The world’s first nuclear-powered carrier, will be dismantled in Mobile, Alabama by 2029 for $536.7 million—marking the symbolic end of an era in U.S. naval history.

The first-ever nuclear-powered aircraft carrier won’t be heading to the final frontier, but the warship is being readied for its final trip. In April, it was reported that the United States Navy’s former USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was undergoing pre-dismantling at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, the same shipyard that built “The Big E” between 1958 and 1961.

Last week, the US Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that a $536.7 million contract was awarded to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services of Mobile, Alabama, for the dismantling, recycling, and disposal of the historic carrier. This contract award is the “official end” of the recycling process for CVN-65, which began several years after the aircraft was retired. 

This is also lower than some previous estimates, which warned that the costs to dismantle the vessel could have been as high as $1.3 billion and taken 15 years to complete. In contrast, on the low end, it was estimated to cost between $554 million and $696 million.

In 2023, the US Navy determined that sending the ship to a commercial shipbreaker would be more economical, given the limited space at its shipyards. However, this remains substantial at more than half a billion dollars.

By comparison, the US Navy sold the retired conventionally powered supercarriers USS Kitty Hawk and USS John F. Kennedy for one penny each. Those two flattops were retired in 2009 and 2007, respectively.

The process could still take years, with completion expected by November 2029. Any hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive waste, must be handled carefully and sent for final disposal at an authorized site. Although the nuclear reactors were previously defueled, the “legacy waste” remains a significant issue.

“Despite earlier concerns raised by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce about potential contamination or accidents related to the dismantling, the Navy and contractors have assured strict safety and environmental protections,” Maritime Insight explained.

Will There Be a New USS Enterprise?

CVN-65 won’t be the last or the first USS Enterprise. This eighth Enterprise was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world. Commissioned at Newport News, Virginia, on November 25, 1961, the flattop had a lengthy service record, first participating in combat operations in Vietnam and later serving in the Iraq War.

Along with the nuclear-powered destroyer USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) and cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9), the carrier was part of the US Navy’s nuclear task force, Operation Sea Orbit, from May to October 1964, which successfully circumnavigated the globe without refueling.

At the time of her inactivation in 2012, Enterprise was the third-oldest commissioned vessel in the US Navy after the wooden-hulled USS Constitution and the technical research ship USS Pueblo (AGER-2), which North Korea captured.

The name will live on, as the future CVN-80, now under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding, will be the next warship named USS Enterprise, the third Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier.

The US Might Retire Nimitz-Class Carriers 

The ex-USS Enterprise will also serve as a test bed for how the US Navy can and should prepare for the end of its Nimitz-class carriers. The lead vessel, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), is now on what is likely her final deployment. Plans call for the carrier to head to Norfolk to be readied for recycling. 

Not far behind will be USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), while the Navy has called for all supercarriers to be replaced on a one-for-one basis with the Gerald R. Ford-class over the next three decades.

This raises the question of whether the costs of building, operating, and recycling nuclear-powered vessels are worth the effort.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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