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Introduction
1705 1709 1730 1738 1743 1759 1774 1775 1776 1799 1831 1861 1864 1877 1914 1919 1930 1935 1936 1946 1959 1961 1976 1976 1979 1981
22nd century
23rd century
24th century
Other Enterprises
Standards for Inclusion
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A History of Ships Named Enterprise

Last Updated: December 1, 2001

Compiled by David Wells

"Enterprise" - Boldness, energy, and invention in practical affairs (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 1963)

Organization: This guide is organized chronologically, by launch dates where available.

Archive site (WWW): http://starchive.cs.umanitoba.ca/?SNE
FTP site (text): ftp://ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/startrek/ships_named_enterprise

INTRODUCTION:

When I started this project, I had no idea how big it would get. I figured that I would just use a few of my reference books on naval ships so that people on the Netnews group rec.arts.startrek.misc would ask fewer uninformed questions about naval history. I used to post it regularly to that newsgroup, until Joe Creighton offered to put it on his "Star Trek Archive" web site. (April 1995) The hit rate astonished me! People were really reading this stuff! Anyhow, people started e-mailing me with additional information, suggestions for improvements, etc. It got to be a bit overwhelming. Now I'm finding that it's not just Star Trek fans who are interested. I'm now finding links to this site on real naval history sites! I suppose I should point out to any legitimate naval historians out there that this was originally designed for fans of the various Star Trek television series, and so references to future history (23rd & 24th centuries) and an obscure incedent aboard CVN-65 in 1986 involving one Pavel Chekov are of course, fiction. I was also a bit sloppier about references than I should have been. When I started this, I was doing it for a (then) small community of Star Trek fans on the Internet, and I wasn't really planning on it being an academic work with footnotes and references. Some things got lost in the shuffle, and probably a few errors have crept in during transcription. Nevertheless, I've tried to at least list my sources, and thank those who have contributed. Thanks for reading!

  1. 1705 - 1707 6th Rate Vessel. (UK)
    • Length: 110 feet
    • Beam: 28 feet
    • Draught: 15 feet
    • Compliment: 115
    • Armament of 24 guns
    • Displacement: 320 tons.

    Previously French vessel L'Enterprise before her capture in May of 1705. Served in the Mediterranean under command of J. Paul. May 19, 1707, her new captain takes command, W. Davenport, and she saw action off of Leghorn, (Livorno) Italy. She wrecked on October 12, 1707 off of Thornton.

    Source:

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  2. 1709-1749 5th Rate Vessel. (UK)
  3. "HMS Enterprize" (sic)
    • Length: 118 feet
    • Beam: 32 feet
    • Compliment: 190
    • Armament: 40 guns
    • Displacement: 531 tons

    4 April 1709, built at Lock, Plymouth, England.

    28 April 1709: Completed and launched on

    1709-1712: patrolled the Virginia under command of Nicholas Smith.

    June 1711: expedition to St.Lawrence under Rear Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker.

    1712-1718: Patrolled home waters from 1712 to 1718.

    1718: undertook a major repair and refit.

    1719: destroyed depot formed at Donan Castle by the Spanish expedition to the coast of Scotland.

    October 1719: capture of Vigo by Vice Admiral Mighells.

    1721-1724: Patrolled off of Virginia again.

    20 February 1740: Renamed Liverpool, a hospital ship.

    September 1745: decommissioned.

    3 April 1749: sold off for 280 pounds.

    Source:

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  4. 1730-1764 sloop (UK)

  5. Used in War of Austrian Succession and Seven Years War. Broken up in 1764.

    Source:

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  6. 1738 - Enterprize,

  7. Small wooden English Private passenger vessel. The following is a German translation of an immigrant registration for German and Swiss immigrants leaving for America via England, bound for the Philadelphia ports to live in Pennsylvania:" December 6, 1738, Palatines imported in the snow Enterprize, Lynell Wood Master, from London, 120 passengers."

    Source:

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  8. 1743-1748 Eight Gunned Sloop. (UK)

  9. "HMS Enterprize" (sic)

    Patrolled the Mediterranean under the command of T. Henning.

    11 February 1744: took part in the Battle of Toulon.

    1748: Sold

    Source:

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  10. 1759 - ? Frigate. (France)

  11. " L'Entreprise" (sic)

    Source:

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  12. 1774-1807 6th Rate Vessel (UK)

  13. "HMS Enterprize" (sic)

    • Length: 120.5 feet
    • Beam: 33.5 feet.
    • Displacement: 594 tons
    • Armament: 28 guns
    • Compliment: 200

    Built at Deptford England. Commissioned: April 1775, under the command of T. Rich.

    18 July 1775: took part in the siege of Gibraltar.

    1775-1783: War of American Independence.

    27 April 1782: sailed for the Caribbean.

    1790-1799:Took on Harbor service

    August 1807: Retired at Deptford.

    Source:

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  14. 1775-1777 Sloop of War (USA)
  15. The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line.

    • Displacement: 70 tons
    • Propulsion: Sloop rigged
    • Length: 62 feet
    • Compliment: 50
    • Armament: 12 4-pounders, 10 swivels

    Formerly HMS George, a British supply ship. Captured from Great Britain 18 May, 1775 at St. Johns, Quebec on the Richelieu River by Col. Benedict Arnold et. al. Armed for use on Lake Champlain, renamed Enterprise. They took her to Crown Point, where the inland waters were under the command of General Schuyler. She was then given to Captain Dickinson for command.

    28 August 1775: with other vessels, embarked 1000 troops for capture of St Johns, Montreal, and Quebec. August 27, 1775, with more than 1,000 troops, she helps capture St.Johns, Montreal and besieged Quebec. They are forced to retreat in the Spring of 1776 when more British Troops come.

    4 September 1776: American forces were readied to engage the British forces. Enterprise and 2 schooners, eight gondolas and 4 galleons set out under the strategy of Brigadier-General Arnold.

    11-13 October 1776: Battle of Valcour Island (on Lake Champlain, near Plattsburg, NY) Tactical defeat for Americans, though strategic victory. British invasion disrupted. Enterprise was one of only five ships to escape.

    • 11 October 1776
      • 11:00am, the fleet met the British in battle.
      • 12:15pm, the fight was "very warm".
      • 5:00pm, the fight was called for the night. 60 Americans were killed.
      • 7:00pm, the Enterprise and the rest of the fleet return to Crown Point, since 70% of the ammunition was spent.
    • 12 October 1776, by morning they reached Schuyler's island.
      • 2:00pm, weighed anchor, and continued on.
      • 6:00pm, reached within 28 miles of Crown Point. All night long British vessels pursued.
    • 13 October 1776, British vessels engaged the Enterprise and American forces near Split Rock. The second battled ensued, leaving the fleet in shambles. Enterprise, two schooners and one gondola hastily retreated.
    • 14 October 1776, Enterprise reaches Ft. Ticonderoga at 4:00am.

    26 October 1776: a battle took place between British and American vessels near Plattsburg, New York.

    7 July 1777: Battle of Lake Champlain

    The vessel was defeated and ran aground. She and five other vessels were helping in the evacution of Ticonderoga. The Enterprise was then burned at Skenesboro.

