There was a time that the Enterprise was the only functioning USN carrier in the Pacific. A handmade sign was seen on the hanger deck…..it read “Enterprise vs. Japan”. That says a lot to to the history of the Enterprise.
From the sinking of Hornet to the transfer of Robin to the Pacific Fleet, it was Enterprise and Saratoga, with many periods where one was in the shop leaving the other operating alone.
Came here to mention this. There is a book I read many many years ago that was only about the months that Enterprise was the sole carrier in the Pacific. I don't recall the name of the book.
The USS Enterprise probably saved my father and his rear gunner's lives. My father was an SBD pilot on the USS Hornet (CV 8) and flew in combat at the Battle of Santa Cruz. During the battle, his squadron VS-8 was attacking the Japanese carrier Shokaku as the Hornet was being bombed and torpedoed. He hit the Shokaku with a 1000 lbs. bomb but unfortunately his squadron was unable to sink it. However, it did put Shokaku out of the war for almost 7 months. During his return to the US fleet, he was attacked by a Zero which severely wounded his rear gunner. He was able to escape but when he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise but its deck was full of planes. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he finally got the clearance to land. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. It's so sad that that after the war Admiral Halsey's efforts to raise money to make the Enterprise a museum ship fell short.
@@OMG_No_Way My father passed in 2001 at the age of 84. After the war he remained in contact with both of his rear gunners and remained lifelong friends with them. As I mentioned in my previous post, during the Battle of Santa Cruz his rear gunner was injured from 20mm cannon fire from a Zero and spent 6 months in the hospital. In 1943 he was then reassigned as a gunner for an SBD in the Atlantic theater on submarine patrol which he said was not as exciting as flying with my father. I have two letters he wrote to my father near the end or the war. He told him how much he liked flying with him and thanked him for saving his life. My father told our family a story about him calling his gunner long after the war on an October 26th which was the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Cruz. He greeted him by saying "Happy Birthday!" His gunner asked "What to you mean, it's not my birthday?" My father then said let me explain. He told him that when he first sighted the IJN Skokaku he had made the decision that if he couldn't line up the carrier and his bombing run didn't go well, he was prepared to crash his SBD into it's flight deck with his 1000 lb. bomb. At that point in their phone conversation, his gunner was speechless but understood exactly what he meant in his greeting. Many of the pilots in his squadron felt it was going to be a one way mission and they were determined to get the Japanese carriers one way or another. Fortunately, for both of them (and for me) his bombing dive went well and he hit the Shokaku pulling out at 500 feet right over a Japanese destroyer. That's when he was jumped by the Zero that wounded his gunner. As the Zero swished by his SDB He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout. After the Hornet was sunk, my father was reassigned to the USS Lexington CV-16 in early 1943. There he had to choose another rear gunner. The new rear gunner turnout to be an 18 year old "kid" from the midwest. My father said he chose him because he felt he would make "good company" if they were ever shot down and had to spend time in a life raft together. Be careful of what you wish for because they were shot down over Truk Lagoon while bombing Japanese ground installations in May of 1944. They did spend time together in their life raft before being rescued by Commander Richard O'Kane and the USS Tang submarine. (You can read about his rescue in O'Kane's book "Clear the Bridge!) The new gunner didn't turn out to be company my father had hoped for. But that's another story. He also stayed in touch with his new gunner after the war. The "kid" from the midwest eventually became a pilot and captain of a 747.
I actually got to read the captains log book for the Enterprise.. those kamikaze hits almost completely destroyed her. The crew determination not to let her go under was heroic and getting those fires put out.
That ship, the most decorated carrier, in the history of WW2, that was the pivitol, most important ship in the pacific theater should never, never have been scraped. What a crying shame, that ship should be the pride of the museum fleet. A tribute to he service, the men who lived and died serving abored her, and her pivitol roal in destroying Japanese carrier and fighter superiority in the pacific theater. What a waste to see her sold for scrap.
My dad was a Flight Surgeon on the Enterprise when the Kamikaze crashed into the forward elevator. Now I know why he chose his specialty after the war.
@@bburkie55 That's amazing. The numerous lives he saved. I was trained in field triage as most soldiers are the rudimentary stuff...those that were in the thick of battle doing the REAL saving... I can't even imagine.
Old guy here. What more can you say about the USS Enterprise? The Grey Ghost, the Big E. The most decorated ship of WW II with 20 battle stars. Involved in practically every major engagement in the Pacific War. A miniseries of your legendary exploits on the History Channel. A total shame she could not be saved as a museum ship for the next generation to marvel and admire. Well done CV-6 !!!
When I was younger I used to watch Battle 360 on the history channel. And gave me my love for ships. She deserved to be saved as a museum ship given her exploits.
@@tatsuhirosatou5513 no the grey ghost was USS Enterprise, she got that name because the Japanese during WW2 thought they sunk her numerous times during her career and announced it as such, but then were surprised to see her back in action. There’s multiple articles and documents that would say the exact same thing.
One major reason why the US Navy elected for much lighter armor for Enterprise wasn't just to max out aircraft capacity, but it was also because we were expecting to be fighting battles at extended range in open waters. The Royal Navy, on the other hand, elected to use heavily armored decks because of the tighter quarters in places like the English Channel, the North Sea (particularly at Jutland), and so on meant they were much more likely to find themselves caught in knife-fight ranges with battleships and heavy cruisers.
Um, maybe but not really. The main reason for not armored flight deck was because of two reasons: first carriers were considered support ships and the battleships were considered the more important ship in a navy and not really expected to do much of anything till Pearl Harbor changed that thought process and second: because she was built during the Washington treaty that limited the amount of tonnes the navy could have and it was stretched out between many other ships. It’s the reason the hornet and wasp were her sister ships like Yorktown was but were actually smaller than both the Big E and the Yorktown.
it was probably the "thin" deck that made her able to survive the kamikazi attack... it allowed the explosion to be relieved, rather than contained belowdecks.
@@tarn1135 I strongly disagree with you. Japanese carriers didn't have armored decks either because they expected most of their operating area to be the wide open Pacific. There aren't many places in the Pacific where you can really pin down an enemy battle fleet and engage at knife fight ranges. Battleships may have been seen as the main sledgehammer to crush the enemy, but the carrier as a support vessel means that it's not supposed to ever come into knife fight ranges in the first place. It was the Royal Navy having to defend against enemies near the British Isles and constant risk of shore defense batteries and not having room to avoid an enemy battle line that led to them favoring a more heavily-armored flight deck.
If just speaking of USS Enterprise's 1942 service record, it should most definitely be remembered that the only reason she was not at the Battle of the Coral Sea is because she was returning from escort duty alongside the USS Hornet which had just delivered the "Dolittle" package to Japan's home island.
Came here to post this. With Hornet's deck full of B-25s and unavailable to launch other aircraft, Enterprise under Bull Halsey protected the task force.
@@BishopStarsWhich they actually did too. XD What we have now is the footage from the live TV feed. The actual live camera footage from the mission itself was taped over in the 1980s
Right, like we don't preserve enough. I can't really get to much in military museums without planning time out of state... Hey family want to travel just for a weird interest I have? Or go to things we do in Minnesota and buy way to much with the savings? Walker art, great science museum, massive Ren fest and State Fair... Or a few days seeing special sights that are in dozens of small areas. Jesse James days.... That I forget every year like a twit it was cool 30 years ago maybe sharing that is worth more than $3,000+ to be stressed and mostly spend that on movement and board? 😮
My grandfather James W. Plummer was a radar specialist with Torpedo Squadron 10 and was on Enterprise Dec. 1943 until May 1945. I was just reading the notes he gave me before he passed away - he was below with his bunkmate only 100 feet from the front elevator when the final kamikazi went through the flight deck. He says, "...the explosion raised the forward part of the flight deck some five feet and blew the entire elevator structure hundreds of feet into the air...My roommate, R.R. Jones and I were blown out of our bunks and landed on the steel decks. Had it not been for the major steel structure to support the flight deck between us and the plane, someone else would be writing this story." Rest in peace Grandpa!! Enterprise was such a legendary vessel.
I worked on the nuclear enterprise for a bit, and got to do full speed runs with it. CO said, "we're gonna throw a few more atoms at it until something breaks". The props broke from the resiculous torque.
