NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Enterprise 1977

Ships

No	Name	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm	Fate
CVAN65, 6.1975- CVN65	Enterprise	546	Newport News	4.2.1958	24.9.1960	25.11.1961	stricken 2.2017

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	71277
Displacement full, t	89084
Length, m	317.1 wl 342.4 oa
Breadth, m	40.5 wl 77.7 ext
Draught, m	11.3
No of shafts	4
Machinery	4 sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 8 Westinghouse A2W reactors
Power, h. p.	280000
Max speed, kts	32
Fuel, t	nuclear
Endurance, nm(kts)	practically unlimited
Armour, mm	presumably: belt summary: 150, flight deck: 45, gallery deck: 25, hangar deck: 37, main deck: 37, torpedo bulkhead: 76
Armament	~90 aircraft (FJ, F2H, F9F, F3H, F4D, F8U, F4H fighters, AD, A3D, A4D attackers, F2H-P, F9F-P, OE, A3D-P, F8U-P, F4H-P recon planes, AD-Q, F3D-Q, A3D-Q ECM planes, AD-W, WF EW planes, S2F ASW planes, TF cargo planes, HRS, HUP, HSS, HUS, HOK, HUK, HUL, HR2S, HSS-2 helicopters)
Electronic equipment	SPS-10, SPS-32, SPS-33, SPN-6, SPN-10, SPN-12 radars, ULQ-6 ECM suite
Complement	5287

Air group

Year	Fighters	Attackers	recon, EW, ECM	ASW and auxiliary	Helicopters
1966	24 F-4B	24 A-4C, 12 A-6A, 6 A-3B	3 RA-5C, 3 RA-3B, 3 EA-3B, 4 E-2A	-	4 UH-2A
1975	24 F-14A	24 A-7E, 12 A-6A	3 RA-5C, 4 EA-6B, 4 E-2A	4 KA-6D, 10 S-3A	8 SH-3H
1999	20 F-14A, 36 F/A-18A/C	---	4 EA-6B, 4 E-2C	6 S-3A	4 SH-60F
2003	10 F-14B, 12 F/A-18A+, 24 F/A-18C	---	4 EA-6B, 4 E-2C	8 S-3B	6 SH-60F, 2 HH-60H
2006	24 F/A-18E/F, 24 F/A-18A/C		4 EA-6B, 4E-2C	2 C-2A	6 SH-60F/HH-60H

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 20,400 m², ha - 6,537 m² / 49,680 m³): Flight deck: 331.6 x 77.7m. Hangar: 223.1 x 29.3 x 7.60 m. There were 4 deck-edge elevators (40t, 21.4/25.9 x 15.9m). There were 4 C13 catapults. Aircraft fuel stowage: 363 300 l of petrol and 9 380 000 l of JP-5 jet fuel. Aviation ordnance stowage was 1800t (since early 1970s 2524t).

Project history

Probably the most spectacular warship of her time, Enterprise was the first US nuclear carrier. Her size was dictated by her power plant: although it was not much heavier than equivalent weights for a conventional ship, she still had to carry a large liquid load for underwater protection, and that load greatly increased her displacement. Since it could be used for aircraft fuel, it allowed her to operate an unusually large air group. Reportedly she can sustain twelve days of intense air operations without replenishment. Again, since she was already an outstandingly capable ship, she received other innovative equipment, such as electronically scanned main radars (SPS-32 and SPS-33), with a conventional radar as backup. Although space and weight for Terrier (as in CVA 63, 64 and 66) was provided, the missile was not fitted, in an effort to hold costs down. Her aviation fuel stowage reflected the requirements of underwater protection rather than air group operations; in earlier ships aviation fuel stowage was balanced with ship endurance fuel stowage in side protection spaces, and from time to time, it was proposed that ship boilers be modified to burn aviation fuel (JP-5). Aviation ordnance capacity was 2520t, compared to about 2000t in non-nuclear carriers.

Like Nimitz, Enterprise has an integrated CIC/ASW command centre (ASCAC).

Ship protection

Armour protection consisted of 4 protected decks and distributed vertical armour (side armour and longitudinal bulkheads). Also there was a box-shaped protection of magazines and vital zones. Underwater protection included 5 longitudinal bulkheads (4th bulkhead was 76mm-thick). Bottom was also protected.

Modernizations

1960s: - SPN-6 radar, ULQ-6 ECM suite; + SPN-35A radar, WLR-1, WLR-3, WLR-11 ECM suite

9/1966:+ 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (16 RIM-7), 2x Mk 51, SPS-58 radars

1968: + SPS-12 radar

2/1982: - 2 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 25 launcher), 2x Mk 51, SPS-12, SPS-32, SPS-33, SPS-10, SPS-58, SPN-10, SPN-12 radars, WLR-3 ECM suite; + 3 x 8 Sea Sparrow SAM (Mk 57 launcher) (24 RIM-7), 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, LN-66, 6x Mk 95, SPS-48C, SPS-49, SPS-65, SPN-41, SPN-42, SPN-44, 3x Mk 90 radas, WLR-8, SLQ-17(v)4 ECM suites (forming SLQ-29 system), 4x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, TFCC, upgraded NTDS, ASCAC

early 1990s: - LN-66, SPS-48C, SPS-49, SPS-65, SPN-35A, SPN-42 radars, SLQ-29 ECM suite; + SPS-73, SPS-64(v)9, SPS-67(v)1, SPS-48E, SPS-49(v)5, SPN-43A, 2x SPN-46, Mk 23 TAS radars, WLR-1H(v)7, SLQ-32(v)4 ECM suites, 4x Mk 35 SRBOC decoy RL, SLQ-25A SSTDS torpedo decoy

10/2005: - 1 x 6 - 20/76, 1x Mk 90 radar; + 2 x 21 RAM SAM (42 RIM-116)

Naval service

No significant events.