    While the ship was lost, the battle of Valcour Island delayed the British advance by almost a year, which allowed the Americans time to raise and train an army. The ship was destroyed during the British advance toward Saratoga. On October 17, 1777, the American army under Gen. Horatio Gates, decisively defeated the British at the Battle of Saratoga. "This victory was a primary factor in bringing about the alliance with France and bringing the powerful French Navy to the aid of the colonies." Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, pg. 355

    Sources:

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  16. 1776-1777 (USA)

  17. Successful privateer, purchased 20 December 1776 by Continental Navy. The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line.

    • Displacement: 25 tons
    • Propulsion: Schooner rigged
    • Compliment: 60
    • Armament: 8 guns

    Little information on this ship survives. Operated in Chesapeake Bay. Returned to Maryland Council of Safety February 1777.

    Source:

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  18. 1799-1823 Schooner (USA)

  19. USS Enterprise captures Tripoli, 1 August 1801. US National Archives.

    Known as "Lucky little Enterprise". The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line. I have to believe that this is the ship they meant to portray in the seventh Star Trek movie, "Star Trek: Generations" For the record, in that movie, the ship was portrayed by the Lady Washington.

    • Displacement: 135 tons
    • Length: 84" 7"
    • Beam: 22" 6"
    • Draught: 10'
    • Propulsion: (1799-1811) Schooner rigged (2 masts), (1812-1823) bark rigged
    • Compliment: 70
    • Armament: Twelve 6 pounders
    • Built: 1799 by Henry Spencer, Baltimore MD

    1800: Quasi-war with France. Captured 8 privateers, recovered 11 captured American ships. One of only 14 ships retained after the war.

    26 June 1801: Entered Mediterranean Sea

    1 August 1801: Defeated Tripolitan corsair Tripoli. No damage, no casualties.

    17 January 1803: Captures Tunisian ship Paulina.

    22 May 1803: Ran 30 ton Tripolitan ship aground.

    June 1803: Coastal bombardment missions

    23 December 1803: With USS Constitution, captured Tripolitan ketch Mastico. This ketch was used on Decatur's mission to burn the captured frigate USS Philadelphia.

    Winter 1804-1805: Rebuilt at Venice

    15 August 1806: Attacked by Spanish gunboats. Gunboats were driven off.

    Late 1807: Returned to USA

    1810-1811: out of commission, under repair at Washington Navy Yard

    April 1811: Recommissioned

    2 October 1811 - 20 May 1812: Refitted with brig rigging at Washington Navy Yard

    5 September 1813: Captured British brig HMS Boxer near Portland, Maine. (Repairs at Portland) Sailed to Carribean with USS Rattlesnake. Captured 3 ships.

    25 February 1814: Separated from USS Rattlesnake by a more powerful opponent. USS Enterprise was forced to jettison her armament in order to escape.

    9 March 1814: Reached Wilmington, NC

    July-November 1815: Final Mediterranean tour.

    November 1817: Sailed for Carribean & Gulf of Mexico to combat pirates, smugglers, and slavers. Captured 13 ships on this duty

    9 July 1823: Ran aground and broke up on Little Curacao island in the West Indies. No losses to the crew.

    Source:

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  20. 1831-1844 Schooner (USA)
  21. The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line.

    • Displacement: 194 tons
    • Length: 88'
    • Beam: 23' 6"
    • Draught: 10'
    • Propulsion: Schooner rigged
    • Compliment: 72
    • Armament: 2 9 pounders, 8 24 pounders
    • Builder: New York Navy Yard
    • Launched: 26 October 1831
    • Commissioned: 15 December 1831

    No combat record. After two years of patrols near Brazil, (1832-1834) she sailed around the world from New York, by way of Brazil, Africa, India, the Far East, the East Indies, Honolulu HI, Mazatlan Mexico, Cape Horn, Rio de Janeiro, and then to Philadelphia.

    12 July 1839: decommissioned.

    16 March 1840: Re-commissioned

    1840-1844: Patrols off South America

    24 June 1844: decommissioned,

    28 October 1844: Sold.

    Source:

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  22. 1861 Balloon (USA)
  23. During the American Civil War, there was a United States Balloon Corps, which used a balloon named Enterprise. Apparently, the Union Army made some use of these balloons until the Balloon Corps was disbanded in August 1863. I hope to investigate this further.

    17 June 1861: Thaddeus Lowe demonstrates Enterprise at Columbia Armory, Washington DC. The balloon ascends to 500 feet, and transmits a telegraph to Abraham Lincoln.

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  24. 1864-1886 Sloop of War (UK)
  25. (variant of Research class)
    • Displacement: 1350 tons
    • Length: 180'
    • Beam: 36'
    • Draught 12.4'-15.1'
    • Propulsion: Barque rigged 18,250 sq. ft. sail area, plus Ravenhill horizontal steam piston engine, 2 45" cylinders, 18" stroke, 690 IHP at 90 RPM, (1 shaft) for 9.9 knots (95 tons coal)
    • Compliment: 130
    • Armament: 2 100 pounder "Somersets", 2 110 pounder breach loaders
    • Builder: Royal Dockyards, Deptford England
    • Designer: Edward Reed
    • Keel Laid: 5 May 1862
    • Launched: 9 February 1864
    • Completed: 3 June 1864
    • Armor belt: iron plate, 4.5 inches thick, from below the load line to the upper decks.
    • Cost: 62,464 pounds

    The first composite ironclad. (wooden construction with iron armor) While some have classified this ship as a "lightweight battleship", I tend to think of her as a modified sloop-of-war. She was MUCH smaller than contemporary battleships.

    Served in the Mediterranean.

    1868: armaments changed to four 7 inch MLR at Malta Dockyards.

    1871: placed in reserve service.

    1875: harbor service at Chatham.

    23 February 1884: sold to Mesers, Castle and Sons.

    November 1886: sold for scrap and dismantled.

    Sources:

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  26. 1877-1909 Sloop of War (USA)

  27. USS Enterprise Sloop of War. US National Archives.

    This ship's record in some ways resembles that of NCC-1701. The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line.

    • Displacement: 1375 tons
    • Length: 185'
    • Beam: 35'
    • Draught: 14' 3"
    • Propulsion: bark-rigged, plus steam piston engines
    • Compliment: 184
    • Armament: 1 11" smoothbore, 4 9", 1 60 pounder
    • Builder: Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine (John W. Griffith, contractor)
    • Launched: 13 June 1874
    • Commissioned: 16 March 1877

    No combat record. After fitting out at Norfolk VA, surveyed the mouth of the Mississippi River. Returned to Norfolk April 1878. Left 27 May to survey Amazon and Madeira rivers. Returned to New York. Left for Europe December 1878. Visited many northern European and Mediterranean ports.

    9 May 1880: Returned to Washington Navy Yard for repairs. Decommissioned.

    12 January 1882: Recommissioned

    1 January 1883: Began 3 year worldwide hydrographic survey mission. Contributed materially to the knowledge of the oceans, their currents, and their bottoms.

    21 March 1886: De-commissioned at New York.

    4 October 1887: Re-commissioned

    20 May 1890: De-commissioned at New York.

    September 1891 - September 1892: Training ship at US Naval Academy, Annapolis MD

    17 October 1892: Loaned to Commonwealth of Massachusetts as maritime school ship.

    4 May 1909: Returned to the U. S. Navy

    1 October 1909: sold

    Source:

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  28. 1914? - 1918? Motorboat No. 790 (USA)
  29. The full entry for this ship from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line.

