Everything about Uss Enterprise Cv-6 totally explained
USS Enterprise (CV-6), the "Big E", was the sixth
aircraft carrier of the
United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear that name. She was a ship of the
Yorktown class launched in 1936, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to
World War II to survive the war (the others being
Saratoga and
Ranger). She participated in more major actions of the war against Japan than did any other US ship. These actions included the
Battle of Midway, the
Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, various other air-sea engagements during the
Guadalcanal campaign, the
Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the
Battle of Leyte Gulf, as well as the "
Doolittle Raid" on
Tokyo. On three separate occasions during the Pacific War the Japanese announced that she'd been sunk in battle.
Enterprise earned 20
battle stars, the most for any U.S. warship in World War II. She was the only ship outside of the
British Royal Navy to earn the highest award of the
British Admiralty Pennant in the more than 400 years since its creation. Some have labeled her the most glorious and honored ship in all of United States Naval history, rivaled only perhaps by the 18th century frigate
USS Constitution.
Initial operations
Enterprise was
launched 3 October 1936 at
Newport News Shipbuilding, sponsored by Lulie Swanson, wife of
Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson, and
commissioned 12 May 1938.
Enterprise sailed south on a
shakedown cruise which took her to
Rio de Janeiro. After her return, she operated along the east coast and in the
Caribbean until April of 1939, when she was ordered to duty in the Pacific. Based first at
San Diego and then at
Pearl Harbor after President Roosevelt ordered the Fleet to be 'forward based', the carrier and her aircraft squadrons trained intensively and transported aircraft among the island bases of the Pacific.
Enterprise was completing one such mission, delivering Marine Corps Fighter Squadron 211 to
Wake Island on
2 December 1941 and was en route to
Hawaii when the
Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor.
World War II
Pearl Harbor
Enterprise was returning to Oahu on the morning of December 7, 1941, returning from a mission to deliver Marine planes and pilots of squadron VMF-211 to Wake Island. Eighteen
SBD Dauntless scout bombers of
Enterprise squadrons VS-6 and VB-6 arrived over Pearl Harbor during the attack and, though surprised, immediately went into action in defense of the naval base. Scouting Six lost six planes during the attack, while Bombing Six lost one. Several of these planes were shot down by the Japanese; however, at least one plane was lost to heavy antiaircraft fire, and many more were damaged. At one point a radio report was heard: "Do not attack me, this is six baker three an American plane" and later the same pilot (Ensign Manuel Gonzales of VB-6) was heard ordering his radioman/gunner to prepare for a water landing. Lt. C. E. Dickinson and his crewmate William C. Miller of Scouting Six accounted for one Japanese plane before being forced to bail out after their plane caught fire. Dickinson later made his way to Ford Island to man another plane and participated in the search for the Japanese fleet. He was recommended for a commendation for "displaying a superb courage, stamina, devotion to duty, unexcelled logic and coolness in action." USS Enterprise also launched six
Grumman F4F Wildcats of VF-6 in the wake of the attack; all except two were shot down by shell shocked anti-aircraft gunners as they attempted to land on Ford Island that night. The carrier, meanwhile, assembled her remaining aircraft in a fruitless search for the Japanese striking force; oddly, the search was to the south and west of Oahu, while the Japanese retired to the northwest.
Enterprise put into Pearl Harbor for fuel and supplies on the night of December 8th, and sailed early the next morning to patrol against possible additional attacks in the Hawaiian Islands. While the group encountered no surface ships,
Enterprise aircraft sank the Japanese
submarine I-70 at on
10 December 1941.
During the last two weeks of December 1941,
Enterprise and her group steamed west of Hawaii to cover those islands while two other carrier groups made a belated attempt to relieve
Wake Island. After a brief rest at Pearl Harbor, the
Enterprise group sailed on
11 January, protecting convoys reinforcing
Samoa. On
1 February, the task force raided
Kwajalein,
Wotje, and
Maloelap in the
Marshall Islands, sinking three ships, damaging eight, and destroying numerous airplanes and ground facilities.
Enterprise received only minor damage in the Japanese counterattack, as her group retired to Pearl Harbor.
During the next month the
Enterprise group swept the central Pacific, attacking enemy installations on Wake and
Marcus Islands, then received minor alterations and repairs at Pearl Harbor. On
8 April 1942, she departed to rendezvous with
Hornet and sail west escorting Hornet on the mission to launch 16 Army
B-25 Mitchell bombers in the "
Doolittle Raid" on
Tokyo. While
Enterprise fighters flew
combat air patrol, the B-25s launched on
18 April, and flew undetected the remaining to the target. The task force, its presence known to the enemy after a sighting by small vessels, reversed course and returned to Pearl Harbor on
25 April.
The Battle of Midway
Five days later, the "Big E" sortied toward the South Pacific to reinforce U.S. carriers operating in the
Coral Sea. However, the
Battle of the Coral Sea was over before
Enterprise arrived.
Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor on
26 May, and began intensive preparation to meet the expected Japanese thrust at
Midway Island.
The
Battle of Midway began on the morning of
4 June 1942, when four Japanese carriers, unaware of the presence of U.S. naval forces, launched attacks on Midway Island. Just three hours after the first bomb fell on Midway, planes from the US carriers attacked. It was
Enterprise dive bombers which, in about 10 minutes sank the Akagi and the Kaga (aircraft from the
Yorktown also sank the
Soryu.) The
Hiryu was sunk later by aircraft from both carriers.
On
28 May,
Enterprise sortied as Rear Admiral
Raymond A. Spruance's
flagship with orders "to hold Midway and inflict maximum damage on the enemy by strong attrition tactics." With
Enterprise in CTF 16 were
Hornet, six
cruisers, and 10
destroyers. On
30 May, TF 17, Rear Admiral
Frank J. Fletcher in the still under repair
Yorktown, left Pearl with two cruisers, and six destroyers as CTF-17; as senior officer present, Rear Admiral Fletcher became "Officer in Tactical Command". The usual commander of the
Enterprise task force,
Bill or "Bull" Halsey, was kept in hospital at Pearl with a stress-related skin condition.
Each side launched air attacks during the day in one of history's most decisive battles. Though the forces were in contact until
7 June, by the end of the 4th, the outcome had been decided.
Yorktown and
Hammann were the only American ships sunk, but TFs 16 and 17 lost a total of 113 planes, 61 of them in combat, during the battle. Japanese losses were much larger: four carriers, one cruiser, and 272 carrier aircraft.
Enterprise aircraft sank
Kaga and
Akagi and a mixed squadron of
Enterprise and
Yorktown bombers destroyed
Hiryu.
Enterprise came through undamaged and returned to Pearl Harbor on
13 June 1942.
South Pacific operations
After a month of rest and overhaul,
Enterprise sailed on
15 July 1942, for the South Pacific, where she joined TF 61 to support the amphibious landings in the Solomon Islands on
8 August. For the next two weeks, the carrier and her planes guarded seaborne communication lines southwest of the
Solomons. On
24 August, a strong Japanese force was discovered some north of
Guadalcanal, and TF 61 sent planes to the attack. In the
battle of the Eastern Solomons, an enemy
light carrier Ryūjō was sent to the bottom and the Japanese troops intended for Guadalcanal were forced back.
Enterprise suffered most heavily of the American ships; three direct hits and four near misses killed 77, wounded 91, and inflicted serious damage on the carrier. Damage control parties, and quick, hard work patched her up so that she was able to return to Hawaii under her own power.
Repaired at Pearl Harbor from
10 September, to
16 October 1942,
Enterprise departed once more for the South Pacific, where with
Hornet she formed TF 61. On
26 October,
Enterprise scout planes located a Japanese carrier force and the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands was under way.
Enterprise aircraft struck carriers and cruisers during the struggle, while the "Big E" herself underwent intensive attack. Hit twice by bombs,
Enterprise lost 44 and had 75 wounded.
Despite serious damage, she continued in action and took on board a large number of planes from
Hornet when that carrier was sunk. Though the American losses of a carrier and a destroyer were more severe than the Japanese loss of one light cruiser, the battle gained time to reinforce
Guadalcanal against the next enemy onslaught.
Enterprise was now the only functioning US carrier in the Pacific Theater. On the flight deck, the crew posted a sign: "
Enterprise vs Japan".
Enterprise entered
Nouméa,
New Caledonia, on
30 October, for repairs, but a new Japanese thrust at the Solomons demanded her presence and she sailed on
11 November, repair crews from
Vestal (AR-4) still working on board. On
13 November, aviators from
Enterprise helped to sink the damaged battleship
Hiei. When the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended on
15 November 1942,
Enterprise had shared in sinking 16 ships and damaging eight more. The carrier returned to Nouméa on
16 November, to complete her repairs.
Sailing again on
4 December,
Enterprise trained out of
Espiritu Santo,
New Hebrides, until
28 January 1943, when she departed for the Solomons area. On
30 January, her fighters flew combat air patrol for a cruiser-destroyer group during the
Battle of Rennell Island. Despite the destruction of most of the attacking Japanese bombers by
Enterprise planes,
Chicago was sunk by aerial torpedoes.
