Enterprise steaming toward final homecoming

Link to original article.

"WASHINGTON – The 51-year-old USS Enterprise is scheduled to return to Norfolk, Va., on Sunday — the final arrival in port of the Navy’s oldest operational warship, which has participated in every major conflict since the Cuban missile crisis.

More than 5,500 sailors of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group are coming off a 238-day deployment supporting operations in the Mediterranean and Arabian seas.

During its 25th and final deployment since being commissioned on Nov. 25, 1961, the Enterprise steamed more than 80,000 miles, while the attached Carrier Air Wing One flew more than 8,000 sorties in support of the war in Afghanistan as well as several exercises."

I say they fly one more sortie to the source of your computer, just for fun, ya know, just to disable it permanently. Heck, boy, you just may be the computer.

Probably my favorite Navy ship. I always liked seeing the Big E come into Pearl Harbor - it really made a big impression - even just docked at the pier. Had to come in at high tide, if I remember correctly. When I was single, shore patrol used to lock the "wave cage" - the fenced barracks that housed the female sailors - to keep out the crazed sailors from the Enterprise. I don't know when they stoppped doing that, but on my next tour in Hawaii, we lived in housing that backed up to Pearl Harbor and I'd get to see her coming in and turning on the backside of Ford Island. All I know is that our windows were open most of the time - no air conditioning and an nice hawaiian breeze - and that darned ship was noisy - with all the announcement and bells and horns. But any time she was coming in or leaving the harbor, if I could, I'd pause and watch. Wish I'd have gotten a chance to actually go on board to look around.

Hey ObamaSheep nhboy - in response to your "signature" - this one is for you!

Being stationed on ENTERPRISE was a joy and I had a lot of fun, but it is time for her to go.

bulldog said:

Being stationed on ENTERPRISE was a joy and I had a lot of fun, but it is time for her to go.

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Yeah, had to let my ship - USS Worden CG-18 - go as well, but she was sunk as a target ship in RIMPAC 2000. Was home ported onboard her in Yokosuka, Japan 1975 - 1976. Had to love our CO - Capt. Jack Frost (for real), and every single time we got underway, we always stopped for two or three days in the PI - Subic Bay, both going and returning.

Gotta give it up for the PI, pre-Pinatubo eruption.

USS Worden Sinkex Rimpac 2000 (former DLG/CG-18) - YouTube

Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC)

She was a tough old girl - "The exercise against the ex-Worden started June 17. Worden sustained a continuous attack from two ships and from F-14 Tomcat and F-18 Hornet fighters, finally sinking at 6:01 p.m. June 18, 34 hours after the exercises started."

I know our DC teams, firefighters and crew could have kept her afloat far longer than that.

Sad every time I watch her sink, but she died for the overall good cause.

F-14 Tomcats? In 2000? Who would have been flying those?

The US, with the last operational combat flight in Mar 2006. I believe only Iran has some still so-called active, but probably not flight-worthy due to no spare parts available.

Last US flight was in 2011.

Sad again.

US NAVY F 14 Tomcat - Last Flight Aircraft Carrier Operations - YouTube