{"id":163407,"date":"2026-11-04T09:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T03:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=163407"},"modified":"2026-11-04T03:53:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T22:23:04","slug":"worlds-first-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-begins-final-voyage-after-55-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/04\/worlds-first-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-begins-final-voyage-after-55-years\/","title":{"rendered":"World’s First Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Begins Final Voyage After 55 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VIRGINIA-<\/strong> The former USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the US Navy’s<\/a> first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, began its final transit on November 2, 2026. It departed Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia, under tow for Mobile, Alabama, where it will be dismantled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commissioned in 1961, Enterprise completed 25 deployments during 51 years of operational service and travelled more than one million nautical miles under nuclear power. Its final journey marks the beginning of a disposal project expected to finish by September 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Rob Gaston<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Final Voyage and Dismantling Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services will handle the carrier’s dismantling under a $418.5 million US Navy contract awarded in July 2026. The work includes dismantling, recycling, and disposing of the entire vessel, including its eight defueled nuclear reactor plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reactor compartment presents a major engineering challenge because it is too large to remove as a single section. Workers must dismantle parts of the hull to access the reactor components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low-level radioactive waste and other hazardous materials will be transported to licensed disposal facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HII, which handled the carrier’s initial inactivation and defueling, dropped its legal challenge to the Navy’s decision to award the disposal contract to NorthStar in October 2026. Interesting Engineering<\/a> also reported on the carrier’s final transit and its historic naval service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built by Newport News Shipbuilding, Enterprise was christened on September 24, 1960, by Bertha Irene Franke, wife of former Secretary of the Navy William B. Franke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship entered service on November 25, 1961, becoming the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US Navy vessel to carry the Enterprise name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its eight nuclear reactors powered four propeller shafts. During its 51-year operational career, the carrier completed 25 deployments and supported several major military operations, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n