So it wasn't the engines that couldn't take much more, but the propellers! Just curious if the XO was given pointy prosthetic ears when they assumed the role?
Surprised he didn't mention the nickname the Japanese gave her, 'the gray ghost', because of the many times they thought they had sunk her, but she would show up again.
One of the things not many folks talk about. for months she was the last operational carrier in the pacific. iirc, there were stories of her crew putting a sign on the deck that read "Enterprise vs Japan"
Further fascinating facts about Enterprise: it’s often overlooked but she escorted her sister Hornet during the Doolittle Raid, the IJN thought they’d sunk her on a couple of occasions and when she was seen again they dubbed her The Grey Ghost, and after the loss of Hornet at Santa Crus she was the only American carrier in the pacific until USS Essex would join her months later. She is the inspiration for Star Trek ships and her name lives on with the recently decommissioned CVN-65 and the upcoming CVN-80.
@@patrick_j_lee No he is correct, The Enterprise has always been the unofficial Flag Ship of the US Navy. (And during WW2 even the Official Flagship for a while). Yeah obviously every Carrier Group / Task Force has its own Carrier as the "Flagship" but when ever there is a Enterprise among the Fleet She is the Flagship of the Navy. That dates back to World War 2 where she became for a time the only battle ready (more or less) American Capital Ship and ever since then was always considerd the Flag Ship of the Navy. What you mean is just a quote that was taken over by Gene quoting the in Star Trek sense ages old saying "As long there is an Enterprise she will always Serve as our Flagship" which is a quote from none other than Admiral Bull Halsey. And on a personal note, The Grey Ghost. Big E always has protected us in times of need. And our Big Lady is coming back as CVN 80, all things taken into consideration of the time we are living in right now we need her back more than ever.
Just adding on that the second Enterprise (she was the first of the US Navy, but the first Enterprise was in the Continental Navy during the Revolution) was the flagship of the fleet at Tripoli, of Marine Hymn fame, during the Barbary War. Gene Roddenberry made Enterprise synonymous with "Space" but the USS Enterprise has been synonymous with "greatness" for almost 250 years.
"As long as humanity is guarded by a ship named Enterprise. Of one thing I have absolutely no doubt. Evil shall never triumph... and freedom shall never die."
At one point during the first two years of the Pacific War, Enterprise was the ONLY aircraft carrier operational in the Pacific as Saratoga spent much of that time being patched up from torpedo hits. One journalist wrote that during those dark months the war became one between the Japanese Empire and USS Enterprise.
Enterprise was also the first U.S. Carrier to conduct night ops. Starting with Night Fighters led by LT CDR Butch O’Hare off of the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. Night Bombers over Truk in February 1944 and towards the end of the War she was reclassified as CV(N)-6 for night operations. The big highlight being 174 hours of non stop flight ops off of Iwo Jima.
I'm surprised you didn't mention that she was the only ship outside the Royal Navy ever awarded the British Admiralty Pennant, in recognition of her outstanding service. And as for another kind of honor... When Gene Roddenberry was creating Star Trek, back in the mid-1960s, he originally planned to name his fictional starship _Yorktown._ He changed that to _Enterprise,_ because he was fascinated by the WWII _Enterprise's_ combat record, and considered it heroic.
Also a fun fact is that the creator of Enterprise car rental served on the enterprise during WW2 and to honor the ship that got him home from the war he named his company after her.
@@MyFiddlePlayer Roddenberry was never in the navy. He was in the U.S. army air force and flew B-17s during the war, though most of his service was Stateside.
HOME RUN! My father served aboard her through her 1942 battles, and was wounded with her at Santa Cruz. He may well have been one of the sailors captured in the photos and movies of the battles. "Her steel was in his blood; his blood was in her steel' I eagerly await her granddaughter (CVN-80) going to sea.
@@petesheppard1709 You're welcome! My grandpa was Airborne Ranger, 101st A.A. and jumped into the battle on D-Day and lost his left leg but survived to tell me at 9 and up war stories! 😳🫡🇺🇸
@@paulvamos7319 Sounds like quite a guy! Even though Dad went on to become a teacher and raised three kids, I don't think his war actually ended until he died in '94
@@petesheppard1709 My grandpa went on to become a conductor on the Northern Pacific RR! Then, he became the janitor of the Catholic Church we were members of! Sadly, a heart attack and stroke took him to the couch reading Zane Grey novels and watching game shows and sitcoms! 🥲 He is more of a man than most alive today!
Had a coworker that served on the Enterprise during WWII, and did he have some stories to tell. He'd literally talk your ear off. Talked about the battles she endured, losing shipmates etc. He brought a picture in to work of the Enterprise (taken from another ship) surfing the waves while in a typhoon. He said that was the sickest he ever was while at sea. RIP Harry Johnson. O7
Awesome kudos spot! Also fine touch for using italics for ship and class names. For those that know, it's important. Small (nay minuscule) quibble: when used before a noun as a compound adjective, _Essex_-class should be hyphenated.
@@the6millionliraman All caps for a ship's name is also acceptable. That's what the Navy did in the days of typewriters, and they couldn't do italics. Thanks for the pointer!
@kyledabearsfan I completely agree because of her amazing service record most people don't know about the other ships in the pacific at that time. It goes the same way with army and marine units. Everyone knows the 101st airborne and most people have heard about the 1st marine division, but sadly if you don't research it yourself they will never know the sacrifices made by millions across the world
I work for a company that makes giant valves that go into carriers (and submarines). When we have an order for a ship we call them "ship sets". They're considered "Level 1" valves. This designation means that if the valve were to fail, it would risk either human lives or Naval assests. It's a relatively niche industry, but important. When people ask what i do and i mention valves, I follow up with, "Wait, hold on! It's actually cool and interesting! I swear!"
Ha! Great fun! Lots of things look like no big deal really......until you have you have to do it yourself, and discover first hand how non-trivial it is. The valve I use the most is from Sloan Valve in Franklin Park Illinois, when I flush a urinal.
Other meritorious "hard luck" units of WW2: -The 101st Airborne Division -The 1st Marine Division -The 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air force All these units have had live action TV series featuring them (Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Masters of the Air). The Enterprise awaits her turn!
You left out the A.V.G. I pray they never make a tv series about them. There are no men available to portray the Flying Tigers, and no writers in Hollywood who know how to write about real men.
And here I thought this would be about my ship I served on for nearly 5 years. We really didn't do anything too special, but we did support Vietnam war operations (before I was born LOL).
CVN-65 is still my absolute favorite Navy vessel. I never ended up going into the Navy like I wanted to when I was a kid, but I did get a tour of CVN-65 when I was about 10 years old. My parents still have the pictures they took from the flight deck.
My grandfather served on the Enterprise through the attack on Pearl Harbor until the Occupation of Japan still have coins and currency he collected along the way. They truly were the greatest generation!
My grandfather was also on, from early laying of the keel to after Christmas ‘44 as what today would be E9 in the engine room. Every man in engine room was trained in every station there, which helped during the big deck fire. Pre war, they even bought a set of cruising tips for economy travel (boiler burner sprayer plates), off the books of course, as they weren’t issue. Have fun
While the Enterprise was steaming her way back to Pearl during the attack, the USS Nimitz was the only nuclear aircraft carrier in the area. Unfortunately, she only managed to take out two Zeroes.
A couple of years ago my daughter gave me a bookmark inlaid with a small polished piece of wood from one of the Enterprise's shop signs. It is engraved Enterprise CV6, and is one of my prized possessions.
The new ENTERPRISE CVN 80 is already being built. Her keel was laid down 5th April of 2022. There is one ship ahead of her. She will be the 3rd of the FORD Class
What i like about enterprise is that considering the conditions around her, she is just an absolutely ordinary carrier, yet she has an accomplished career that many would kill for Meanwhile the most brought up ww2 ships tend to be highly complicated, "all eggs in one basket" approach while doing absolutely nothing before being obliterated like animals "You cant create a hero by force, you have to wait for it to make their presence known when the time has come"
Enterprise was more than her structure. The most important part was her crew, hard-working, courageous, and tenacious. My grandfather served on the Lexington and survived the Battle of the Coral Sea, but my favorite carrier has always been the Enterprise.
