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10 - E=mc2(Part 4)
On Patrol in the Persian Gulf
Beginning in January 1979, the Enterprise underwent a 3-year overhaul and modernization. The most noticeable
external changes were the removal of her beehive structure, which housed electronic countermeasures equipment, and the
replacement of her "billboard" radar antenna with more conventional rotating antenna. The Enterprise also
received new Sea Sparrow missile launchers and Phalanx anti-missile guns. Her nuclear reactors and other inboard
facilities were also modernized.
When she returned to action in 1982, the Enterprise took up routine patrols of the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
and in 1986 became the first nuclear-powered carrier to transit the Suez Canal, enroute to the Mediterranean off Libya.
Two years later, she was assigned to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, protecting them from
attacks by Iran and Iraq, two Arab countries which were at war.
During "Operation Praying Mantis," on April 18, 1988, the Enterprise struck a decisive blow against the Iranian
Navy in response to mine attacks against the American frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts. The operation began at 8:00
a.m., when Surface Action Group Bravo, a small task force of three American surface vessels, mounted an attack on an
armed Iranian oil platform in the central Persian Gulf. About 10 minutes later, Surface Action Group Charlie, composed
of three other America surface ships, attacked another armed Iranian oil platform in the southern Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, Surface Action Group Delta, with three more surface ships, searched near the Strait of Hormuz for the Iranian
frigate Sabalan. This Iranian ship had played an active role in the attack several days earlier on the
Samuel B. Roberts. A smaller Iranian vessel then attacked the American cruiser Wainwright, but was itself
sunk. Next, five Iranian patrol boats attacked a nearby Panamanian cargo barge which had 15 American crewmembers
aboard.
At this point, the ranking naval officer on the scene obtained permission to call in the "Big E" to mount air strikes
against the Iranian vessels. Two A-6 Intruders from the Enterprise sank one of the five Iranian patrol boats,
while the other four fled and beached themselves on the nearby Iranian coast. The scale of the battle soon escalated,
however, when the Iranian frigate Sahand appeared and started firing on an A-6 which flew overhead to identify
the newcomer. The A-6 and six A-7 Corsairs from the Enterprise fired several missiles and laser-guided bombs
at the Sahand, while the American destroyer Joseph Strauss also fired missiles at the Iranian ship. She
erupted in flames and sank several hours later. The Sabalan then entered the fray and was almost immediately
disabled by one of the Enterprise's A-6 Intruders. Later in the day, she was taken in tow by Iranian salvage
tugs.
The Enterprise departed on her 17th overseas deployment on September 17, 1989, which include another around-the-
world cruise. One of her last stops before completing this cruise was at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on March 5 to 9,
1990. This was noteworthy because her crew displayed the spirit of service that is associated with the name
Enterprise. Although they were in St. Thomas for rest and relaxation, some members of the crew showed their
public spirit by helping to clean and paint the Charlotte Amalie High School, which had been damaged by Hurricane Hugo
on the very same day that the Enterprise had departed on her world cruise.
The Enterprise entered the Newport News shipyard on January 8, 1991 to begin another major overhaul and nuclear
refueling. During her first 30 years of service, the "Big E" had steamed almost 600,000 miles (equal to 20 times around
the world) and completed over 570,000 aircraft launches and recoveries. Upon the occasion of the Enterprise's
departure from the shipyard on September 27, 1994, Captain Richard J. Naughton, her fourteenth commanding officer, stated
that:
It took a herculean effort by the crew and Newport News Shipbuilding to complete this overhaul. "Big E" is once again ready to serve the country throughout the world well into the 21st Century.69
After a rest stop at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in August 1998, the Enterprise, under command of Captain Evan M. Chanik headed back to sea to prepare for a deployment to the Mediterranean. But tragedy struck the "Big E" on November 11, when an accident during night landing operations took the lives of the 4-person crew of one of the Enterprise's EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. Two crew members of an S-3 Viking were also injured in the crash. The 37-year old carrier then made a record-setting dash across the Atlantic -- 9,000 miles from Norfolk, Virginia to the Persian Gulf in just 13 days -- to relieve the USS Eisenhower. The Enterprise crew and air wing set up an exhausting schedule of 12-hour flight operations, every day, patrolling the "no-fly zone" over southern Iraq. Less than a month later, on December 16, the Enterprise was called to active combat status, launching strikes against targets in Iraq as part of Operation Desert Fox. The purpose of the strikes was to destroy the nuclear and biological war-fighting capabilities of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. F/A-18 Hornet and F-14 Tomcat fighters from the Enterprise and Tomahawk cruise missile from other ships in her battle group lead the attack on the first night of Operation Desert Fox, with some aircraft flying as many as four sorties that night. The Enterprise participated in more attacks, along with U.S. Air Force B-52 and B-1 bombers, on subsequent nights. In total, about 650 U.S. and British attack missions were launched against Iraq -- half of them from the Enterprise and her battlegroup. Visiting the battle group on Christmas Eve, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen told the sailors aboard the "Big E" that:
We want to say thank you -- thank you -- for your dedication, your patriotism, your professionalism. The way you carried out this operation against Saddam Hussein's forces, . . . you were just fantastic." During that Persian Gulf deployment, the Enterprise battle group scored yet another naval warfare "first." When the battle group sailed from Norfolk, Virginia on November 6, 1998, to begin the overseas deployment, the Enterprise and the other ships of the battle group were equipped with "IT-21" (Information Technology for the 21st Century). That is, the ships were outfitted with the capability to use the internet extensively as a regular part of battlefield communications. Not only were the ships of the battle group able to maintain realtime contact and exchange information almost instantaneously among each other, but the crews were able to have a stable and reliable means of communicating with families and friends back home through email. Through the end of the deployment in April 1999, the battlegroup had seamen sent and received more than 4 million personal emails. During another Mid-East deployment, the Enterprise again participated in attacks against targets in Iraq. On August 10, 2001, aircraft from the Enterprise joined land-based Royal Air Force planes in attacks on three Iraqi air defense installations in the southern part of the country. A total of 20 attack aircraft and some 30 support aircraft, including fighters, participated in the attacks. The attacks were ordered in response to increased Iraqi attempts to shoot down Allied aircraft patrolling the southern "no fly zone" of Iraq. Additional attacks against Iraqi air defense installations were launched from the Enterprise on September 4, 2001.
