domes our helmets, the believers our soldiers.")
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To: Mmogamer
And we won’t have a ship named Enterprise. End of an era.

Sure we'll have another Enterprise...It will be the first in the new Obama-Solar/Wind/Algae powered carrier class.
16 posted on 03/11/2012 10:49:37 PM PDT by rottndog (Be Prepared for what's coming AFTER America....)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Keep all these folks in your prayers. My nephew is one of the sailors on board.


17 posted on 03/11/2012 10:52:39 PM PDT by Pining_4_TX ( The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else. ~)
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To: Snickering Hound

It may take an Act of Congress to get another carrier named “Enterprise”.


18 posted on 03/11/2012 11:09:15 PM PDT by Thunder90 (Romney barely won in OH with a 12-1 money advantage, he can't beat Obama that way.)
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To: Vroomfondel

Oops-sawry!! I searched using a couple of common keywords, but left out navair.


19 posted on 03/11/2012 11:19:47 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: smokingfrog

Don’t know if the big E’s top speed is still classified or not. She left Puget Sound for the Hawaiian Islands in a hurry after a hurricane in the mid sixties. from dropping the lines in Bremerton to putting out the lines in Oahu she averaged 62 miles an hour.


20 posted on 03/12/2012 12:27:53 AM PDT by W. W. SMITH (Obama is Romney lite)
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