The enterprise has an excellent crew. She should have been sunk multiple times but her crew moved mountains. US damage control and logistics won the war. Japan lost ships and we had drydock appointments. Japan lost crews and we kept ours alive.
@@galewosten2010 Exactly. Japan had dedicated damage control teams, so if they died, no one had the skills. EVERY U.S. crewman on a Navy ship was trained in damage control in WW2. Some of the heroic efforts U.S. damage control did was nothing short of miraculous.
@@RicktheCrofter Funny, but the US Navy did pull that stunt for real once, when they built the USS Constellation in 1854, they couldn't get money from Congress for a new ship, so they pretended they were refitting the original USS Constellation from the 1790s and used the money to build a brand-new ship, which today is a museum in Baltimore. They claimed to use most of the wood from the old one but historians believe there is little if any parts from the old ship in her.
@@qwilliams1539lol I don't think so the paragraph is coherent. Rege is a genus. His communication skills are worse then mine. BTW he did a great job in portraying that.
Dating back to 1775, USS Enterprise is arguably the most famous name in naval history. Having served aboard the 8th Enterprise (CVN-65), living up to the name, the legacy, and the history was something the Navy took very seriously. While it wasn't always fun, I feel privileged to have been a small part of that history. I have no doubt the crew of the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) will feel the same.
I feel like it wasn't just her construction that helped her survive getting hit with everything the Japanese could throw at her. A good amount of credit should be given to her damage control teams for keeping her afloat as well. Without them the Big E likely would have been scuttled at the first sign of catastrophic damage if not sunk outright during any of her battles.
That is all thanks to the damage control personnel, which certainly made the difference during the war. Yorktown was still afloat for hours when abandoned after assessment basically just written her off, such is the skill of the USN damage control parties.
There is a whole book by one of France’s best military historians solely dedicated to the Enterprise, the “big E” called “Le survivant du Pacifique” (doesn't need translation I think ;-) ). I read it again and again when I was young and have always kept a soft spot for this incredible aircraft carrier. Thanks Simon for this nice summary of her distinguished career.
The one thing that was missed here, she was claimed sunk so many times by the Japanese that she gained the moniker of the _Grey Ghost_ as well as the _Galloping Ghost_
Please, ENTERPRISE gets 100% of the credit at Midway for sinking not just KAGA but also AKAGI. Due to miscommunication, almost all of ENTERPRISE's two SBD squadrons ended up diving on KAGA during the attack on the morning of June 4, 1942. It was due to the quick thinking of Bombing 6's Commander Dick Best that he managed to pull away from the swarm of planes attacking KAGA with two planes from his own section, moving on to attack AKAGI. With only three planes, they nonetheless destroyed the Japanese fleet flagship. Enterprise also has the distinction of being the first carrier to have her air group bloodied in the war. She sent off some SBDs to as Pearl Harbor as she approached the base on the morning of Dec 7, 1941. They arrived as the Japanese attack was in progress. Some of her planes were shot down, their crews having no idea they were flying into a war.
Well, the WW1 would be short. It didn't fight in any battles in WW1. It wasn't in that many in WW2 either since it was so obsolete, mainly being used for shore bombardment.
Probably a better fit for Warographics, but I'd love to see a video about the battle of Surigao Strait. The last battleship on battleship engagement ever fought.
There are two other things that sort of memorialize the USS Enterprise. The first is the car rental company Enterprise. The founder of the company was a crewman on the ship and so named his company after it. The second is of course Star Trek which is where the majority of people know the name USS Enterprise from without knowing the famous aircraft carrier. Speaking of USS Enterprise the very first nuclear powered aircraft carrier the US Navy built was named that. And one of the upcoming Gerald Ford class carriers the Navy is building will also bear the name Enterprise.
The carriers Yorktown and Hornet preserved as museums are Essex class ships built to replace CV-5 Yorktown and CV-8 Hornet after both were sunk in action.
I met a man yesterday who served on the Enterprise, he came into the restaurant and ordered a Mushroom and Swiss melt. and he asked if we had a military discount, I said of course and didn't ask if he could show ID, he seemed old enough and was wearing a very old looking hat with the navy emblem, the was surprised by this and then showed me his ID, and I got the unusual impression to ask where he served, I usually asked when, and he said he served on the USS Enterprise, I wish I could've seen the excitement on my face. He just smiled, a genuine smile that said that he was happy someone as young as me could be excited about something that happened as long ago as him serving. it was such an amazing experience.
I was able to take tours of the nuclear version of the USS Enterprise in the late 1960s at Alameda NAS as friends in my elementary school class had parents on it. Also I was able to tour other aircraft carriers stationed at Alameda during the Vietnam War.
The next ship to bear her name is an icon of her own. Designated as CVN-65, the next Enterprise was the first nuclear powered surface ship ever made. She paved the way for the Nimitz and Ford class carriers, and since no other ship was made like her, she was a class in herself. She also served for an extraordinarily long time, from January 1961 until December 2012, more than 51 years. Finally, she inspired Gene Rodenberry to name the starship he dreamed up after her which, as Federation starship Enterprise (designated NCC-1701), has itself become an icon to this day.
My brother and my cousin both served on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). That was an amazing ship. A virtual floating city. "Eight Reactors, None Faster". Used to love watching it pull into Port Everglades
Some other neat facts: Enterprise was the first carrier that recieved a night time designation. Her flight crew were the first to perform night time flight operations at sea. The Japanese referred to her as the Grey Ghost. She seemingly came back from the dead. This was because her sister carrier repaired so quickly that when she was bombed again and sank, they thought it was the Enterprise. Enterprise assisted the Hornet in the Dolittle Raid on Japan. More as an escort. The Enterprise was nicknamed the Big E and the Lucky E. She was a mighty ship for her time. Her crew were what held her together, and she who shielded them fiercely. You performed, you conquered, and you shall live on in Legend.
She's also the only ship in the USN to have received the British Admirality penat, awarded as a token of respect. Being the most decorated ship of the time it has since become a tradition for the Navy to have one of it's active carriers carry the name Enterprise, when CV-6 was gone, CVN-65 was under construction and now with CVN-65 gone, CVN-80 will carry the name until the end of it's service life.
My grandfather served aboard Enterprise CV-6 from '43 to the end of the war. He was a plane captain for their night air wing(s); the F6F Hellcat. Thanks for this video; gonna watch it with his great-grandson now. o7
Re who sank what at Midway, Enterprise dive bombers sank *both* the Kaga and Akagi. That was all Enterprise planes, with no "group effort" from other carriers involved. At around the same town, bombers from the Yorktown sank the Soryu. The only "group effort" involved was when later in the day, a scratch force of dive bombers from various carriers, including the Enterprise, sank the Hiryu.
Willis Lee, when working in Navy procurement, made sure to order and install as amny antiaircraft guns as possible. This was extraordinarily forward thinking for a battleship officer; he was later knwon for his actions in comand of the big ships at Guadalcanal
Even though this video is about CV-6, years ago I actually had an opportunity to go on a 3 day cruise onboard CVN-65, the nuclear powered Enterprise. My brother was stationed on it and got me on a "Tiger Cruise", one of the coolest experiences I'll ever have without having to actually join the Navy. We met the ship in Florida and rode it up to Newport News, VA. 3 days of almost complete access to the ship, went all over it, rode on the plane elevator, slept in the bunks, tripped on the arresting cable on the flight deck and best of all I got to witness F/18's landing on the flight deck maybe 15ft from where I was standing. I actually have a video of the F/18's landing in front of me on my channel if anyone is interested.
Love how Simon thinks Yamato's taking those hits was impressive... Meanwhile, the Allen M. Sumner class Destroyer, the USS Laffey... Let's just say there's a reason the USS Laffey (THAT YOU CAN VISIT, BTW) earned the nickname "The Ship That Wouldn't Die".
One of the best stories it when enterprise showed up at midway despite the Japanese thinking that there was no way the enterprise could have made it back port, and be repaired in time for the fight. Boy were those Japanese pilots in special treat a la dive bombers.!
My Dad was a pilot on the Enterprise, and was trained for night operations. As with many who fought, he never once spoke of specific operations. My guess it was better to leave traumatic events in the past rather than recount, revisit, or relive them. That was the same with my older brother's experience in Vietnam as a pilot for Huey and Cobra helicopters. Never spoke a word about specifics.
