The legendary aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which became a symbol of US naval power for half a century, is being sent for scrapping. The US Department of Defense has signed a contract with NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services for the complete dismantling and recycling of the giant. The cost of the work is $418 million, which is $118 million less than initial estimates.
Uniqueness of the First Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Commissioned in 1961, the USS Enterprise became the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Its main feature was a design with eight nuclear reactors. This scheme provided the ship with unprecedented speed and autonomy, but it turns the process of its disposal into an extremely complex engineering task.
During 51 years of service, the ship participated in key events of the 20th and 21st centuries: from the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 1964, the Enterprise, together with the cruiser USS Long Beach and the destroyer USS Bainbridge, made an unprecedented voyage around the world without refueling.
Complex Decommissioning Process
The aircraft carrier was officially decommissioned in 2012. The removal of nuclear fuel was completed only in 2017, after which the ship remained at the shipyard in Newport News (Virginia) for several years while the military looked for a safe way to dispose of it.
According to the plan, the process will be completed by September 2030. Non-hazardous materials will be sent for recycling, while hazardous waste and radioactive components of the reactor system will be packaged and sent to licensed sites for disposal.
Second Life of Steel
As part of the recycling program, 35,000 tons of steel extracted from the Enterprise's hull are planned to be used for the construction of the next-generation aircraft carrier — the USS Enterprise (CVN-80) of the Gerald R. Ford class. Thus, the historical name of the ship will be preserved, and its "flesh" will become the foundation for a new combat unit.
The experience gained during the dismantling of CVN-65 will serve as a benchmark for the US Navy for decades to come. Currently, there are 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the US Navy, and all of them will undergo a similar disposal procedure in the future.