    • Length: 66'
    • Beam: 12'
    • Draught: 3' 7"
    • Speed: 22 knots
    • Compliment: 8
    • Armament: 1 1-pounder

    Served in non-commissioned status in the 2nd naval district.

    Source:

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  30. 1919 - 1946 Light Cruiser (UK)
  31. ("E" class, sister ships: HMS Emerald, HMS Euphrates. The later was cancelled 26 Nov 1918)
    • Displacement: 7335 tons light, 9435 fully loaded
    • Length: 570'
    • Beam: 54' 6"
    • Draught: 16' 6"
    • Propulsion: 4 sets Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, Eight Yarrow Boilers @ 250psi. 80,000 SHP = 32 knots
    • Range: 1,350 nautical miles at 32 knots, 8,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. 1746 tons of oil.
    • Compliment: 572
    • Armament: seven 6"/L50, guns, five 4" guns.
      Twelve 21in torpedo tubes on triple mountings TRI.
      (replaced in 1929 with four quadruple mounts QUI).
    • Searchlights, two 36in, two 24in.
    • Designer: John Brown and Company.
    • Builder: John Brown, Clydebank
    • Laid down: 28 June 1918.
    • Launched: 23 December 1919
    • Commissioned: 31 March 1926.

    Built by John Brown, Clydebank, UK. Moved to Devonport Dockyard for completion. Introduced the "knuckle bow" to Royal Navy cruisers. Served in World War II, mainly deployed on the trade routes. Operated with the Far East fleet late in the war. A wartime proposal to convert her into an aircraft carrier was rejected. At some point, her two forward open-mount 6" single guns were replaced by a 6" twin turret.

    1926-1934: 4th Cruiser Squadron, East Indies.

    1936-1937: East Indies.

    30 Sep 1938: reduced to reserve service.

    October 1939: used in Atlantic Convoys, after serving in the Northern Patrol at Scapa Flow.

    April-May 1940: took part in Norway Campaign.

    19 April 1940: Torpedo attack by German U-65 missed.

    24 April 1940: Bombarded German positions near Narvik, Norway.

    June 1940: moved to Force H under Admiral Sir James Somerville at Gibraltar.

    September 1940: ended operations in Western Mediterranean. She was then transferred to South Atlantic trade protection and escort duties.

    5 December 1940: sets off with cruisers HMS Cumberland and HMS Newcastle to find German raider Thor.

    January 1941: moved to Indian Ocean to assist and suppress the revolt of Rashid Ali in Iraq in May and April of 1941.

    11-18 March 1941: refit and repair at Colombo.

    December 1941: helped escort troop ships to Singapore and Rangoon, and then joined the Eastern Fleet under Admiral Sir James Somerville, taking part in protection of trade.

    25 December 1942: returned to Clyde for refit and modernization through October 31, 1943.

    27 December 1943: sunk German blockade runner Alsterufer off of the Bay of Biscayne.

    28 December 1943: Battle of Biscayne, south-west of Uhant. Light cruisers HMS Enterprise and HMS Glasgow intercepted a squadron of 10 German destroyers sent to escort a German blockade runner into France. The two British cruisers in what was apparently appalling weather engaged the Germans, sinking 3 destroyers: T-25, T-26 and Z-27. This is considered to be the last major surface action in the European theatre.

    3-29 February 1944: docked at Devonport for refit.

    27 March 1944 to March 31, 1944: fitted for missile jamming gear at Devonport. HMS Enterprise is assigned to Task Force 122 Western Naval Forces, under the command of Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk. Her sub-group is TF125 Assault Force "U" (for Utah Beach), under the command of Rear Admiral Donald P. Moon, Bombardment Group, Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo.

    6 June 1944: HMS Enterprise was part of the naval bombardment group off Normandy in the American sector.

    • 5:50am, the main batteries of HMS Enterprise, USS Nevada, (BB-36) HMS Black Prince and USS Quincy, (CA-71) drench the Normandy beaches at a high rate of fire for the forthcoming allied invasion of Normandy.
    • 7:16am, she has fired 145 rounds of 6 inch munitions at coastal strong points north east of Pouppeville.
    • 7:20am, Enterprise and other bombardment vessels supply call fire.

    7-8 June 1944:HMS Enterprise experience near misses from German Luftwaffe.

    25 June 1944: departed Portland at 4:30am, with 10 ships in group one, to help support of troops at Cherbourg.

    • 12:14pm, Enterprise opens fire on Querqueville.
    • 2:40pm, she ceases fire, silencing the German guns. She had fired a total of 318 rounds of 6-inch shells.

    5 Jan 1945: placed in reserve service at Rosyth.

    May 1945: helped in return of British troops from the Far East.

    13 Jan 1946: Final return to the UK.

    11 April 1946: Sold to BISCO

    21 April 1946: Arrived at Newport for scrapping

      Battle Honors received:
    • Atlantic 1939-40
    • Norway 1940
    • Biscay 1943
    • Normandy 1944

    Sources:

    Note: Much of the historical information and associated references in this section were provided by John Warner.

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  32. 1930-1934 Racing Yacht (USA)

    • Length: 120 feet, 9 inches (oa) 80 feet (wl)
    • Beam: 22 feet, 1 inch
    • Draft: 14 feet, 6 inches; with deep centerboard, 23 feet, 6 inches
    • Displacement: 128 tons
    • Propulsion: 7,583 square feet of sail, with three head sail riggings.
    • Builder: Herreshoff Manufacturing, Co., Bristol, Rhode Island.

    August 1930: Qualified for the America's Cup race off Mattapoisett, by defeating rival yachts Yankee, Whirlwind and Weetamoe.

    September 1930: Under the command of Harold S. Vanderbilt, won the America's Cup race off Newport, Rhode Island, defeating Shamrock V.

    Source:

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  33. 1935-1945 Training Airship L-5 (USA)

    • Length: 148 feet (45.1 m)
    • Diameter: 46 feet (14.0 m)
    • Gas Volume: 123,000 cubic feet (3,483 cu.m)
    • Propulsion: Two 145hp Warner R-500-2/6 Radial
    • Maximum speed: 60mph (96km/h)
    • Range: 500 miles (805 km)
    • Crew: 4
    • Useful lift: 1,461 lbs (662.7 kg)
    • Armament: None
    • Builder: Goodyear
    • Built: 1935

    Goodyear's first Enterprise was turned over to the Navy following the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor along with six other ships of the class to serve as training vessels for the Navy's non-rigid airship program. The Navy redesignated the blimp L-5.

    Sources:

    Note: Some of this information and the associated references to Jane's and Macmillan were provided by Thomas Kozak. I also used the website Voyages of the Enterprise by Arnold E. van Beverhoudt Jr.

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  34. 1936-1958 Aircraft Carrier CV-6 (USA)
  35. (Yorktown class, sister ships: Yorktown, CV-5 and Hornet, CV-8)


    USS Enterprise (CV-6) circa 1940. US National Archives photo.

    Known as "The Big E". Arguably the most successful warship in history, I feel certain that this is the ship for which NCC-1701 is named. The full entry for CV-6 from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line. Also check out the Enterprise (CV-6) Association web page.

