Known as "The Big E", Enterprise, commissioned in 1961, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.  To this day, she holds the records as the longest, tallest and fastest carrier in the fleet. 

915 engineers designed the Enterprise. 16,100 drawings and 2,400 blueprints were made. The ship has about 625 miles of electrical cables and 37 miles of ventilation ducts!  She has two 30-ton anchors and four 35-ton rudders. She was intended to be the first of a class of six, but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down, resulting in her being the only ship of her class. 

For years, USS Enterprise has stood fast in defense of freedom, sailing into harm’s way on behalf of the American people.   She has been seen in all major actions since her launch. 

- October 24, 1962: together with other ships in the Second Fleet began a "strict quarantine of all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba".

- July 31, 1964: designated Task Force One and sent on Operation Sea Orbit.  A historic 30,565-mile voyage around the world was accomplished without a single refueling or replenishment.

- Dec. 2, 1965: became the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat when she launched bomb-laden aircraft in a projection of power against North Vietnam.  Her hot decks launched 125 sorties on the first day, unleashing 167 tons of bombs and rockets on the enemy's supply lines. The next day she set a record of 165 strike sorties in a single day.

- Jan. 19, 1971: completed sea trials with her newly-designed nuclear reactor cores which contained enough energy to power her for the next 10 years.

- 1986: became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal.

- March 1990: completed her highly successful around-the-world, steaming more than 43,000 miles from its long-time homeport of Alameda, California.

- Sept. 27, 1994: sea trials during which Enterprise performed an extended full power run as fast as when it was new.  She remains the fastest combatant in the world.

- Dec. 16, 1998: initiated Operation Desert Fox, the aerial assault of military targets in Iraq, first with Tomahawk land attack missiles and then air strikes by CVW 3. During the 70-hour operation, Team Enterprise launched more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles and dropped more than 675,000 pounds of ordnance.

- Starting June 3, 2004, Enterprise Carrier Strike Group joined in a test of the Department of the Navy's new Fleet Response Plan by deploying on Summer Pulse '04. Over the following two months, USS Enterprise teamed up with nations ranging from England to Morocco in a series of multi-national exercises.

USS Enterprise is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2014-2015.  She may end up as an aircraft-carrier museum ship. 

About this USS Enterprise model:

 - All parts are wood and metal.  No plastic or fiberglass.
 
 - Four elevators are movable.   You can adjust their heights.

- Interior. 

38" long  (1/350 scale)     $890          S & H is $120

Illuminated and interior detailed model $1,100       S & H is $120

Add a case: www.modelshipmaster.com/products/accessory/displaycase.htm

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