On September 11, 2001, the USS Enterprise was on its way back home from its latest Mid-East deployment. But after the terrible terrorist attacks on the United States, Enterprise was ordered to remain on station. By the first week of October 2001, the United States and Great Britain began attacks against key targets in Afghanistan related to the al Qaeda terrorist network, and the Enterprise battlegroup was in the middle of the action. Pilots from the Enterprise flew about 70 sorties during the first 15-hour wave of attacks, and flew many more sorties in the ensuing days and weeks. After the first day's attacks, the captain of the USS Philippine Sea, a guided missle cruiser that was part of the Enterprise battlegroup, stated that "As far as what's ahead, I think the military action last night created a more favorable condition to pursue terrorists, at the same time allowing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people." By October 28, 2001, the Enterprise was relieved on station by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and began her journey back to her home base at Norfolk, Virginia. She and her crew had been at sea since April 25, 2001. Although the Enterprise did not directly participate in the initial war against Iraq, she was on station in the Persian Gulf from October 2003 until April 2004, providing air support for the ground forces trying to stop insurgent groups in the country. Enterprise was again deployed to the Middle East in May 2006, providing air support for ground operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan and protecting two Iraqi oil terminals in the northern Persian Gulf from any attacks or attempted blockades by Iran. Enterprise and her battle group were again on station in the Persian Gulf in October 2006, when 5th Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, told the Enterprise crew:
Your time on station has been significant and successful. You played a key role in one of the monumental moments in our country's history. Your responsibility, reach and influence will have lasting effects on generations to come. Your professionalism is a direct reflection of who we are and what we stand for. None of our success would have been possible without the great teamwork each of you adds. No one else has the credibility you have to talk about what is going on out there. I want you to tell people about what is going on here -- I want people to appreciate what you do and the important role you play. Take pride in what you've done during this deployment. You've proven once again that Enterprise is the first and finest of America's carrier fleet.87 On June 6, 2008, after the Enterprise had been back at homeport in Norfolk, Virginia following completion of yet another 6-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in December 2007, it was announced to the crew that, for the first time in the ship's 46-year history, Enterprise had earned the prestigious Battenburg Cup in recognition of the crew's achievements in operational excellence. The Battenburg Cup originated in 1905 when Prince Louis of Battenburg donated a 3-foot high silver-plated cup to the U.S. Navy. Prince Louis requested that the trophy become a challenge cup between U.S. and British sailors. Only once in 34 years of competion and 52 challenges did the U.S. Navy lose the cup to the British. In earning the 2007 Battenburg Cup, Enterprise and her crew were recognized as the "best all-around" ship or submarine in the Atlantic Fleet. The Big E's commander, Captain Horton, stated at the time of the award that:
There is no prouder feeling for me when I walk aboard this great ship. The name alone carries so much tradition and such a glorious heritage. Whenever we accomplish something significant, we know it is not just about us. It is about the thousands who have gone before us and the thousands who have sailed on all the great ships that have bore the name Enterprise. This is yet another Bravo Zulu in the life of the legend we know as Big E.88
Enterprises for the Third World
During the second half of the 20th Century, two small nations had in service ships named Enterprise. In 1977,
Malaysia acquired a small tanker which had previously served with the British Asiatic Fleet. She served with the
Malaysian Navy as the KD Enterprise at least until 1991. In 1980, the Defense Force of the Caribbean nation of
Barbados acquired a 40-ton shrimp boat and had her converted for use as an offshore patrol boat. The HMBS
Enterprise was 75 feet in length, carried a 27mm anti-aircraft gun, and a crew of 10. She was retired in 1988.
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| Copyright ©
1996-2008 Arnold E.
van Beverhoudt, Jr.
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