    • Displacement: 19,800 tons Standard, 25,500 full load (original) 32,060 full load (later)
    • Length: 809' 6" (later 827' 5")
    • Beam: 83' (later 95' 5") at waterline, 108' 11" (later 114' 2") flight deck
    • Draught: 21' 8" (std) 27' 11" (full)
    • Propulsion: 9 geared steam turbines, 9 Babcock & Wilcox boilers (400 PSI) 120,000 SHP (4 shafts) = 32.5 knots
    • Compliment: 1889 (peace) 2919 (war)
    • Armament: 8 5"/L38 guns, 16 1.1" guns, (original) 8 5"/L38 guns, 44 40mm guns, 60 20mm guns (later)
    • Aircraft: 81-90 (1945)
    • Builder: Newport News SBDD, Newport News, VA
    • Laid Down: 16 July 1934
    • Launched: 3 October 1936
    • Commissioned: 12 May 1938

    15 June 1938: first aircraft operations conducted on board.

    18 July 1938: unmoored from Pier at Norfolk, proceed on shakedown cruise to Rio de Janerio. On way down she stops at Puerto Rico and Haiti as goodwill.

    20 August 1938: Enterprise crosses equator at Longitude 37 degrees 00 minutes west.

    20 September 1938: Enterprise leaves Brazil and stops at Cuba to pick up mail. While enroute: they are hit by a powerful hurricane off of Cape Hatteras. They then docked two days later at Hampton Roads: Virginia. She was put to get a minor overhaul and readied for spring war maneuvers.

    25 October 1938: the ship leaves port and heads north. Off of Cape Cod, the ship encounters a fierce storm.

    21 December 1938:Given to Captain Charles A. Pownall.

    9 January 1939: under way in convoy with USS Yorktown (CV-5).

    6-9 March 1939: visit to Fort De France, Martinique.

    1-14 April 1939: inport Hampton Roads taking on supplies

    15 April 1939: President gives command to the fleet to head to the Pacific.

    19 April 1939: Enterprise puts to sea.

    26 April 1939: enters the Caribbean and passes through Panama Canal.

    2 May 1939: arrived San Diego.

    1 July 1939: underway from San Diego for scheduled excersises.

    July 1939: she was anchored at the Golden Gates International Exposition.

    August-September 1939: exercises conducted off S.California coast.

    October 1939: underway to Hawaii. Assigned Hawaiian Det, Battle Force, serving as Flagship for ComScoFleet. She is moored at Pearl Harbor.

    August-November 1940: excersises in Hawaiian waters.

    November 1940: Hawaii to San Diego, then on to Bremerton.

    January 1941: Bremerton to San Diego, then on to Pearl.

    February 1941: Pearl to San Diego, then to Bremerton.

    April 1941: Bremerton to San Diego, to Long Beach, then to Pearl. Back to San Diego.

    May 1941: San Diego to Pearl.

    August 1941: Pearl to Johnston Island and back to Pearl.

    28 November 1941: CV-6 and Battle Group head for Wake Island to leave off Marine Fighting Squadron 211. Vice Admiral William F. Halsey in charge of group, with 3 Heavy Cruisers and 6 Destroyers. On board is 18 TBD Devastators of Torpedo 6, 36 SBD Dauntless of Scout and Bomb 6 and 18 F4F-3 Wildcats of Fighting 6. [1]

    30 November 1941: reached International Dateline.

    4 December: 12 Marine fighters are launched for Wake Island. (Japanese intelligence at this time reports that as of 28 November Enterprise is still at Pearl.)[2]

    7 December 1941: First American carrier to return to Pearl Harbor after Japanese attack.[4] Four dive bombers from Enterprise shot down by gunners at Ford Island, mistaking them for Japanese planes.[5]

    10 December 1941: Sank submarine I-70. [3]

    11 January 1942: Samoa convoy

    1 February 1942: Marshall Islands. Raided Japanese bases at Kwajelein, Wotje, and Maloelap. Sank one transport, damaged 9 other ships. Japanese atoll commander killed. [6]

    8-25 April 1942: Escorted USS Hornet (CV-8) for Doolittle's Tokyo Raid. B-25 bombers from the USS Hornet bomb the Japanese capital. USS Enterprise provides combat air patrol. [7]

    4-6 June 1942: Battle of Midway. In this critical battle, US forces under Admiral Raymond Spruance decisively defeated a larger Japanese carrier force under Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. This defeat ended Japan's hopes for conquest of the Pacific.[8]

    Aircraft from USS Enterprise at least partially responsible for three Japanese carriers sunk. Also sank the damaged heavy cruiser Mikuma.

    • 4 June 1942
      • 4:30 AM: Japanese launch strikes on Midway Island.
      • 8:37 - 9:05 AM: Japanese recover aircraft.
      • 9:30 - 10:24 AM: Three waves of American TBD torpedo bombers from the USS Enterprise and the USS Hornet fail to hit Japanese carriers.
      • 10:26 AM: American SBD dive bombers from the USS Enterprise attack heavy carriers Kaga and Akagi. Caught with planes refueling and rearming on their decks, the Japanese carriers were set afire, and their offensive power was destroyed. SBD dive bombers from the USS Yorktown (CV-5) seriously damage light carrier Soryu. Soryu is quickly sunk by submarine USS Nautilus
      • 2:45 PM: Two torpedo bombers from Hiryu hit the USS Yorktown
      • 3:30 PM: USS Enterprise launches 24 SBD dive bombers (including 10 from the damaged USS Yorktown) against Hiryu
      • 5:00 PM: SBD dive bombers attack Hiryu
      • 7:25 PM:Kaga sinks from damage.
    • 5 June 1942
      • 5:00 AM: Akagi, too badly damaged to be saved, scuttles.
      • 9:00 AM: Hiryu, too badly damaged to be saved, scuttles.
    • 6 June 1942
      • 6:00 AM: Yorktown, sunk by submarine I-168.

    NOTE: Contrary to Okuda's entry for Repulse in the first edition of "The Star Trek Encyclopedia", HMS Repulse was not involved in this action. HMS Repulse was sunk 10 December 1941 by Japanese torpedo bombers near Singapore. More recent editions seem to have corrected this error.

    24 August 1942: Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

    • 5:14 - 5:16 PM Enterprise damaged by three bombs from planes from Japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, killing 74, wounding 95. [9]

    • Enterprise sinks light carrier Ryujo(?) (other sources credit USS Saratoga(CV-3) which was also present)

    26 October 1942: Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. Enterprise hit by three bombs, killing 44, wounding 75, but kept fighting. [10]

    USS Enterprise might easily have been sunk had it not been for the anti-aircraft gunfire of the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57), which shot down a record 26 aircraft that day, a record which still stands.

    30 October-11 November 1942: Partial repairs at Noumea, New Caledonia

    13 November 1942: Severely damaged battlecruiser Hiei. [11]

    14 November 1942: Sank heavy cruiser Kinugasa. [12]

    16 November-4 December 1942: Repairs completed at Noumea.

    27 May 1943: Awarded Presidential Unit Citation

    20 July 1943 - November 1943 : Refitted at Puget Sound

    29 January-3 February 1944: Supported landings on Kwajelein. First radar controlled night bombing mission launched from a carrier.


    USS Enterprise, CV-6, circa 1944, near Saipan. US Naval Historical Center photo.

    6 June 1944: Left Majuro for the Marianas.

    19-20 June 1944: First Battle of the Phillipine Sea, AKA The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Approximately 400 Japanese aircraft destroyed by planes from the Enterprise and other US carriers, and by anti-aircraft guns from other US ships.

