Navy to name next Ford-class carrier Enterprise

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Saturday via video message at the USS Enterprise inactivation ceremony that the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be named Enterprise. 

Mabus selected this name to honor USS Enterprise, the Navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which was inactivated today in Norfolk.

Commissioned in 1961, the USS Enterprise served for more than five decades. The carrier participated in the blockade of the Cuban Missile Crisis, launched strike operations in Vietnam, and conducted combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

"The USS Enterprise was the first of its kind, and for 51 years its name has been synonymous with boldness, readiness and an adventurous spirit," said Mabus. "Rarely has our fleet been without a ship bearing the name. I chose to maintain this tradition not solely because of the legacy it invokes, but because the remarkable work of the name Enterprise is not done." 

The future USS Enterprise, designated CVN 80, will be the ninth ship to bear the name.

USS Enterprise and subsequent Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will provide improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for Sailors and reduced life cycle costs, according to the Navy.

The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be 1,092 feet in length and have a beam of 134 feet. The flight deck will be 256 feet wide, and the ship will be able to operate at speeds in excess of 34 knots. Enterprise will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News.