6:30 Not quite accurate. Enterprise did have an armored deck, but it was the main (hangar) deck, not the flight deck, which was treated as superstructure. The hangar deck carried 60-lb Special Treatment Steel armor plate; a similar arrangement was used on HMS Ark Royal.
It’s absolutely criminal that she wasn’t preserved as a museum ship - if ANY US ship from WWII deserved this, she did! A terrible fate for an amazing vessel.
in my time as a midshipman at the Academy, the Enterprise Ship's Bell was rung after Navy defeated Army in our annual football game....which was often...I was there when Roger Staubach was our quarterback
The ship’s bell is the soul of the ship, and in the good old days crewmen would have their children christened in it and their names were etched on the inside of the bell. The ship’s bell is so important that ships who know they’re not coming home will put it ashore before heading out to face impossible odds.
@@voyager4441We were in New Port News shipyard while the Stennis was being finished and her catapults being tuned, which involved them throwing a bunch of water tanks on wheels over the bow. Lucky for use, this was right before the Army Navy game, so you can bet your ass our ring knockers strapped a giant stuffed donkey to one, we fired it into the Chesapeake Bay, and sent a copy of the video to the Army 😉
Thank you for covering this. Too bad you just didn't have time to go into the truly amazing history of the USS Enterprise, CV-6. She was indeed a UNIT!
Japan! The final adversary! These are the voyages of the Planeship Enterprise! Its many year mission, to scout out strange new territories and seek out exposed enemies and new enemy ecampments, to boldy fight like no one has fought before!
There was a period, late 1942, I recall, where the Big E was the only combat ready, undamaged, fleet carrier in the US navy. Basically, the USS Enterprise -vs- Japan!
My father served on the Enterprise. Starting as a 17 year old kid. His mother received 7 different KIA notices during the war. Though he was extremely proud of his service, he never talked to us kids about it. I later realized what his shoulder tattoo stood for with the CV6 lettering. He stayed in the Navy 31 years. Retiring as a Chief. It was his life's calling. I didn't appreciate his life until I hit 48 years old and compared my life to his. There is no comparison.
There's an acrophyal comment somewhere after one of the Battles of Guadalcanal when she was hit where the damage control officer doing the report said they should remove the torpedo netting from her to fit on more AA guns.
@@8vantor8 Keyword: Operational. Saratoga had eaten a submarine torpedo in early September and was still under repairs during and after the Battle of Santa Cruz which did, in fact, leave Enterprise as the only operational US CV in the Pacific for a brief period of time
The 38 mm of "armor plating" under her flight deck was not armor plating at all, but merely structural support. Her flight deck as unarmored, not until the Midway class did the US Navy have armored flight decks on carriers.
My dad got to serve on this ship in the 90s !! Worked on the flight deck as a Yellowjacket (catapult officer ) hearing his flight deck stories as a kid never got old
USS Enterprise (and HMS Warspite) not being preserved as museum ships is borderline criminal.
I still have to admire Warspite for sinking herself after she learned of her fate to be scrapped.
@@hudsonball4702
Legendary end for a Battleship
@@thalmoragent9344 spot on
But she continues, the thrd Ford-class is the newest Enterprise.
Even former 4 star Admiral William F. Hadley couldn't save her from being broken up for scrap!
There was a time that the Enterprise was the only functioning USN carrier in the Pacific. A handmade sign was seen on the hanger deck…..it read “Enterprise vs. Japan”. That says a lot to to the history of the Enterprise.
If she were to have been a museum ship, that banner should hang over the entrance
From the sinking of Hornet to the transfer of Robin to the Pacific Fleet, it was Enterprise and Saratoga, with many periods where one was in the shop leaving the other operating alone.
Came here to mention this. There is a book I read many many years ago that was only about the months that Enterprise was the sole carrier in the Pacific. I don't recall the name of the book.
It went from war, to a vendetta of wrath and revenge for the Big E. It wasn’t oil that kept her going, it was the need for justice.
@@jeffdege4786
Ah yes USS Robin... or to give her her proper name HMS Victorious!
Through air and sea victorious!
"Let's make sure history never forgets the name, Enterprise."
Jean-Luc Picard
Beat me to it 🖖
Where do they keep the nuclear wessels?
I get goosebumps when I remember that scene.
Yesterdays Enterprise- Great episode.
@@paradox7358 🖖
The USS Enterprise probably saved my father and his rear gunner's lives. My father was an SBD pilot on the USS Hornet (CV 8) and flew in combat at the Battle of Santa Cruz. During the battle, his squadron VS-8 was attacking the Japanese carrier Shokaku as the Hornet was being bombed and torpedoed. He hit the Shokaku with a 1000 lbs. bomb but unfortunately his squadron was unable to sink it. However, it did put Shokaku out of the war for almost 7 months. During his return to the US fleet, he was attacked by a Zero which severely wounded his rear gunner. He was able to escape but when he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise but its deck was full of planes. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he finally got the clearance to land. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. It's so sad that that after the war Admiral Halsey's efforts to raise money to make the Enterprise a museum ship fell short.
Is your dad still with us? Was your dad and his gunner lifelong friends?
🇺🇸
@@OMG_No_Way My father passed in 2001 at the age of 84. After the war he remained in contact with both of his rear gunners and remained lifelong friends with them. As I mentioned in my previous post, during the Battle of Santa Cruz his rear gunner was injured from 20mm cannon fire from a Zero and spent 6 months in the hospital. In 1943 he was then reassigned as a gunner for an SBD in the Atlantic theater on submarine patrol which he said was not as exciting as flying with my father. I have two letters he wrote to my father near the end or the war. He told him how much he liked flying with him and thanked him for saving his life. My father told our family a story about him calling his gunner long after the war on an October 26th which was the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Cruz. He greeted him by saying "Happy Birthday!" His gunner asked "What to you mean, it's not my birthday?" My father then said let me explain. He told him that when he first sighted the IJN Skokaku he had made the decision that if he couldn't line up the carrier and his bombing run didn't go well, he was prepared to crash his SBD into it's flight deck with his 1000 lb. bomb. At that point in their phone conversation, his gunner was speechless but understood exactly what he meant in his greeting. Many of the pilots in his squadron felt it was going to be a one way mission and they were determined to get the Japanese carriers one way or another. Fortunately, for both of them (and for me) his bombing dive went well and he hit the Shokaku pulling out at 500 feet right over a Japanese destroyer. That's when he was jumped by the Zero that wounded his gunner. As the Zero swished by his SDB He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout.
After the Hornet was sunk, my father was reassigned to the USS Lexington CV-16 in early 1943. There he had to choose another rear gunner. The new rear gunner turnout to be an 18 year old "kid" from the midwest. My father said he chose him because he felt he would make "good company" if they were ever shot down and had to spend time in a life raft together. Be careful of what you wish for because they were shot down over Truk Lagoon while bombing Japanese ground installations in May of 1944. They did spend time together in their life raft before being rescued by Commander Richard O'Kane and the USS Tang submarine. (You can read about his rescue in O'Kane's book "Clear the Bridge!) The new gunner didn't turn out to be company my father had hoped for. But that's another story. He also stayed in touch with his new gunner after the war. The "kid" from the midwest eventually became a pilot and captain of a 747.
It was a crime to send America’s greatest ship to the scrapyard.
i agree with you boy, good job
@@BP-1988baddest mfker alive!!!
My dad was a veteran too...
I actually got to read the captains log book for the Enterprise.. those kamikaze hits almost completely destroyed her. The crew determination not to let her go under was heroic and getting those fires put out.
A ship is only as strong as her crew. And Enterprise had one hell of a crew. . .
@@Strider91that crew protected her as if she were one of their own in arms
That ship, the most decorated carrier, in the history of WW2, that was the pivitol, most important ship in the pacific theater should never, never have been scraped. What a crying shame, that ship should be the pride of the museum fleet. A tribute to he service, the men who lived and died serving abored her, and her pivitol roal in destroying Japanese carrier and fighter superiority in the pacific theater. What a waste to see her sold for scrap.
My dad was a Flight Surgeon on the Enterprise when the Kamikaze crashed into the forward elevator. Now I know why he chose his specialty after the war.
