***** THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISES *****
"ENTERPRISE" - 1775 TO 1777 - 12-gun Sloop
The first American "Enterprise" was a 62-foot sloop captured from the
British at St. Johns, Canada on May 18, 1775. Available records suggest
that she was given the name "Enterprise" by Colonel Benedict Arnold at
the time of her capture. On August 28, 1775, the "Enterprise" and two
other ships captured by Colonel Arnold's Continental Army troops carried
over 1,000 men who were part of an attack against St. Johns, Montreal,
and Quebec. The arrival of strong British reinforcements eventually
forced these ships to withdraw in the spring of 1776. At Ticonderoga,
Colonel Arnold built up a larger fleet and again entered battle with the
British on October 11, 1776, near Plattsburg, New York. Though greatly
inferior in terms of firepower, the "Enterprise" and the other ships in
Arnold's fleet fought off the British all day long and slipped through
the British lines at night. Over the next two days, a running battle
continued, which resulted in the loss of all but five of the American
ships. Arnold again withdrew the "Enterprise" and the four other
remaining ships to Ticonderoga. Although this had been a tactical
defeat, it was a great strategic victory. The small fleet had so
disrupted the British invasion into New York that it was nearly a year
before another attack could be mounted by the British. By that time,
additional American troops had been recruited and trained. This led to
the eventual American victory at Saratoga on October 17, 1777. During
the British advances prior to the Battle of Saratoga, the "Enterprise"
and four other vessels were assigned convoy duty on Lake Champlain. On
July 7, 1777, she was run aground at Skenesboro and burned by her crew
to prevent her capture by the British.
"ENTERPRISE" - 1776 to 1777 - 8-gun Schooner
Very little is known about the second "Enterprise". Incomplete records
indicate that she was an 8-gunned privateer schooner purchased by the
Continental Congress on December 20, 1776. She operated primarily in
Chesapeake Bay, and among her assignments the "Enterprise" convoyed
transport ships, carried out various reconnaissance missions against the
British, and guarded the shores of the Chesapeake from British raids.
The "Enterprise" was returned to the Maryland Council of Safety sometime
in February 1777, just two months after she was purchased.
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1799 to 1823 - 12-gun Schooner
The third "USS Enterprise" was an 85-foot schooner, which was also known
as the "Lucky Little Enterprise". Shortly after the end of the American
Revolutionary War, the French Revolution began. The French
revolutionaries had little respect for international law and soon began
seizing American ships. By 1799, this matter had reached the stage of
an undeclared war, and the "Enterprise" sailed on December 17, 1799, to
the Caribbean. There, she saw action against the French, capturing
eight French privateer ships and recapturing 11 American merchantmen.
The "Enterprise" was next assigned to the Mediterranean. The first
action of this cruise occurred on August 1, 1801. During a fierce
battle, from which the "Enterprise" emerged unscathed, she captured the
corsair ship "Tripoli". The "Enterprise" continued to patrol the
Mediterranean and on January 17, 1803, captured the "Paulina", a ship
under charter to the leader of Tripoli. On May 22, 1803, she ran a 30-
ton craft aground on the shore of Tripoli. On December 23, 1803, under
command of Lt. Stephen Decatur, the "Enterprise" and "Constitution"
together captured the Tripolitan vessel "Mastico". The "Mastico" was
renamed "Intrepid" and was used to mount an expedition into Tripoli to
burn the frigate "Philadelphia", which had been captured. The
"Enterprise" continued to patrol the Barbary Coast and joined other
ships in general attacks on Tripoli in July 1804. She spent most of the
winter of 1804 in Venice, where she was almost completely rebuilt by May
1805. She then returned to duty in the Mediterranean and fought a brief
battle with Spanish gunboats off Gibraltar on August 15, 1806. The
"Enterprise" returned to the United States in late 1807 and patrolled
the coastal waters until June 1809. In 1811, just prior to the outbreak
of the War of 1812, the "Enterprise" entered the Washington Navy Yard,
where she was reconstructed as a brig, growing eight feet in length and
gaining more advanced armament. The "Enterprise" then saw action in the
War of 1812. On September 5, 1813, she engaged in a fierce battle with
the newly-built British brig "Boxer". During the battle, which saw the
death of the commanders of both ships, the "Enterprise" captured the
"Boxer" and took her to nearby Portland, Maine. A common funeral was
held for both Lt. William Burrows, the "Enterprise's" commander, and the
"Boxer's" Captain Samuel Blythe. After repairs in Portland, Maine, the
"Enterprise" and the brig "Rattlesnake" sailed for the Caribbean. They
captured three enemy ships before being separated by a heavily armed
ship on February 25, 1814. The "Enterprise" returned to the United
States, where she patrolled the waters near Charleston, South Carolina
for the remainder of the War. After the end of the War of 1812, the
"Enterprise" was again pressed into service in the Mediterranean from
July to November 1815, then cruised the northeastern U.S. coast until
November 1817. After that, she sailed the Caribbean and the Gulf of
Mexico against pirates and smugglers, capturing 13 vessels in the
process. The "Lucky Little Enterprise" ended her almost 1/4 century of
proud service, when she ran aground and broke up on Little Curacao
Island in the West Indies on July 9, 1823.
