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American Morning
USS Enterprise Expected to Return to Port Later This Week
Aired November 06, 2001 - 10:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Later this week, though, the USS Enterprise expected to return to port in Norfolk, Virginia. And leading the battlegroup back to American waters, the aircraft carrier's air fleet. Kyra Phillips joins us with more on that, the floating city as many people refer to it. Hey, Kyra, good morning.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Hi, Bill, good to see you. Well, right now, the USS Enterprise is being escorted back to the States with its entire battlegroup, including its air wing. But once it gets into U.S. waters, the aircraft will leave the ship and head to its port in Norfolk, Virginia. Now, here are some quick facts on the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. Home port: Norfolk, Virginia, as we mentioned. It's the first nuclear powered carrier ever made. Ship's personnel: 3,350. Flight personnel: 2,480. Aircraft: 85, and date deployed: November 25, 1961. Joining us now from Washington is CNN Military Analyst General Don Shepperd to talk a little bit more about it. Hello, General.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk a little background here and how many combat deployments this ship has seen.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, the "Big E," the "Mighty E" has a long and proud history. Commissioned in 1960 -- by listen to this name -- Secretary of the Navy John Connelly of President Kennedy fame, long time ago. It took part in the Cuban missile blockade back in 1962. 1988, the pre-flagging of the Kuwaiti oil tankers. Action against the Iranian navy. In 1996 Bosnia and Iraq. 1998 Desert Fox, '99 Kosovo, and now, of course, Enduring Freedom in the Gulf. A long and proud combat history of this magnificent ship.
PHILLIPS: Very busy. And let's talk about the air wing and the ship. As it comes home, what's the next -- the next move for everybody?
SHEPPERD: Yeah. Here's what happens. The Navy is a finely choreographed ballet, let me tell you. A ballet's probably not the right word for combat troops, but --.
PHILLIPS: I don't think they'd want to hear that, General.
SHEPPERD: -- that what it amounts to. When the ship gets towards U.S. waters, the aircraft are launched, and they go back to their home bases, places like Oceana, places like Norfolk, Jacksonville, Whidbey Island. They go back to their home stations and they go into a train up cycle. New people come from what they call the "rags," they're replacement air groups, the training squadrons. New kids come into the squadron and they start to train up. Now, normally they'll be home for at least 6 months, they'd like to be home a year. The ship also goes into a cycle in which it is refitted. And every -- about 30 years, it goes into a SLEP, or a service life extension program, to last about 2 1/2 years. Where it may be replated with new a new reactor, new catapults for new airplanes, that type of thing. But all the while, the crews are training up. They're doing their carrier qualifications on land for land -- day landings and also at night landings, on land. And then they will go out during these training cycles and re-qual on the carrier. And then they all come together in a lantex -- Atlantic exercise before they go. They'll go to Fallon to train up as an air wing again, then they get back on the ship and they redeploy and do it again. Magnificent -- magnificent Navy and a magnificent, complicated operation.
PHILLIPS: Now, I know you've done before. I believe the Lexington. Why don't you give me a little personal insight.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, I want to make it real clear. I rode on the Lexington in the backseat with Navy pilots that were doing this. I did it both day and night, and basically had my eyes open very wide. You've got 19-year-old kids on the deck, unhooking you from the airplane, coming behind you for 30 seconds -- 30 seconds behind you. Motioning you over to the edge of a ship on a wet deck. Sticking your nose over the edge of a ship. A lot of trust, a lot of practice, a lot of training. Our Navy is good.
PHILLIPS: That's true. No doubt. It's also very exciting. All right. Well, we will be definitely following everybody as they come home. I know it's going to be an exciting time for them to get back and see families, too. Thanks so much, General Don Shepperd. Appreciate it. Bill, back to you.
HEMMER: Good deal, Kyra. Thank you.
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