@@bburkie55 That's amazing. The numerous lives he saved. I was trained in field triage as most soldiers are the rudimentary stuff...those that were in the thick of battle doing the REAL saving... I can't even imagine.
Old guy here. What more can you say about the USS Enterprise? The Grey Ghost, the Big E. The most decorated ship of WW II with 20 battle stars. Involved in practically every major engagement in the Pacific War. A miniseries of your legendary exploits on the History Channel.
A total shame she could not be saved as a museum ship for the next generation to marvel and admire.
Well done CV-6 !!!
When I was younger I used to watch Battle 360 on the history channel. And gave me my love for ships. She deserved to be saved as a museum ship given her exploits.
The gray ghost was uss iowa not enterprise
@@tatsuhirosatou5513 no the grey ghost was USS Enterprise, she got that name because the Japanese during WW2 thought they sunk her numerous times during her career and announced it as such, but then were surprised to see her back in action. There’s multiple articles and documents that would say the exact same thing.
@subtilizer5657 the gray ghost was a Korean war nickname for iowa
@@tatsuhirosatou5513ok but ww2 happened prior to the Korean War
"Fate favors fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise." -William T. Riker.
One major reason why the US Navy elected for much lighter armor for Enterprise wasn't just to max out aircraft capacity, but it was also because we were expecting to be fighting battles at extended range in open waters. The Royal Navy, on the other hand, elected to use heavily armored decks because of the tighter quarters in places like the English Channel, the North Sea (particularly at Jutland), and so on meant they were much more likely to find themselves caught in knife-fight ranges with battleships and heavy cruisers.
And constantly in range of land based aircraft too, which can carry heavier loads than carrier borne bombers =)
I don't think they really anticipated the Kamikaze stuff, either...
Um, maybe but not really. The main reason for not armored flight deck was because of two reasons: first carriers were considered support ships and the battleships were considered the more important ship in a navy and not really expected to do much of anything till Pearl Harbor changed that thought process and second: because she was built during the Washington treaty that limited the amount of tonnes the navy could have and it was stretched out between many other ships. It’s the reason the hornet and wasp were her sister ships like Yorktown was but were actually smaller than both the Big E and the Yorktown.
it was probably the "thin" deck that made her able to survive the kamikazi attack... it allowed the explosion to be relieved, rather than contained belowdecks.
@@tarn1135 I strongly disagree with you. Japanese carriers didn't have armored decks either because they expected most of their operating area to be the wide open Pacific. There aren't many places in the Pacific where you can really pin down an enemy battle fleet and engage at knife fight ranges. Battleships may have been seen as the main sledgehammer to crush the enemy, but the carrier as a support vessel means that it's not supposed to ever come into knife fight ranges in the first place. It was the Royal Navy having to defend against enemies near the British Isles and constant risk of shore defense batteries and not having room to avoid an enemy battle line that led to them favoring a more heavily-armored flight deck.
If just speaking of USS Enterprise's 1942 service record, it should most definitely be remembered that the only reason she was not at the Battle of the Coral Sea is because she was returning from escort duty alongside the USS Hornet which had just delivered the "Dolittle" package to Japan's home island.
Came here to post this. With Hornet's deck full of B-25s and unavailable to launch other aircraft, Enterprise under Bull Halsey protected the task force.
Its a crime that the Lucky E was sold for scrap. Should've been a museum ship.
Exactly
It was one of the best ships ever and they scrapped it. What a shame
Like taping over the Apollo 11 footage.
@@BishopStarsWhich they actually did too. XD
What we have now is the footage from the live TV feed. The actual live camera footage from the mission itself was taped over in the 1980s
Right, like we don't preserve enough. I can't really get to much in military museums without planning time out of state... Hey family want to travel just for a weird interest I have? Or go to things we do in Minnesota and buy way to much with the savings? Walker art, great science museum, massive Ren fest and State Fair... Or a few days seeing special sights that are in dozens of small areas. Jesse James days.... That I forget every year like a twit it was cool 30 years ago maybe sharing that is worth more than $3,000+ to be stressed and mostly spend that on movement and board? 😮
Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise.
ah dang,you beat me by 7 hours
Yeah well, She was scrapped so........
@BCaldwell From my understanding fools and little children also get scraped from time to time.
@@BCaldwell Then they built a new one! Enterprise will never die! 😅
@@BCaldwell She should have been made a Museum Ship, and moored next to the USS Arizona!
My grandfather James W. Plummer was a radar specialist with Torpedo Squadron 10 and was on Enterprise Dec. 1943 until May 1945. I was just reading the notes he gave me before he passed away - he was below with his bunkmate only 100 feet from the front elevator when the final kamikazi went through the flight deck.
He says, "...the explosion raised the forward part of the flight deck some five feet and blew the entire elevator structure hundreds of feet into the air...My roommate, R.R. Jones and I were blown out of our bunks and landed on the steel decks. Had it not been for the major steel structure to support the flight deck between us and the plane, someone else would be writing this story."
Rest in peace Grandpa!! Enterprise was such a legendary vessel.
I worked on the nuclear enterprise for a bit, and got to do full speed runs with it.
CO said, "we're gonna throw a few more atoms at it until something breaks".
The props broke from the resiculous torque.
Thanks 😊
ST Motion Pic!
So it wasn't the engines that couldn't take much more, but the propellers!
Just curious if the XO was given pointy prosthetic ears when they assumed the role?
My dad served on the same ship. He was a machinist mate 1st class
I believe the second Ford will also carry the name.
Big E! She stood alone in the Pacific for months.
Its criminal that she wasnt retained as museum ship.
Surprised he didn't mention the nickname the Japanese gave her, 'the gray ghost', because of the many times they thought they had sunk her, but she would show up again.
One of the things not many folks talk about.
for months she was the last operational carrier in the pacific. iirc, there were stories of her crew putting a sign on the deck that read "Enterprise vs Japan"
@@FevnorTheWolf Enterprise vs Japan...and she won. Well, not all on her own, but during that time, she sure did her part and then some.
@@rikk319no it was on my own. I swear it, :)
"The Enterprise. No bloody A, B, C, or D!"
- Montgomery Scott
How about CVN?
I absolutely love all the Star Trek quotes in this comment section!
Further fascinating facts about Enterprise: it’s often overlooked but she escorted her sister Hornet during the Doolittle Raid, the IJN thought they’d sunk her on a couple of occasions and when she was seen again they dubbed her The Grey Ghost, and after the loss of Hornet at Santa Crus she was the only American carrier in the pacific until USS Essex would join her months later. She is the inspiration for Star Trek ships and her name lives on with the recently decommissioned CVN-65 and the upcoming CVN-80.
Don't forget USS Robin pre-Essex arrival
This Enterprise was the seventh. Wikipedia is your friend. There have been three after her, including the starship. :)
Hilariously the Japanese thought there were 2-4 Essex class ships painted and called enterprise and thought it was an American psyop.
CVN-65 Enterprise, the fastest carrier to exist.
Not only name, but also some steel and portholes from CV-6 lived in CVN-65 and now CVN-80
Fun fact: Any ship bearing the name Enterprise is "unofficially" the flagship of the entire Unites States Navy, and had been since their creation
Aren't you thinking of the United Federation of Planets?
@@patrick_j_lee No he is correct, The Enterprise has always been the unofficial Flag Ship of the US Navy. (And during WW2 even the Official Flagship for a while).
Yeah obviously every Carrier Group / Task Force has its own Carrier as the "Flagship" but when ever there is a Enterprise among the Fleet She is the Flagship of the Navy.
That dates back to World War 2 where she became for a time the only battle ready (more or less) American Capital Ship and ever since then was always considerd the Flag Ship of the Navy.
What you mean is just a quote that was taken over by Gene quoting the in Star Trek sense ages old saying "As long there is an Enterprise she will always Serve as our Flagship" which is a quote from none other than Admiral Bull Halsey.
And on a personal note, The Grey Ghost. Big E always has protected us in times of need. And our Big Lady is coming back as CVN 80, all things taken into consideration of the time we are living in right now we need her back more than ever.
Just adding on that the second Enterprise (she was the first of the US Navy, but the first Enterprise was in the Continental Navy during the Revolution) was the flagship of the fleet at Tripoli, of Marine Hymn fame, during the Barbary War.