    24-26 October 1944: Battle of Leyte Gulf. This was the largest naval battle of all time. It was so large, that historians usually subdivide it into several smaller battles, such as the Battle off Cape Engano, the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle off Samar, the Battle of the Surigao Strait, etc. USS Enterprise was part of the Third Fleet's famous Task Force 38, specifically TG 38.4.

    • 24 October 1944: Battle of the Sulu Sea. Planes from Enterprise spot Japanese southern force, attack battleship Fuso. [13]
    • 24 October 1944: Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. Planes from the USS Enterprise, the USS Essex (CV-9), the USS Intrepid (CV-11), USS Cabot (CVL-28), and USS Franklin (CV-13) sink the battleship Musashi. Heavy cruiser Myoko damaged. [14]
    • 25 October 1944: Battle off Cape Engano. Partially responsible for sinking carrier Zuikaku and light carrier Zuiho.

    6 December 1944: Returned to Pearl Harbor. [15]

    7-12 April 1945 : Okinawa Campaign.

    • 7 April 1945: Japanese battleship Yamato sinks.

      Editor's Note: For many years, I had believed that the Enterprise had been involved in this action. I thought that I had seen it in one of my books. After searching all of my references, I can find no evidence that CV-6 was involved in the sinking of the Yamato. Best evidence suggests that the Yamato was sunk by aircraft from the carriers USS Essex (CV-9), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), and USS Bennington (CV-20).

    • 11 April 1945: Slightly damaged by kamikaze.

    14 May 1945: Seriously damaged by kamikaze. 14 killed, 34 wounded. Forward elevator destroyed. [16]

    7 June-13 September 1945: Repairs at Puget Sound.

    17 October 1945: Arrives in New York.

    1 November 1945-18 January 1946: Operation Magic Carpet. Returned over 10,000 veterans to USA.

    18 January 1946: Entered New York Naval Shipyard for inactivation.

    17 February 1947: Decommissioned

    1949: Plan by New York State to convert ship into a museum is suspended.

    January 1957: Stricken from the Naval Vessels Register.

    1957-8: Plan by Enterprise Association to preserve the ship fails.

    1 July 1958: Sold

    1958-1960: Scrapped at Kearney, New Jersey. Nameplate from the stern preserved at River Vale, New Jersey, where it remains to this day.

    [1] Roden and Morison (pg. 50)
    [2] Morison (pg. 50) says 4 Dec, Roden says 3 Dec. DANFS says 2 December.
    [3] Morison (pg. 55) DANFS, and Roden. DANFS and Roden say it was I-170, and Morison says it was I-70 but the Japanese did renumber their subs at some point, adding a "1".
    [4] Roden
    [5] Morison (pg. 68) and Roden.
    [6] Morison (pg. 139)
    [7] Morison (pg. 139)
    [8] Morison (pg. 152-163)
    [9] Morison (pg. 181) DANFS
    [10] Morison (pg. 195-196)
    [11] Morison (pg. 202), Jurgen, Mickel & Jentschura
    [12] Morison (pg. 203), Jurgen, Mickel & Jentschura
    [13] Cutler (pg. 139-140)
    [14] Cutler (pg. 145-149)
    [15] DANFS (pg. 358)
    [16] Loc. Cit.

    Sources:

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  36. 1946-1959 Blimp "Enterprise II" (USA)
    • Length: 148 feet (45.1 m)
    • Diameter: 46 feet (14.0 m)
    • Gas Volume: 123,000 cubic feet (3,483 cu.m)
    • Propulsion: Two 145hp Warner R-500-2/6 Radial
    • Diameter: 46 feet (14.0 m)
    • Maximum speed: 62mph
    • Crew: 4
    • Armament: None
    • Builder: Goodyear
    • Built: 1946

    The second Goodyear Enterprise was also an advertising blimp. She was previously the US Navy blimp L-16. It is stated in Jane's that the Enterprise II had an experimental envelope in 1948.

    Sources:

    Note: Some of this information and the associated references to Jane's and Macmillan were provided by Thomas Kozak. I also used the website Voyages of the Enterprise by Arnold E. van Beverhoudt Jr.

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  37. 1959-1985 Inshore Survey ship A 71 (UK)
  38. ('E' class, sister ships Echo and Egeria )

    • Displacement : 120 tons std, 160 tons full
    • Length : 32.6 m
    • Beam : 7.0 m
    • Draught : 2.1 m
    • Propulsion : Twin diesels, 4,500 nm at 12 knots, max speed 14 knots
    • Compliment : 2 officers, 16 enlisted
    • Armament: none
    • Builder : M. W. Blackmore & Sons, Bedeford, UK
    • Commissioned : 1959

    No armament, Type 1006 radar and echo sounders. The class was paid off (decommissioned) in January 1985.

    Sources:

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  39. 1961-present Aircraft Carrier CVAN-65 (USA)
  40. (Enterprise class)


    USS Enterprise (CVN-65) circa 1998. US Navy photo.

    World's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Like her predecessor, she is nicknamed "The Big E". There are no other ships in her class. See the Navy's official CVN-65 Homepage. Also, check out the Enterprise Association web page. The full entry for CVAN-65 from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is available on-line, but since DANFS was published in 1963, and the ship was commissioned in 1961, the entry is very short.

    • Displacement: 75,700 std, 91,100 full load
    • Length: 1119' 9" (many sources list 1101' 6")
    • Beam: 126' 4" at waterline, 256" 11" over flight deck
    • Draught: 35' 5"
    • Propulsion: 8 Westinghouse A2W nuclear fission reactors, geared steam turbines, 280,000(?) SHP = 36(?) knots
    • Compliment: 425 officers, 4154 crew, including air crew
    • Armament:
      • 1961 - None
      • 1968 - 1 octuple Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS)
      • 1971 - 3 octuple Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS)
      • 1984 - 2 octuple Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS), 3 Vulcan-Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS) 20mm gatling guns
    • Aircraft: 80-95
    • Builder: Newport News SBDD, Newport News, VA
    • Laid Down: 4 February 1958
    • Launched: 24 September 1960
    • Commissioned: 25 November 1961

    1961: Atlantic Ocean

    June 1962: East Coast, Mediterranean

    October 1962: Blockade of Cuba

    May 1963: (some say Nov-Dec 1963, can't prove it) with cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and "destroyer leader" USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25, later CGN-25) formed "all nuclear" task force in the Mediterranean, began a round-the-world cruise, "Operation Sea Orbit", covering 30,500 miles.

    October 1964: First refueling

    14 January 1969: Major flight deck explosion due to ordinance accident with a Zuni rocket. 28 sailors killed. Launch and recovery operations resumed within hours. (John Snyder, jsnyder@trmx3.dot.ca.gov, has disputed this last statement. He was a crew member on the USS Bainbridge, so he probably has good reason to know. Nevertheless, since several published sources make this statement, I'm leaving it in until I see hard proof.)

    May 1969: Re-commissioned

    August 1969: Second refuelling during long period in dock.

    January 1971: Recommissioned

    1973: Final air attacks in Viet-Nam war. Docked for modifications to facilitate F-14A and S-3A aircraft.

    September 1974: Seventh WESTPAC deployment.

    April 1975:Operation Frequent Wind, Evacuation of Saigon. Aircraft from USS Enterprise fly 95 sorties.

    1 July 1975: Redesignated CVN-65

    July 1976: Eighth WESTPAC deployment.

