1963 video of USS Enterprise, the first nuclear aircraft carrier

**Jon** · Oct 11, 2016, 11:24 PM

1963 video of the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear aircraft carrier. From the American Petroleum Institute.

**Toolmaker51** · Oct 12, 2016, 06:32 PM

My first first gig for deployment, (no not in '63!). Was attached to several carriers, "E" isn't the favorite, but a thrilling powerhouse to ride. A huge big deal for sure, the best argument for nuclear power plants in general ever. The Big "E" could deliver well past the endurance of any crew; and we often did. Ah, the stories...Still have National Geographic issue where it was a feature, that article includes laying down the keel.

**Jon** · Oct 13, 2016, 03:53 PM

I figured we had guys on our forum who were familiar with the Big E, but did not expect that any of our members were deployed on it. Very cool.

**Toolmaker51** · Mar 25, 2019, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Jon

I figured we had guys on our forum who were familiar with the Big E, but did not expect that any of our members were deployed on it. Very cool.

Crew member of several; Enterprise, Constellation, Kitty Hawk, Independence and other commands Flatley, Assault Craft Unit 1, SIMA San Diego, PMTC (Point Mugu) NCBC (Port Hueneme) and a little bit NAB Coronado.
That one of us could be deployed isn't super odd, with air wing aboard just over 5000 sailors coming and going, years on end. I was in a Veterans Day parade once, met one from my own division 18 something years earlier. Odder yet, know two South Vietnamese found sanctuary on her, after evacuation of Saigon 1975.