Gene Roddenberry made Enterprise synonymous with "Space" but the USS Enterprise has been synonymous with "greatness" for almost 250 years.
It isnt often that i come across a really fun fact. I'll apply this to ALL of my future video game endeavors.
Meet me at the mission at midnight. We'll divvie up there.
"As long as humanity is guarded by a ship named Enterprise. Of one thing I have absolutely no doubt. Evil shall never triumph... and freedom shall never die."
*You treat her like a lady. And she'll always bring you home.*
- Admiral Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy
Lol yep I was trying to remember that line to quote it as a response to someone else's comment and unsurprisingly somebody beat me to it😊
At one point during the first two years of the Pacific War, Enterprise was the ONLY aircraft carrier operational in the Pacific as Saratoga spent much of that time being patched up from torpedo hits. One journalist wrote that during those dark months the war became one between the Japanese Empire and USS Enterprise.
Enterprise was also the first U.S. Carrier to conduct night ops. Starting with Night Fighters led by LT CDR Butch O’Hare off of the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. Night Bombers over Truk in February 1944 and towards the end of the War she was reclassified as CV(N)-6 for night operations. The big highlight being 174 hours of non stop flight ops off of Iwo Jima.
I'm surprised you didn't mention that she was the only ship outside the Royal Navy ever awarded the British Admiralty Pennant, in recognition of her outstanding service.
And as for another kind of honor... When Gene Roddenberry was creating Star Trek, back in the mid-1960s, he originally planned to name his fictional starship _Yorktown._ He changed that to _Enterprise,_ because he was fascinated by the WWII _Enterprise's_ combat record, and considered it heroic.
Also a fun fact is that the creator of Enterprise car rental served on the enterprise during WW2 and to honor the ship that got him home from the war he named his company after her.
yeah, they made her a cruiser with a couple bitty shuttles, instead of an aircraft carrier :(
I thought Roddenberry named his starship Enterprise because he actually served on the Enterprise when he was in the Navy.
@@MyFiddlePlayer Roddenberry was never in the navy. He was in the U.S. army air force and flew B-17s during the war, though most of his service was Stateside.
@@gnericgnome4214 I mean, the NC-1711 was capable of destroying whole planets if need be, it was the Capital Ship of that era.
CVN-65 was the first carrier i ever set foot on in 99. Working the flight deck is still the coolest, yet the most terrifying experience in my life.
My older brother served on CVN-65 as a nuclear engineer for nine years or so.
HOME RUN! My father served aboard her through her 1942 battles, and was wounded with her at Santa Cruz. He may well have been one of the sailors captured in the photos and movies of the battles.
"Her steel was in his blood; his blood was in her steel'
I eagerly await her granddaughter (CVN-80) going to sea.
🫡🇺🇸🎈
@@paulvamos7319 Thanks 🙂
@@petesheppard1709 You're welcome! My grandpa was Airborne Ranger, 101st A.A. and jumped into the battle on D-Day and lost his left leg but survived to tell me at 9 and up war stories! 😳🫡🇺🇸
@@paulvamos7319 Sounds like quite a guy!
Even though Dad went on to become a teacher and raised three kids, I don't think his war actually ended until he died in '94
@@petesheppard1709 My grandpa went on to become a conductor on the Northern Pacific RR! Then, he became the janitor of the Catholic Church we were members of! Sadly, a heart attack and stroke took him to the couch reading Zane Grey novels and watching game shows and sitcoms! 🥲 He is more of a man than most alive today!
Wrong enterprise in the thumbnail
Eh.. fuck it, it’ll work.
Like Jesus Christ is it really that hard for this hack to find the correct phone....
ENGAGE!
Where do they keep the nuclear wessel?
@@personzorz It was scrapped.
Had a coworker that served on the Enterprise during WWII, and did he have some stories to tell. He'd literally talk your ear off. Talked about the battles she endured, losing shipmates etc. He brought a picture in to work of the Enterprise (taken from another ship) surfing the waves while in a typhoon. He said that was the sickest he ever was while at sea. RIP Harry Johnson. O7
Small quibble: The USS _Hornet_ pictured at 1:00 is the second _Hornet_ , CV-12, an _Essex_ class carrier.
Awesome kudos spot!
Also fine touch for using italics for ship and class names. For those that know, it's important.
Small (nay minuscule) quibble: when used before a noun as a compound adjective, _Essex_-class should be hyphenated.
Par for the course on this video. The thumbnail is the wrong Enterprise as well.
@@noneatall9060 They do that on purpose, it pleases the algorithm gods
Which you can still visit in Alameda, CA!
@@the6millionliraman All caps for a ship's name is also acceptable. That's what the Navy did in the days of typewriters, and they couldn't do italics. Thanks for the pointer!
CV-6 Americas heart of the fleet in my personal opinion, I think America should always have a USS Enterprise in the fleet.
I agree. But I feel the same way about the Hornet to some degree. But we should definitely always have an Enterprise.
Make it so 😊
@kyledabearsfan I completely agree because of her amazing service record most people don't know about the other ships in the pacific at that time. It goes the same way with army and marine units. Everyone knows the 101st airborne and most people have heard about the 1st marine division, but sadly if you don't research it yourself they will never know the sacrifices made by millions across the world
Fortunately, CVN-80 had her keel laid in 2022. The next Enterprise is targeted to enter service in 2029.
CVN-80 is named Enterprise. 2029
CV-6 Enterprise was so notable it received the British Admiralty Pennant - the only non British ship to be awarded the honor.
"Let's made sure that history never forgets. The name. Enterprise."
I work for a company that makes giant valves that go into carriers (and submarines). When we have an order for a ship we call them "ship sets". They're considered "Level 1" valves. This designation means that if the valve were to fail, it would risk either human lives or Naval assests. It's a relatively niche industry, but important. When people ask what i do and i mention valves, I follow up with, "Wait, hold on! It's actually cool and interesting! I swear!"
An 1800 psi steam Valve, or a 60” sea chest valve are nothing to sneeze at.
Ha! Great fun! Lots of things look like no big deal really......until you have you have to do it yourself, and discover first hand how non-trivial it is.
The valve I use the most is from Sloan Valve in Franklin Park Illinois, when I flush a urinal.
@adiamondforever7890 SI please...
Other meritorious "hard luck" units of WW2:
-The 101st Airborne Division
-The 1st Marine Division
-The 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air force
All these units have had live action TV series featuring them (Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Masters of the Air).
The Enterprise awaits her turn!
To be fair to Enty, she had her own animated series Battle 360, centred almost entirely around her.
You left out the A.V.G.
I pray they never make a tv series about them. There are no men available to portray the Flying Tigers, and no writers in Hollywood who know how to write about real men.
Also the Samual B. Roberts and USS Johnston.
The ship pictured in the preview is the nuclear powered CVN-65, not CV-6.
And we want the original. No bloddy A, B, C or D.
You mean it wasn't the steam powered ship but a nuclear wessel?
@@darahdoyle3176
The steam was generated by nuclear power.
@@Halbi1987 Here's to ya lads
And here I thought this would be about my ship I served on for nearly 5 years. We really didn't do anything too special, but we did support Vietnam war operations (before I was born LOL).
hero of wwii
ship commissioned in 1961 on the thumbnail
Yeah, details don't seem to matter in Simon's videos lately. Ironic considering his nickname of 'Factboi'.
@@WeAreTheTrueMedia Pretty sure that isn't Simon's fault. He's just the presenter.
And here you are, driving up engagement and thus proving that the thumbnail was a good decision.
@@marktg98 he's the face of the channel
@@IntyMichael Yes, but he doesn't edit the videos.
CVN-65 is still my absolute favorite Navy vessel. I never ended up going into the Navy like I wanted to when I was a kid, but I did get a tour of CVN-65 when I was about 10 years old. My parents still have the pictures they took from the flight deck.
"She's got the right name" Dr McCoy in the pilot of TNG.
Did she ever! Lol
Fun fact the current Ford class Carrier under construction is going to be the newest Enterprise
My grandfather served on the Enterprise through the attack on Pearl Harbor until the Occupation of Japan still have coins and currency he collected along the way. They truly were the greatest generation!