    April 1978: Ninth WESTPAC deployment.

    1979-1982: Major modernization at Puget Sound. (Bremerton, Washington) Distinctive SPS-32 and SPS-33 radars removed. SPS-48 and SPS-49 added. Three Vulcan-Phalanx 20mm gatling guns installed, her first gun armament.

    September 1982 Tenth WESTPAC deployment.

    28 April 1983: Ran aground in San Francisco

    1984: Eleventh deployment in Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

    1986(?): Mysterious incident at Alameda: Soviet spy Pavel Chekov captured by ship's marines near one of the reactors. Although Chekov was injured in an escape attempt, he later managed to escape from the hospital, probably with KGB assistance. The Soviet Union denied any knowledge of any Pavel Chekov, or of any KGB/GRU operations aboard the Enterprise.

    April 1986: Transits Suez Canal, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

    January-August 1987: Deployment in Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, through Suez Canal, returned to West Coast via South Africa,

    December 1989: Operation Classic Resolve, provided support to elected Philippine government.

    1991-1994: Long refit (nuclear equivalent of SLEP) at Norfolk VA, ship refueled.

    September 1996: Persian Gulf

    20 Dec 1996: Returned to Norfolk.

    January-June 1997: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, for habitability upgrades.

    16-19 December 1998: Operation Desert Fox. Ship was in the Persian Gulf for airstrikes against Iraq.

    March-April 1999: Persian Gulf

    6 May 1999: Returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock.

    October 2001: Airstrikes agains Afghanistan

    10 November 2001: Returns to Norfolk, VA. Currently scheduled for decommissioning in 2015.


    USS Enterprise (CVN-65). US Navy photo.

    Sources:

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  41. 1976-present Space Shuttle OV-101 (USA)
  42. (Enterprise class)


    Enterprise parked on runway at Edwards AFB, circa 1977. NASA photo

    • Length: 122'
    • Wingspan: 78'
    • Mass: ~75 tons (unfueled)
    • Designed Propulsion:
      • 3 SSME liquid hydrogen fueled rockets, 470,000 lbs thrust each
      • 2 Morton-Thiokol Solid Rocket Boosters.
      • 2 monomethyl-hydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide OMS
    • Actual propulsion: None
    • Designed Compliment: 2-7
    • Contract Awarded: 26 July 1972
    • Structural Assembly Started: 21 June 1973(?)
    • Final Assembly Started: 24 August 1975
    • Final Assembly Completed: 12 March 1976(?)
    • Rollout: 17 September 1976
    • Builder: Rockwell International Space Division, Palmdale, CA

    Enterprise, the first Space Shuttle Orbiter, was originally to be named Constitution (in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial). However, viewers of the popular TV Science Fiction show Star Trek started a write-in campaign urging the White House to rename the vehicle Enterprise. While OV-101 never made it into space, she was a valuable testbed for the space shuttle program.

    17 September 1976: Rolled out at Palmdale, CA. Roddenberry et. al. were present.

    31 January 1977: Transported overland to Edwards Air Force Base/Dryden Flight Research Facility

    15 February 1977: Three taxi tests aboard a 747, maximum speed: 157 MPH

    18 February 1977: First flight aboard 747.

    12 August 1977: First free flight. Enterprise was dropped from the 747.

    26 October 1977: Last free flight.

    13 March 1978: Ferried to Marshall Space Flight Center, where she was mated to external tank and solid rocket boosters for vibration tests.

    10 April 1979: Ferried to Kennedy Space Center for test fit with SRB and fuel tank.

    16 August 1979: Returned to Dryden Flight Research Facility.

    30 October 1979: Returned overland to Rockwell International's Palmdale facility.

    6 September 1981: Returned to Dryden Flight Research Facility.

    May-June 1983: Paris Air Show, later to Germany, Italy, England & Canada.

    April-October 1984: Vandenberg AFB, later to Mobile Alabama, later to 1984 World's Fair, New Orleans, Louisiana.

    20 November 1985: Ferried to Dulles Airport, near Washington, DC, where she still remains. Ownership transferred to Smithsonian Institution. She will be on display at the new Dulles Center when it opens in 2003.

    Source:

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  43. 1976-1987? Racing Yacht (USA)

    • Builder: Minnefords in City Island, (New York City)
    • Launched: December 1976

    August 1977: Entered the trials for the 23rd running of the America's Cup. Her skipper was Malin Burnham, later changed to Lowell North. Her opponents were the Independence, and the Courageous, under the command of Ted Turner. Lost to Courageous.

    1977-1980: she helped Freedom as a trial horse for the 1980 America's Cup. On September 25, 1980, when Freedom won race number 5 against Australia, they declared both Freedom/Enterprise a team win.

    1986 After the Cup of this year, the owners of 'French Kiss', KIS Photo Company, buys the Enterprise and Freedom for training yachts.

    1987: Obtained by the AZZURRA Syndicate from Italy as a trial horse.

    Source:

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  44. 1979 - 1991 Blimp GZ-20
  45. (sisters, America and Columbia)

    Owned by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

    • Overall Length: 192 feet
    • Height: 57.5 feet Width: 46 feet
    • Volume: 202,700 cubic feet of helium
    • Compliment: 6 passengers plus pilot
    • Car length-23ft / height-8ft / width-4.33 to 7ft
    • Weight: 12,840 lbs
    • Speed: 30-50 mph
    • Altitude: 1-3,000ft
    • Range: 500miles
    • Propulsion: two 310 HP fuel injected aircraft piston engines, two 78 inch two-blade propellers
    • Cost: $2.5 million

    Fins, rudders, elevators-polyester fabric over aluminum and welded steel tube frame.

    Tail is in a plus formation (new GZ-22 are in X formation) Envelope-neoprene/impregnated polyester fabric, two ply.

    Landing gear is fixed.

    Super Skytacular sign - 105ft long, 24.5ft high with 7,560 light bulbs (both sides). Can be seen 1 mile away.

    Blimp built in 1979 at the Houston, Texas facilities,

    Named after the 1930 America Cup winner, as established for names by P.W.Litchfield in 1925. Twice a year, out of 200 days of travel, she returns to Pompano Beach for scheduled refits and repairs. Maintenace was at 3.3 million dollars per year.

    8 November 1979: christened by Pompano Beach Mayor Emma Lou Olson. Started her commercial flight the same day.

    3 June 1980: Stopped at one of its favorite stopping places Lancaster, PA, home of Lebzelter's; Goodyear's oldest distributor. Last visited in June of 1990 (as luck would have it, season four finale of Best of Both World's Part One, over my (Ronn Roden's) parents house.)

    Famous Activities for the Enterprise:

    • 1980 Indianapolis 500 for ABC Sports
    • 1980 Covered the PGA Golf Tournament in Northern New Jersey.
    • 25th America's Cup 9/14-9/26/1983 Australia II v Liberty
    • Superbowl XVIII, 1/22/1984 (Tampa stadium) Raiders v Redskins
    • United States Bicentennial July 4,1986 New York City
    • Statue of Liberty Centennial July 4,1986
    • Superbowl XXII, 1/31/1988 (Joe Robbie Stadium) Redskins v Broncos
    • 1988 Republican Convention
    • 1988 Democratic Convention
    • College Bowl Games
    • Major Auto Races
    • ABC Monday Night Football
    • Baseball World Series
    • Major PGA Golf Tournaments
    • Whitebread Race 1990 at Ft.Lauderdale.

