In 1775, the Continental Navy commissioned a sloop of war and dubbed her Enterprise. A schooner followed in 1776 with the same name.
In 1799 the first USS Enterprise, an 84-foot 12-gun schooner was built, going on to capture eight French privateers during the Quasi-War and fire the first shots in the First Barbary War. Since then, the Navy has commissioned another seven warships with the same name to include the storied aircraft carriers CV-6 and CVN-65.
Now, the ninth ship (11th if you count Washington’s fleet) and the third aircraft carrier in the history of the U.S. Navy to bear the name, CVN-80, will also be the first American super-carrier since USS America was commissioned in 1966 not to be named in honor of a person.
And her steel was cut last week.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Aug. 24, 2017) A 35-ton steel plate is displayed at Newport News Shipbuilding division during a ceremony to start advance construction of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). The steel plate will become part of the foundation of Enterprise, the ninth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Enterprise will be the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by Matt Hildreth/Released)
Ship’s Sponsors are Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky.
She is expected to join the fleet in 2025, likely replacing USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) which at that point will be 48-years-old and 20-years past her last refueling.
