NORFOLK, va. — When the makers of “Top Gun” were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship’s otherwise drab interior.
A quarter-century later, the dice will still be dangling inside the tower of “the Big E” as the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sets sail today on its final voyage.
The trinket is a reminder of the ship’s storied 50-year history that includes action in several wars, a prominent role in the Cuban missile crisis and serving as a spotter ship for John Glenn’s historic orbit of the Earth.
“To serve on this ship, certainly in this capacity, you certainly have to be a student of the ship’s history,” said Rear Adm. Walter Carter, commander of the Enterprise strike group. “Fifty years of service, in our nation’s history, we’ve never had a warship in service that long.”
The Enterprise is the longest aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet. It is also the oldest, a distinction that brings pride as well as plenty of headaches for the ship’s more than 4,000 crew members. The ship is a small city that frequently needs repairs because of its age. It was designed to last 25 years, but a major overhaul in 1979 and other improvements have extended its life.
The ship largely looks like any other carrier on the inside and has modern amenities like gyms, a coffee shop and a television station with dozens of channels. It even produces its own daily newspaper while at sea. But even the best-maintained ship faces challenges as it ages.
“It’s kind of like when you get older and you know it’s harder to get out of the bed in the morning. It takes you a couple hours to kind of really get up, and then you’re fine. Well, it’s the same sort of thing here with Enterprise,” said Capt. William Hamilton, the ship’s commanding officer, days before the ship was set to deploy from Naval Station Norfolk.
Machinists in charge of fixing unexpected problems say the things that can break down range from critical air-conditioner units to elevators that lift fighter jets from the hangar bay to the flight deck. Moreover, the Enterprise has eight nuclear reactors to maintain — six more than any other U.S. carrier.
Crew members who weren’t even alive when “Top Gun” was in theaters in 1986 use the film to explain what it is they do on the ship, as well as exactly where it is they do it.
For Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Dennis, there’s also pride in his ship having the same name as the ship featured in the “Star Trek” television series.
“In a way, I wanted to be part of this ship, to be on the last deployment, to be a part of that. Being from Cairo, that’s real huge,” he said. “I always wanted to be a part of history, so being on this last deployment, it’ll be something I can definitely tell my children and grandchildren.”
This deployment will be the ship’s 22nd. The Enterprise is heading to the Middle East on its seven-month deployment, where it will be on standby in case of conflict with Iran or piracy threats off Somalia, among other things.
After its return to Virginia in the fall, tens of thousands are expected to be on hand for a deactivation ceremony Dec. 1 that President Barack Obama has been invited to attend.
The following summer, Enterprise will be towed to the shipyard where it was built in nearby Newport News so its nuclear fuel can be removed, a process that will take until 2015. What remains of the ship after that will then be taken to Washington state so it can be scrapped.