    Among those visiting her during her career: James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig (from 1966-69 TV Series Star Trek)

    19 April 1991: last scheduled flight from Pompano Beach Florida, number 11,218. More than 50,000 passengers boarded her, and over 300 cities visited in United States and Canada.

    22 April 1991: departed Florida for Wingfoot Lake Ohio for decommissioning. Her light system was dismantled.

    24 April 1991: landed in her hangar, made the trip in record time.

    6-8 May 1991: Enterprise was decommissioned and deflated for spare parts. She was replaced by THE SPIRIT OF AKRON.

    Source:

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  46. 1981-present Patrol Craft P02 (Barbados)
  47. (Enterprise class)
    • Commissioned : August 1981
    • Builders : Desco Marine
    • Displacement : 40 tons
    • Length : 75' (22.8 m)
    • Beam : 20' 4" (6.2 m)
    • Draught : 5' 11" (1.8 m)
    • Crew : 9
    • Propulsion : 1 Caterpillar diesel
    • Armament : 1 20mm gun

    75 ft shrimp boats converted for patrol duties by Swan Hunter (Trinidad) in 1980-81. In service with the naval arm of the Barbados Defence Forces.

    Source:

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  48. 2151-21xx Starship (heavy cruiser) NX-01 (UFP?)
  49. (NX? Class)

    Launched: April 2151

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  50. 2245-2285 Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701 (UFP)
  51. (Constitution Class)

    • Mass: 190,000 metric tons
    • Length: 947' (later, 1000')
    • Beam: 417'
    • Height: 236' 9" (23 decks)
    • Propulsion:
      • 2 Cochrane type Space Warp nacelles = Warp Factor 6 (cruising speed) = Warp Factor 8 (emerg. speed)
      • 2 fusion impulse sublight engines
    • Compliment: 430
    • Builder: Earth orbit, (components from Mare Island, California)
    • Chief Designer: W. Matt Jeffries

    Sources:

    Note: In "The Making of Star Trek", Roddenberry & Whitfield state that the components for NCC-1701 came from the "old San Francisco Navy Yard". There was no shipyard by that name in San Francisco. The Navy Yard in the San Francisco Bay area was called Mare Island. It is now closed.

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  52. 2286 - 2293? Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701A (UFP)
  53. (Constitution Class)

    • Mass: 190,000 metric tons
    • Length: 1000'
    • Beam: 417'
    • Height: 233' (23 decks)
    • Propulsion:
      • 2 Cochrane type Space Warp nacelles,
      • 2 fusion impulse sublight engines
    • Compliment: 430
    • Builder: Earth orbit? (components from Mare Island, California?)

    For the record, NCC-1701A is a Constitution class starship. If you look carefully in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier", when the plans for the ship are unrolled, it does explicitly say that she is a Constitution class. That makes it "canon".

    Source:

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  54. 2293 - 23xx Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701B (UFP)
  55. (Excelsior Class)

    • Length: 1532' 1"
    • Beam: 605'
    • Height:
    • Builder: Starfleet Antares Shipyard
    • Compliment: Arrives Tuesday

    Source:

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  56. 23xx - 2344 Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701C (UFP)
  57. (Ambassador Class)

    • Length: 1735' 6"
    • Beam: 1040'
    • Height: 425'
    • Builder: Earth Station McKinley
    • Chief Designer: Greg Jein

    Source:

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  58. 2363-2371 Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701D (UFP)
  59. (Galaxy Class)

    • Length: 2103'
    • Beam: 1544'
    • Height: 482' (42 decks)
    • Compliment: 1012
    • Propulsion:
      • 2 WPS nacelles
      • 8 IPS impulse sublight engines, 24 IRC fusion reactors.
    • Builder: Utopia Planitia, Mars
    • Chief Designer: Andrew Probert

    note: Since the Enterprise seen in the final TNG episode "All Good Things " was explicitly NCC-1701D, and was also in an alternate time line, (an unlikely alternate, given the events in Generations) I have chosen not to give any specifications for it.

    Source:

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  60. 2373-23?? Starship (heavy cruiser) NCC-1701E (UFP)
  61. (Sovereign class)

    • Length: 2248'
    • Beam: 820'
    • Height: 290'
    • L of saucer: 1150'
    • Nacelle span: 700'
    • L of nacelles: 1056'

    Source:

    • e-mail from Rick Sternbach

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  62. Other Enterprises:
  63. There seems to have been a British ship named Enterprize which was sent off to find the new passage to the Orient in 1616. She succeeded, but was destroyed in a hurricane near India. There is little data on her.

    Apparently, there was a British ship named Enterprize that explored the Yarra River in Australia around 1820. I have no additional data.

    There has been a Malaysian supply ship named Enterprise since the late 1980s. I'm looking for data on her. Apparently, she is very small.

    There is also currently a schooner named Enterprise, built 1947. Again, I'm trying to get more information.

    A group in Washington DC is attempting to create a replica of the 1799-1823 Enterprise, to be called "Spirit of Enterprize". (sic) Details are available on their website.

    There was a picture of an earlier space ship named Enterprise in Star Trek: TMP. There was no information about this ship in the movie, but the Star Trek Space Flight Chronology lists what is apparently this same ship, as a Declaration class, 2123-2165 AD, While this ship's connection to "canon" is tenuous at best, (and, as of 2001, has been contradicted by the new series "Enterprise") the statistics are reproduced here:

    • Length - 300m
    • Diameter - 210m
    • Living section width - 28.7m
    • Mass - 52.7 million kg
    • Ship's Compliment:
    • Crew and Service Personnel - 100
    • Passenger Capacity - 850
    • Total ship's compliment - 950
    • Performance:
    • Range - Standard = 350 light years Maximum= 1,200 light years
    • Cruising Speed - Warp 3.2 (32.8c)
    • Voyage duration - Standard 3 months Maximum 2.5 years
    • Systems:
    • Navigation - Celestial Warp Reader
    • Communication - Subspace Radio
    • Recreation - Null-grav gymnasium 5 dining rooms 3 theaters 3 nightclubs Forward and Rear stellar observatories
    • Life support: Gravity - .2 -1.2 g Atmosphere - 20% Oxygen, 11% humidity
    • Sustenance duration - Up to 40 years if outfitted for long-duration exploration
    • Engineering and Science
      • Advanced 2nd Generation Warp Drive
      • Fuel: 10:1 matter to antimatter
      • Separated engine and living sections for improved efficiency
    • Improvements and innovations:
      • First class of ship equipped with sub-space radio
      • Most popular passenger carrier of its time

    This original Enterprise was the first stellar spaceliner built specifically for the major Federation space lanes (such as Earth - Alpha Centauri). The travel demand that blossomed in the 22nd century resulted in 957 of these Declaration class ships being commissioned.

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Standards for inclusion on the list

There were of course, many other ships named Enterprise, or Enterprize, which are not listed here. No doubt, numerous yachts and other privately owned vessels were given this name, or some variant thereof. I cannot possibly list all of them here. I used to use the standard that only ships commissioned into a navy (or Starfleet) could get onto the list, but that would eliminate some of the blimps, and the America's Cup yachts, all of which are historically significant. The standard I use now is a bit vague. Commissioned warships named Enterprise are included, as are any interesting (to me) or historically significant ships named Enterprise.