My grandfather was also on, from early laying of the keel to after Christmas ‘44 as what today would be E9 in the engine room. Every man in engine room was trained in every station there, which helped during the big deck fire. Pre war, they even bought a set of cruising tips for economy travel (boiler burner sprayer plates), off the books of course, as they weren’t issue. Have fun
While the Enterprise was steaming her way back to Pearl during the attack, the USS Nimitz was the only nuclear aircraft carrier in the area. Unfortunately, she only managed to take out two Zeroes.
A couple of years ago my daughter gave me a bookmark inlaid with a small polished piece of wood from one of the Enterprise's shop signs. It is engraved Enterprise CV6, and is one of my prized possessions.
The new ENTERPRISE CVN 80 is already being built. Her keel was laid down 5th April of 2022. There is one ship ahead of her. She will be the 3rd of the FORD Class
It's a shame they never raised enough funds to keep her from being scrapped. That piece of history needed to be saved.
What i like about enterprise is that considering the conditions around her, she is just an absolutely ordinary carrier, yet she has an accomplished career that many would kill for
Meanwhile the most brought up ww2 ships tend to be highly complicated, "all eggs in one basket" approach while doing absolutely nothing before being obliterated like animals
"You cant create a hero by force, you have to wait for it to make their presence known when the time has come"
Enterprise was more than her structure. The most important part was her crew, hard-working, courageous, and tenacious. My grandfather served on the Lexington and survived the Battle of the Coral Sea, but my favorite carrier has always been the Enterprise.
The enterprise has an excellent crew. She should have been sunk multiple times but her crew moved mountains. US damage control and logistics won the war. Japan lost ships and we had drydock appointments. Japan lost crews and we kept ours alive.
@@galewosten2010 Exactly. Japan had dedicated damage control teams, so if they died, no one had the skills. EVERY U.S. crewman on a Navy ship was trained in damage control in WW2. Some of the heroic efforts U.S. damage control did was nothing short of miraculous.
I served on USS Ranger, USS Constellation and USS Independence. All have since been scrapped. Heart breaking. Makes me feel very old.
makes me feel very poor...
Outstanding.
Enterprise Sailor (CVN-65), Thanks.
Some of her portholes were saved and are being fitted on the new Enterprise, CVN-80, currently being built.
CVN-80 therefore isn’t a new ship. She’s merely a massive refit of CV-6.
@@RicktheCrofter Funny, but the US Navy did pull that stunt for real once, when they built the USS Constellation in 1854, they couldn't get money from Congress for a new ship, so they pretended they were refitting the original USS Constellation from the 1790s and used the money to build a brand-new ship, which today is a museum in Baltimore. They claimed to use most of the wood from the old one but historians believe there is little if any parts from the old ship in her.
The Captains Cabin portholes actually
Was fortunate enough to serve aboard the USS Enterprise-D from 2367-71. All good things...
Temperal agents are coming for you temperal prime directive violation.
plenty more letters left in the alphabet
@@sultanabran1lol
Is that you, Rege?
@@qwilliams1539lol I don't think so the paragraph is coherent. Rege is a genus. His communication skills are worse then mine. BTW he did a great job in portraying that.
Dating back to 1775, USS Enterprise is arguably the most famous name in naval history. Having served aboard the 8th Enterprise (CVN-65), living up to the name, the legacy, and the history was something the Navy took very seriously. While it wasn't always fun, I feel privileged to have been a small part of that history. I have no doubt the crew of the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) will feel the same.
I hope lessons from her construction were put into future carriers. Her ability to survive damage is incredible.
I feel like it wasn't just her construction that helped her survive getting hit with everything the Japanese could throw at her. A good amount of credit should be given to her damage control teams for keeping her afloat as well. Without them the Big E likely would have been scuttled at the first sign of catastrophic damage if not sunk outright during any of her battles.
That is all thanks to the damage control personnel, which certainly made the difference during the war. Yorktown was still afloat for hours when abandoned after assessment basically just written her off, such is the skill of the USN damage control parties.
The lucky E...
The Grey Ghost...
Owarida!....
That’s our Enty!
I knew I'd find a fellow skk in the comment section :D
Found ya!
@@EagleHawk175 And remember, it’s Enty’s birthday (launch day) tomorrow!
Still making Akagi and Kaga shake in their boots to this day!
There is a whole book by one of France’s best military historians solely dedicated to the Enterprise, the “big E” called “Le survivant du Pacifique” (doesn't need translation I think ;-) ). I read it again and again when I was young and have always kept a soft spot for this incredible aircraft carrier. Thanks Simon for this nice summary of her distinguished career.
The one thing that was missed here, she was claimed sunk so many times by the Japanese that she gained the moniker of the _Grey Ghost_ as well as the _Galloping Ghost_
Please, ENTERPRISE gets 100% of the credit at Midway for sinking not just KAGA but also AKAGI. Due to miscommunication, almost all of ENTERPRISE's two SBD squadrons ended up diving on KAGA during the attack on the morning of June 4, 1942. It was due to the quick thinking of Bombing 6's Commander Dick Best that he managed to pull away from the swarm of planes attacking KAGA with two planes from his own section, moving on to attack AKAGI. With only three planes, they nonetheless destroyed the Japanese fleet flagship.
Enterprise also has the distinction of being the first carrier to have her air group bloodied in the war. She sent off some SBDs to as Pearl Harbor as she approached the base on the morning of Dec 7, 1941. They arrived as the Japanese attack was in progress. Some of her planes were shot down, their crews having no idea they were flying into a war.
Live Long and Prosper🖖
Haha, subtle reference there
There’s a reason that a full documentary show on this ship alone exists
I can’t change the laws of Physics, man. Somebody had to say it.
Can you guys do a video about the USS Texas and the battles it fought in from both world wars
I got to ses the USS Texas as it is being repaired in Galveston.
Well, the WW1 would be short. It didn't fight in any battles in WW1. It wasn't in that many in WW2 either since it was so obsolete, mainly being used for shore bombardment.
Probably a better fit for Warographics, but I'd love to see a video about the battle of Surigao Strait. The last battleship on battleship engagement ever fought.
Truly a real heroine...in the form of an Aircraft Carrier...
There are two other things that sort of memorialize the USS Enterprise. The first is the car rental company Enterprise. The founder of the company was a crewman on the ship and so named his company after it. The second is of course Star Trek which is where the majority of people know the name USS Enterprise from without knowing the famous aircraft carrier.
Speaking of USS Enterprise the very first nuclear powered aircraft carrier the US Navy built was named that. And one of the upcoming Gerald Ford class carriers the Navy is building will also bear the name Enterprise.
Enterprise was also the first Space Shuttle, although it was used for testing and never entered space.
@@IanAlcorn And that was named after the Enterprise from the Star Trek show after a fan campaign.
It's amazing that we have video of Yorktown and Hornet here on YT filmed in the last year or two, yet the glorious Big E is gone for good. RIP.
The carriers Yorktown and Hornet preserved as museums are Essex class ships built to replace CV-5 Yorktown and CV-8 Hornet after both were sunk in action.
To boldy go where no man has gone before.
to Baldly go .......... lol
I met a man yesterday who served on the Enterprise, he came into the restaurant and ordered a Mushroom and Swiss melt. and he asked if we had a military discount, I said of course and didn't ask if he could show ID, he seemed old enough and was wearing a very old looking hat with the navy emblem, the was surprised by this and then showed me his ID, and I got the unusual impression to ask where he served, I usually asked when, and he said he served on the USS Enterprise, I wish I could've seen the excitement on my face. He just smiled, a genuine smile that said that he was happy someone as young as me could be excited about something that happened as long ago as him serving. it was such an amazing experience.
I was able to take tours of the nuclear version of the USS Enterprise in the late 1960s at Alameda NAS as friends in my elementary school class had parents on it. Also I was able to tour other aircraft carriers stationed at Alameda during the Vietnam War.
The next ship to bear her name is an icon of her own. Designated as CVN-65, the next Enterprise was the first nuclear powered surface ship ever made. She paved the way for the Nimitz and Ford class carriers, and since no other ship was made like her, she was a class in herself. She also served for an extraordinarily long time, from January 1961 until December 2012, more than 51 years. Finally, she inspired Gene Rodenberry to name the starship he dreamed up after her which, as Federation starship Enterprise (designated NCC-1701), has itself become an icon to this day.
