A History of Enterprise

This reprint of an article from the Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute offers a look back at the U.S. Navy ships given the name Enterprise through that service branch's history. The first one was actually a captured British warship, taken in one of the actions that earned Benedict Arnold his recognition as an officer before he turned his coat.

The article was issued in anticipation of the 1961 launching of the U.S.S. Enterprise, CVN-65, the navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. That Enterprise was decommissioned in 2017, but the name is expected to return to the seas in 2028 with the ninth vessel of that name, U.S.S. Enterprise, CVN-80. The initial space shuttle orbital flight test vehicle was also named Enterprise. It contained no engines or heat shield, though, meaning it was not a spaceflight-capable vehicle.

Sci-fi fans around the world, of course, know that condition will not apply to some subsequent vessels of that name...