Detached after the battle, the carrier arrived at Espiritu Santo on
1 February, and for the next three months operated out of that base, covering U.S. surface forces up to the Solomons.
Enterprise then steamed to Pearl Harbor where, on
27 May 1943, Admiral
Chester Nimitz presented the ship with the first
Presidential Unit citation won by an aircraft carrier. On
20 July 1943, with
Essex-class carriers now joining the fleet, she entered
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a much-needed overhaul.
The
Yorktown class had proved to be vulnerable to torpedoes and while undergoing repairs in late 1942,
Enterprise also received an extensive refit, which included an anti-torpedo blister that significantly improved her underwater protection.
Return to Duty
Back in waters by mid-November,
Enterprise joined in providing close air support to the Marines landing on
Makin Atoll, from
19 November to
21 November 1943. On the night of
26 November, "Big E" introduced carrier-based night fighters to the Pacific when a three-plane team from the ship broke up a large group of land-based bombers attacking TG 50.2. After a heavy strike by aircraft of TF50 against Kwajalein on
4 December,
Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor five days later.
The carrier's next operation was with
TF58 in softening up the
Marshall Islands and supporting the landings on Kwajalein, from
29 January to
3 February 1944. Then
Enterprise sailed, still with TF58, to strike the Japanese naval base at
Truk in the
Caroline Islands, on
17 February. Again,
Enterprise made aviation history, when she launched the first night radar bombing attack from a U.S. carrier. The 12 torpedo bombers in this strike achieved excellent results, accounting for nearly one-third of the 200,000 tons of shipping destroyed by aircraft.
Detached from TF58,
Enterprise launched raids on
Jaluit Atoll on
20 February, then steamed to
Majuro and Espiritu Santo. Sailing
15 March, in TG36.1, she provided air cover and close support for the landings on
Emirau Island (
19 March–
25 March). The carrier rejoined TF 58 on
26 March, and for the next 12 days, joined in a series of strikes against the islands of
Yap,
Ulithi,
Woleai, and
Palau. After a week's rest and replenishment at Majuro,
Enterprise sailed (
14 April) to support landings in the
Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of
New Guinea, and then hit Truk again (
29 April–
April 30).
On
6 June 1944, she and her companions of TG58.3 sortied from Majuro to join the rest of TF58 in attacking the
Marianas Islands. Striking
Saipan,
Rota, and
Guam between
11 June and
14 June,
Enterprise pilots gave direct support to the
landings on Saipan on
15 June, and covered the troops ashore for the next two days.
Aware of a major Japanese attempt to break up the invasion of Saipan, Admiral Spruance, now Commander
5th Fleet, positioned TF58 to meet the threat.
The Battle of the Philippine Sea
On
19 June 1944, the greatest carrier aircraft battle in history took place, the
Battle of the Philippine Sea. For over eight hours, airmen of the United States and Imperial Japanese navies fought in the skies over TF58 and the Marianas. By the end of the day, an American victory was apparent, and at the conclusion of the strikes against the Japanese fleet on
20 June, the triumph became complete. Six American ships were damaged, and 130 planes and a total of 76 pilots and aircrew lost. With a major assist from U.S. submarines, three Japanese carriers (
Hiyō,
Shōkaku, and
Taihō), were sunk, and 426 carrier aircraft were destroyed. Japanese naval aviation never recovered.
Enterprise participated both in the defense of the fleet and in the subsequent early evening strike against the Japanese task forces. During the chaotic after-dark recovery of the air strike, a fighter and a bomber came aboard simultaneously, but miraculously didn't cause an accident. A planned midnight strike against the Japanese fleet by night-flying
Enterprise pilots was cancelled because of the recovery and rescue operations required after the dusk attack.
After the battle,
Enterprise and her companions continued to support the Saipan campaign through
5 July. She then sailed for Pearl Harbor and a month of rest and overhaul. Back in action on
24 August, the carrier sailed with TF38 in that force's aerial assault on the Volcano and
Bonin Islands from
31 August to
2 September, and Yap, Ulithi, and the Palaus from
September 6 to
September 8.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
After operating west of the Palau Islands, the
Enterprise joined other units of TF38 on
7 October and set course to the north. From
October 10 to
October 20, her aviators flew over
Okinawa,
Formosa, and the
Philippines, blasting enemy airfields, shore installations, and shipping in preparation for the assault on
Leyte. After supporting the Leyte landings on
20 October,
Enterprise headed for Ulithi to replenish, but the approach of the Japanese fleet on