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1831 to 1844 - 8-gun Schooner
The fourth "USS Enterprise" was an 88-foot schooner built at the New
York Navy Yard and commissioned on December 15, 1831. She sailed for
South America on January 12, 1832, and patrolled the Brazilian coast
until April 1834, protecting American shipping and citizens during
conflicts between Brazil and Uruguay. After repairs in New York, she
returned to the Brazilian patrol in July 1834. Ten months later, the
"Enterprise" and the sloop "Peacock" set sail for the Far East by way of
Africa, India, and the East Indies. The "Enterprise" continued eastward
across the Pacific and stopped in Honolulu, Hawaii in September 1836.
She then proceeded to the west coast of Mexico and began a patrol of the
west coast of South America. After rounding Cape Horn, the "Enterprise"
stopped at Rio de Janeiro enroute to Philadelphia. There, she was
decommissioned on July 12, 1839. The "Enterprise" was recommissioned on
November 29, 1839. After four more years of protecting American
shipping interests off the coast of South America, she entered the
Boston Navy Yard in June 1844 and was eventually sold on October 28,
1844.
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1877 to 1909 - Screw Sloop
The fifth "USS Enterprise" was a 185-foot sail and steam-powered sloop-
of-war commissioned, on March 16, 1877. Her first duty took her to the
mouth of the Mississippi River, where she conducted survey operations.
In May 1878, she sailed up the Amazon and Madeira Rivers in South
America on survey duties. She joined the U.S. naval force in European
waters in December 1878, making numerous calls in northern Europe and
the Mediterranean. The "Enterprise" was decommissioned (for the first
of many times) at the Washington Navy Yard in May 1880. She was
recommissioned in January 1882 and spent a year cruising the U.S. east
coast. On January 1, 1883, she set sail on a hydrographic survey that
took her around the world. The results of her survey added considerably
to existing knowledge about the oceans and ocean currents. She was
again decommissioned in March 1886 and then reactivated in October 1887.
In January 1888, the "Enterprise" sailed for European waters and the
Mediterranean, where she cruised for two years showing the flag. After
this cruise, she was again decommissioned in March 1890. The
"Enterprise" was recommissioned for the final time in July 1890 and
operated for a year in the Caribbean. From September 1891 to September
1892, she served as the training ship of the U.S. Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Maryland. On October 17, 1892, she was lent to the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a maritime training vessel. She served
in this capacity for some 17 years and was finally sold on October 1,
1909.
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1916 to 1919 - Motor Patrol Boat
The sixth "USS Enterprise" was a 66-foot motor patrol boat purchased by
the U.S. Navy on December 6, 1916. She performed harbor tug duties at
Newport, Rhode Island until December 1917, when she was moved to
Bedford, Massachusetts. She was transferred to the Bureau of Fisheries
on August 2, 1919.
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1938 to 1947 - Aircraft Carrier CV-6
The seventh "USS Enterprise", also known as the "Big E", was the second
Yorktown-class aircraft carrier. She was commissioned on May 12, 1938,
and served gallantly during World War II, seeing much action against the
Japanese fleet in the Pacific. The "Enterprise" had just completed
delivering aircraft to Wake Island and was enroute back to Pearl Harbor
when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. While she was fortunate
to have been at sea during the attack and did not encounter any surface
ships, the "Enterprise" did score a kill by sinking the Japanese
submarine "I-170" on December 10, 1941. On January 11, 1942, the
"Enterprise" sailed from Hawaii to protect convoys sent to reinforce
Samoa. On February 1, she dealt a hard blow to the Japanese in the
Marshall Islands, sinking three ships and damaging eight others. During
the next month, the "Enterprise" blasted enemy installations on Wake
Island. After repairs and minor modifications, she rendevoused with the
"Hornet" on April 6, 1942, and provided air cover while the "Hornet"
launched B-25 bombers on a raid against Tokyo. With Rear Admiral
Raymond Spruance aboard, the "Enterprise" was deployed on June 4, 1942,
with the "Yorktown" and "Hornet" at the Battle of Midway. Her torpedo
bombers suffered heavy losses. However, her dive bombers helped sink the
Japanese carriers "Akagi", "Kaga", and "Hiryu". Off Guadalcanal on
August 24, 1942, "Enterprise" suffered several hits from Japanese
bombers, but she was repaired at Pearl Harbor and joined in the Battle
of Santa Cruz just two months later. Although she was hit again during
that battle, the "Enterprise" continued in action and took aboard planes
from the "Hornet", which had to be abandoned. By the time the naval
battles off Guadalcanal had ended on November 15, 1942, the
"Enterprise" had shared in sinking 16 enemy ships, among them the
Japanese battleship "Hiei", and damaging 8 more. On May 27, 1943,
Admiral Chester Nimitz presented the "Enterprise" with the first
Presidential Unit Citation awarded to an aircraft carrier. In July
1943, she entered the Puget Sound Navy Yard for major repairs.
