Artifact Snap: USS Enterprise CVN-65 "Big E"

The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched in Newport News, Virginia. USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a retired United States Navy aircraft carrier and the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. She was the eighth naval vessel to bear the name and is affectionately nicknamed "Big E," like her WWII predecessor. At 1,123 feet (342 meters), she was the longest naval vessel in the world, a record that still stands today. With a displacement of 93,284 long tons (94,781 metric tons), she ranked as the 11th heaviest supercarrier, following the 10 carriers of the Nimitz class.

Enterprise had a crew of approximately 4,600 service members and was the only ship of her class. She was also the third oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy, following the wooden-hulled USS Constitution and USS Pueblo. Originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2014 or 2015, depending on the lifespan of her reactors and the completion of her replacement, USS Gerald R. Ford, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 set her retirement for 2013. By that time, she would have served for 51 consecutive years, longer than any other U.S. aircraft carrier.

We were honored and fortunate to attend the inactivation ceremony on December 1, 2012, where nearly 12,000 past and current crew members, their families, and dignitaries gathered for the event. Along with several other items, we obtained these three coins during the ceremony. The USS Enterprise was officially decommissioned on February 3, 2017.

The big news at the ceremony was the announcement made by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus in a video. In this announcement, he revealed that CVN-80 would be named Enterprise, continuing the proud tradition of the name in the U.S. Navy.