23 October called her back to action.
In the
Battle of Leyte Gulf (
23 October–
26 October),
Enterprise planes struck all three groups of enemy forces, battering battleships and destroyers before the action ended. The carrier remained on patrol east of Samar and Leyte until the end of October, then retired to Ulithi for supplies. During November, her aircraft struck targets in the Manila area, and the island of Yap. She returned to Pearl Harbor on
6 December 1944.
Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Kamikaze
Sailing
24 December for the Philippines,
Enterprise carried an air group specially trained in night carrier operations. She joined TG38.5 and swept the waters north of
Luzon and of the
China Sea during January of 1945, striking shore targets and shipping from Formosa to
Indo-China. After a brief visit to Ulithi,
Enterprise joined TG58.5 on
10 February 1945, and provided day and night combat air patrol for TF 58 as it struck Tokyo on
February 16 and
February 17.
She then supported the Marines in the
Battle of Iwo Jima from the day of the landings,
19 February, until
9 March when she sailed for Ulithi. During one part of that period,
Enterprise kept aircraft aloft continuously over
Iwo Jima for 174 hours.
Departing Ulithi
15 March, the carrier continued her night work in raids against
Kyūshū,
Honshū, and shipping in the
Inland Sea of Japan. Damaged lightly by an enemy bomb on
18 March,
Enterprise entered Ulithi six days later for repairs.
Back in action on
5 April, she supported the
Okinawa operation until again damaged (
11 April); this time by a suicide plane, and was forced back to Ulithi. Off
Okinawa once more on
6 May,
Enterprise flew patrols around the clock as
kamikaze attacks increased. On
14 May 1945, she suffered her last wound of World War II when a suicide plane destroyed her forward elevator, killing 14 and wounding 34. The carrier sailed for repairs at the
Puget Sound Navy Yard, arriving
7 June and where she was still moored on
V-J Day,
15 August 1945.
Post-War Service
Operation Magic Carpet
Restored to peak condition,
Enterprise voyaged to Pearl Harbor returning to the States with some 1,100 servicemen due for discharge, then sailed on to New York, arriving
17 October 1945. Two weeks later, she proceeded to Boston for installation of additional berthing facilities, then began a series of
Operation Magic Carpet voyages to
Europe, bringing more than 10,000 veterans home in her final service to her country. During one trip to Europe, she was boarded by the British
First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Albert Alexander, who presented
Enterprise a British Admiralty
Pennant, the most prestigious decoration of the
Royal Navy.
Enterprise is the only ship outside the Royal Navy to have received this award in the more than 400 years since its creation.
The End of the Big E
Enterprise entered the
New York Naval Shipyard on
18 January 1946 for inactivation, and was decommissioned on
17 February 1947. In
1946, she was scheduled to be handed over to the state of New York as a permanent memorial, but this plan was suspended in
1949. Subsequent attempts were made at preserving the ship as a museum/memorial, but fund raising efforts failed to raise enough money to buy the vessel from the Navy and the "Big E" was sold on
1 July 1958 to the Lipsett Corporation of
New York City for scrapping at
Kearny, New Jersey. A promise was made to save the distinctive tripod mast for inclusion in the
Naval Academy's new football stadium, but was never fulfilled (a memorial plaque was installed at the base of what is still called "Enterprise Tower"). Scrapping was complete as of May, 1960.
In
1984, a permanent "
Enterprise Exhibit" was dedicated at the
Naval Aviation Museum,
Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida to house artifacts, photos and other items of historical interest.
Other surviving
Enterprise artifacts include: the
ship's bell
, which resides at the U.S. Naval Academy, where it's traditionally rung only after midshipmen victories over
West Point; the sixteen foot, one-ton nameplate from the ship's stern, which sits near a Little League park in
River Vale, New Jersey; and one of the anchors, which is on display at the
Washington Navy Yard in
Washington, D.C. Various other artifacts and mementos (including one of her portholes) are also kept aboard
her nuclear namesake.
In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation,
Enterprise received the
Navy Unit Commendation and 20
battle stars for
World War II service.
Awards and Commendations
» Citation:
For consistently outstanding performance and distinguished achievement during repeated action against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific war area, December 7, 1941, to November 15, 1942. Participating in nearly every major carrier engagement in the first year of the war, the Enterprise and her air group, exclusive of far-flung destruction of hostile shore installations throughout the battle area, did sink or damage on her own a total of 35 Japanese vessels and shoot down a total of 185 Japanese aircraft. Her aggressive spirit and superb combat efficiency are fitting tribute to the officers and men who so gallantly established her as an ahead bulwark in the defense of the American nation.
For 7 December 1941 to 15 November 1942
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