Returning to action in November 1943, the "Enterprise" introduced
carrier night operations by launching a 3-plane force against Japanese
land-based bombers. She again made carrier aviation history on
February 17, 1944, when she launched 12 torpedo bombers on a night radar
bombing attack against the Japanese naval base at Truk. Planes from the
"Enterprise" accounted for 1/3 of the 200,000 tons of shipping destroyed
by the task force during that raid. On June 19, 1944, the "Enterprise"
took part in what is considered as the greatest carrier aircraft battle
in history. After 8 hours of combat in the skies near Saipan, the
United States Navy had lost 130 planes and crew and had 6 ships damaged.
However, the Japanese lost 3 carriers and 426 planes. Japanese naval
aviation never recovered from this defeat. The "Enterprise"
participated in other action near Palau in September and October 1944,
at Leyte Gulf in October 1944, and Manila and Yap in November 1944. She
also supported the landing at Iwo Jima in February 1945, keeping
aircraft aloft for a continuous 174 hours. A kamikaze hit on May 14,
1945, blew out her forward elevator and kept her in dock until after the
end of the War. The "Enterprise" was restored to peak condition and
sailed to Pearl Harbor to bring home 1,000 troops. She then set sail
for Europe, where she participated in the "Magic Carpet" operation,
bringing home more than 10,000 servicemen in her final service. The
"Enterprise" was decommissioned on February 17, 1947, and placed in
reserve. She never saw operational service again. She was sold for
scrap on July 1, 1958, after unsuccessful attempts to have her preserved
as a memorial. (Author's Note: The novel "Final Frontier" by Diane
Carey is in error in stating, on page 153, that the World War II
aircraft carrier "USS Enterprise" was sold to the Japanese for scrap.
According to the Ships' Histories Branch of the U.S. Naval Historical
Center, the "Enterprise" was sold to a New Jersey company.)
"USS ENTERPRISE" - 1951 to 2005 - Aircraft Carrier CVN-65
The eighth "USS Enterprise" was commissioned on November 25, 1961, as
the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Her hull and 4.5
acre flight deck design were that of the Kitty Hawk-class of
conventionally-powered carriers. However, her square superstructure
gave the "Enterprise" a unique profile. On February 20, 1962, the
"Enterprise" played a role in the early history of space exploration by
serving as a tracking ship for the United States' first orbital mission,
John Glenn's 3-orbit flight in "Friendship 7". She next joined the
Sixth Fleet on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea. In October 1962, the
"Enterprise" participated in the blockade of Cuba and on May 13, 1964,
set sail with the nuclear-powered cruiser "Long Beach" and frigate
"Bainbridge" on Operation Sea Orbit. This historic 32,000 mile voyage
took the task force on an around the world cruise without a single
refueling. The "Enterprise" was transferred to the Seventh Fleet in the
Pacific in November 1965. On December 2, 1965, she became the first
nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat, launching 125 air sorties
against Viet Cong targets. The very next day, she set a record by
launching 165 sorties in a single day. While off Hawaii in January
1969, a fire caused by a missile explosion destroyed her aft flight
deck. After extensive repairs, the "Enterprise" returned to action off
Vietnam. In all, she made six combat patrols to Southeast Asia and
earned five battle stars and two Navy Unit Commendations. Her last
strike of the war was made in 1973. Beginning in January 1979, she
underwent a 3-year overhaul and refit, including modernization of her
nuclear reactors. Unknown to her crew, in 1986 the carrier "Enterprise"
provided the rebel crew of the 23rd Century starship "Enterprise" with
the nuclear fuel they needed to successfully complete the time travel
episode that occurred during the Whalesong Incident. In April 1988, she
was assigned to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian
Gulf, protecting them from Iranian or Iraqi attacks. The "Enterprise"
departed on her 14th overseas deployment on September 17, 1989, under
command of Captain Harry T. Rittenour. Upon completion of that
assignment, she had accomplished her sixth around the world cruise.
After another major overhaul, the "Enterprise" returned to service, with
Norfolk, Virginia as her homeport. She sailed into the 21st Century and
was finally retired to the Navy Museum at Peal Harbor in 2005.