Sources:

  • "Aircraft Carriers of the U.S. Navy" (2nd Edition), by Stefan Terzibaschitsch, ISBN 0-87021-001-7 Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD 1989
  • "The Battle of Leyte Gulf 24-26 October 1944" by Thomas J. Cutler, ISBN 0-06-016949-4, Harper-Collins, New York NY, 1994
  • "The Big E" by Edward P. Stafford ISBN 0-87021036X, Random House, New York NY, 1962
  • "British Battleships, 1860-1950" by Oscar Parkes, ISBN 1-55750-075-4 Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD
  • "Cruisers of World War II", by M.J.Whitley, ISBN 1-55750-141-6 Arms and Armor Press, London 1995
  • "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships", U.S. Navy, 1963. Andrew Toppan maintains an on-line version.
  • "Encyclopedia of the Modern Royal Navy" by Paul Beaver. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2nd ed 1985.
  • "Fighting Ships of World War II" by J.N. Westwood
  • "The German Navy 1939-1945" by Cajus Bekker
  • "History of the Vessel Enterprise" by Ronn Roden, Intergalactic Press, 1992, ISBN 0-962-94323-1
  • "An Illustrated History of the Navies of World War II" by Anthony Preston
  • "Jane's Fighting Ships 1987-88" Capt John Moore ed. Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. 1987
  • "Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II", ISBN 0-517-67963-9 Military Press, 1989
  • "Jane's Pocket Book of Airships" Macmillan, 1977
  • "Macmillan Color Series, Balloons and Airships" Macmillan, 1974
  • "Navies of the Second World War British Cruisers"
  • "The Making of Star Trek", by Roddenberry & Whitfield, Ballantine Books, New York NY, 1968
  • "Ships of the Star Fleet (vol. 1) 2290-2291", by Calon Riel, Mastercom Data Center, Wilbraham MA, 1987
  • "Star Fleet Technical Manual", by Franz Joseph, ISBN 345-24730-2-695, Ballantine Books, New York, NY 1975
  • "The Star Trek Encyclopedia" by Okuda, Okuda, & Mirek, ISBN 0-671-86905-1 Pocket Books, New York, NY 1994
  • "Star Trek Space Flight Chronology" by Stan & Fred Goldstein, Pocket Books, New York, NY 1980
  • "Star Trek: TNG Technical Manual" by Sternbach & Okuda ISBN 0-671-70427-3 Pocket Books, New York, NY 1991
  • "The Two Ocean War", by Samuel Eliot Morison ISBN 0-316-58352-9 , Little Brown & Co., 1963
  • "U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History", by Norman Friedman, ISBN 0-87021-739-9 Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1983
  • "Voyages of the Enterprise", a website by Arnold E. van Beverhoudt Jr.
  • "Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945" by Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, ISBN 0-87021-893-X Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD 1976
  • NASA's Space Shuttle web page
  • NASA's Shuttle Enterprise web page

Thanks to.....

Thanks to
  • Jennifer Sarantites and Joe Creighton for getting the information from an early NASA web site for me.
  • "The Chanteur," for information on the 1959-1985 HMS Enterprise and the current HMBS Enterprise.
  • Carson Malone, for his help in locating information on the 22nd Century Enterprise.
  • former CVN-65 crew member Tommy Mason, for information on the 1983 grounding.
  • Thomas Kozak for his information on the first two blimps.
  • John Warner for information on the British light cruiser.
  • Jack L. Wolfgang II for finding the new, improved NASA website on the shuttle Enterprise.
Special thanks to:
  • Rick Sternbach for providing statistics on the sixth Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-E.
  • Ronn Roden, who provided much of the information on the early sailing ships, the yachts, and the 1979-1991 blimp and so much more! Ronn is the author of "History of the Vessel Enterprise" published 1992, and he has kindly granted me permission to reuse much of his material.
  • Arnold E. van Beverhoudt for allowing me to reuse some of the information from his excellent website.

Notes on "Canonicity" of Sources:

When discussing technical and "historical" matters pertaining to the various Star Trek series, fans often use the term "canon". A piece of information is considered "canon" if it was mentioned or shown on one of the television series (notable exception: the 1973-74 animated TV series is not considered "canon", despite the fact that some episodes were quite well done.) or in one of the movies. In general, none of the novels are "canon" sources, nor are any of the various technical books that have been published over the years. Supposedly, these standards were laid down by Gene Roddenberry himself, although I've never seen any solid documentation of this.

Strictly speaking, none of my sources are canon, however some are better than others.

My own historical sources on 20th century and earlier Enterprises are quite reliable. I have had to rely on some other people on the for information on some of the ships. For example, all of the information on the first two blimps came from Thomas Kozak. He cited his sources, but I haven't had time to go to the library to look up all his references.

For the various Star Trek Enterprises, none of the sources are "canon", but some are close. For example, the length of the original NCC-1701 was never mentioned in the original series, but Roddenberry & Whitfield wrote 947 feet in "The Making of Star Trek" and every other source since has quoted that figure. Since Roddenberry was the creator and executive producer of Star Trek, nobody will argue with his numbers! Similary, it's hard to argue with Rick Sternbach's numbers on NCC-1701E.

  • Parkes and Friedman are considered authoritative. Don't argue with them unless you've got REALLY good evidence.
  • Jane's Fighting Ships is considered definitive. (even when they're wrong, they're definitively wrong!) Since 1898, the annual edition of Jane's Fighting Ships has been one of the greatest sources for information on modern warships. They make mistakes from time to time, but that's the price they pay for trying to be up-to-date on often secret ship projects.
  • I also hold Terzibaschitsch in high regard for what he does. He does not go into great detail on the origin of the design, but he provides superb information on the exact fitting of the ship at different times, well organized comparison tables, plus some career information.
  • I have also found Jentschura, Jung & Mickel to be reliable, and their book provided much useful information on Japanese ships sunk by CV-6.
  • If nothing else, the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is official, (if somewhat dated) as it is a publication of the U.S. Navy.
  • I regard "The Making of Star Trek", "The Star Trek Encyclopedia" and "Star Trek: TNG Technical Manual" as nearly canon, since they were written by the producers. Some statistics on Enterprise B, C, and D had to be taken from drawings in the Encyclopedia, so other than length, my numbers may be suspect on these ships.
  • The "Star Fleet Technical Manual" by Franz Joseph was mostly well researched, (there are some errors) and was once considered nearly canon, but it has been contradicted many times since its publication over 20 years ago. Alas, data in this book must now be regarded as suspect. Still, the diagrams and statistics for the original NCC-1701 are helpful, and are consistent with other sources.
  • "Ships of the Star Fleet" is sort of a late 23rd century version of "Jane's Fighting Ships", or perhaps "Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet". While it is quite interesting, and quite well produced, much of the information has no support in canon, and some of it has been contradicted in canon sources since its publication in 1987. I used this only for a few details on NCC-1701 and NCC-1701A. The drawings are marvelous, though.

Notes on Distribution and re-use of this information:

Feel free to copy and distribute this, as long as you don't try to make any money off of it. All I ask is that you give me appropriate credit for compiling this list. It would be really nice if you credited my contributors too.

Usual Disclaimer:

AT&T (my employer) had nothing to do with this list, so don't even think about suing them. I am solely responsible for the content of the list. I wrote it at home on my own PC on my own time. So there.

David R. Wells

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