I see video about the Grey Ghost, I watch video about the Grey Ghost.
My brother and my cousin both served on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). That was an amazing ship. A virtual floating city. "Eight Reactors, None Faster". Used to love watching it pull into Port Everglades
"Fate... it protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise."
Some other neat facts: Enterprise was the first carrier that recieved a night time designation. Her flight crew were the first to perform night time flight operations at sea.
The Japanese referred to her as the Grey Ghost. She seemingly came back from the dead. This was because her sister carrier repaired so quickly that when she was bombed again and sank, they thought it was the Enterprise.
Enterprise assisted the Hornet in the Dolittle Raid on Japan. More as an escort.
The Enterprise was nicknamed the Big E and the Lucky E.
She was a mighty ship for her time. Her crew were what held her together, and she who shielded them fiercely. You performed, you conquered, and you shall live on in Legend.
Admiral Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy: You treat her like a lady. And she'll always bring you home.
She's also the only ship in the USN to have received the British Admirality penat, awarded as a token of respect. Being the most decorated ship of the time it has since become a tradition for the Navy to have one of it's active carriers carry the name Enterprise, when CV-6 was gone, CVN-65 was under construction and now with CVN-65 gone, CVN-80 will carry the name until the end of it's service life.
My grandfather was on a destroyer and a corvette that served alongside the Easy E. Toughest group of people on the planet those WW2 sailors.
My grandfather served aboard Enterprise CV-6 from '43 to the end of the war. He was a plane captain for their night air wing(s); the F6F Hellcat. Thanks for this video; gonna watch it with his great-grandson now. o7
Re who sank what at Midway, Enterprise dive bombers sank *both* the Kaga and Akagi. That was all Enterprise planes, with no "group effort" from other carriers involved.
At around the same town, bombers from the Yorktown sank the Soryu.
The only "group effort" involved was when later in the day, a scratch force of dive bombers from various carriers, including the Enterprise, sank the Hiryu.
I recommend doing a video on the recently decommissioned USS Enterprise, the first Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier.
Willis Lee, when working in Navy procurement, made sure to order and install as amny antiaircraft guns as possible. This was extraordinarily forward thinking for a battleship officer; he was later knwon for his actions in comand of the big ships at Guadalcanal
The Fat Electrician has the best video on Willis “Ching” Lee. He’s the best history storyteller on YT, with apologies to this channel.
Even though this video is about CV-6, years ago I actually had an opportunity to go on a 3 day cruise onboard CVN-65, the nuclear powered Enterprise. My brother was stationed on it and got me on a "Tiger Cruise", one of the coolest experiences I'll ever have without having to actually join the Navy. We met the ship in Florida and rode it up to Newport News, VA. 3 days of almost complete access to the ship, went all over it, rode on the plane elevator, slept in the bunks, tripped on the arresting cable on the flight deck and best of all I got to witness F/18's landing on the flight deck maybe 15ft from where I was standing. I actually have a video of the F/18's landing in front of me on my channel if anyone is interested.
Now, that sounds like an awesome experience. Lucky you!
"The Grey Ghost" is definitely one of the coolest nicknames the enemy can bestow upon your ship.
a vlog of simon visiting his top 100 pieces of military history in person, and showing off his souvenir from each one? Would this be feasible
Love how Simon thinks Yamato's taking those hits was impressive...
Meanwhile, the Allen M. Sumner class Destroyer, the USS Laffey... Let's just say there's a reason the USS Laffey (THAT YOU CAN VISIT, BTW) earned the nickname "The Ship That Wouldn't Die".
Laffey was / is the embodiment of what in Star Trek the USS Defiant is. "Tough little ship"
A friend's son served on the CVN-65 Enterprise, which amused my Star Trek group as he was named after a captain of a fictional Enterprise.
One of the best stories it when enterprise showed up at midway despite the Japanese thinking that there was no way the enterprise could have made it back port, and be repaired in time for the fight. Boy were those Japanese pilots in special treat a la dive bombers.!
Think that was the Yorktown
My Dad was a pilot on the Enterprise, and was trained for night operations.
As with many who fought, he never once spoke of specific operations. My guess it was better to leave traumatic events in the past rather than recount, revisit, or relive them.
That was the same with my older brother's experience in Vietnam as a pilot for Huey and Cobra helicopters. Never spoke a word about specifics.
6:30 Not quite accurate. Enterprise did have an armored deck, but it was the main (hangar) deck, not the flight deck, which was treated as superstructure. The hangar deck carried 60-lb Special Treatment Steel armor plate; a similar arrangement was used on HMS Ark Royal.
It’s absolutely criminal that she wasn’t preserved as a museum ship - if ANY US ship from WWII deserved this, she did! A terrible fate for an amazing vessel.
18:30 the ship's bell is used on the naval academy grounds. I'm not a Navy man so I don't know exactly what for but I do know it's there
in my time as a midshipman at the Academy, the Enterprise Ship's Bell was rung after Navy defeated Army in our annual football game....which was often...I was there when Roger Staubach was our quarterback
The ship’s bell is the soul of the ship, and in the good old days crewmen would have their children christened in it and their names were etched on the inside of the bell. The ship’s bell is so important that ships who know they’re not coming home will put it ashore before heading out to face impossible odds.
@@voyager4441We were in New Port News shipyard while the Stennis was being finished and her catapults being tuned, which involved them throwing a bunch of water tanks on wheels over the bow. Lucky for use, this was right before the Army Navy game, so you can bet your ass our ring knockers strapped a giant stuffed donkey to one, we fired it into the Chesapeake Bay, and sent a copy of the video to the Army 😉
Thank you for covering this. Too bad you just didn't have time to go into the truly amazing history of the USS Enterprise, CV-6. She was indeed a UNIT!
Japan! The final adversary! These are the voyages of the Planeship Enterprise! Its many year mission, to scout out strange new territories and seek out exposed enemies and new enemy ecampments, to boldy fight like no one has fought before!
There was a period, late 1942, I recall, where the Big E was the only combat ready, undamaged, fleet carrier in the US navy. Basically, the USS Enterprise -vs- Japan!
Decades later and the grandchildren of ww2 vets are even pissed that she was scrapped
Hey, right on time for Enty's birthday! Good show, Simon and crew!!
The Pacific... the final frontier...
My father served on the Enterprise. Starting as a 17 year old kid. His mother received 7 different KIA notices during the war. Though he was extremely proud of his service, he never talked to us kids about it. I later realized what his shoulder tattoo stood for with the CV6 lettering.
He stayed in the Navy 31 years. Retiring as a Chief. It was his life's calling. I didn't appreciate his life until I hit 48 years old and compared my life to his. There is no comparison.
There's an acrophyal comment somewhere after one of the Battles of Guadalcanal when she was hit where the damage control officer doing the report said they should remove the torpedo netting from her to fit on more AA guns.
Wasn't it like in November '42 that the US Pacific Fleet was down to one operational fleet carrier? That one being the Enterprise?
Yep. And her badly worn.
With a banner on the bridge reading:
Enterprise vs. Japan
I was thinking the same thing and that fact may be the reason for Enterprise having so many decorations.
Everyone Forgets about Saratoga
@@8vantor8 Keyword: Operational.
Saratoga had eaten a submarine torpedo in early September and was still under repairs during and after the Battle of Santa Cruz
which did, in fact, leave Enterprise as the only operational US CV in the Pacific for a brief period of time
She *absolutely* should have been a museum ship
I believe a porthole from CV 6 was installed in the nuclear Enterprise, and then again saved to be installed on the Ford class Enterprise.
She should have been made a museum ship not razor blades
Totally second this....she was a legend
Hell yeah more ships plz tyty
And here i was thinking we had a Star Trek themed episodes
Lol America did it before star trek
That was what I was hoping for.
This is that Enterprise's namesake!
But where are the Nuclear Wessells?!?!
It starts here😊
The 38 mm of "armor plating" under her flight deck was not armor plating at all, but merely structural support. Her flight deck as unarmored, not until the Midway class did the US Navy have armored flight decks on carriers.
The big E
The Grey Ghost
Lucky E
@@carterbrandt988 yes but during the war is was allways known as the Big E
My dad got to serve on this ship in the 90s !! Worked on the flight deck as a Yellowjacket (catapult officer ) hearing his flight deck stories as a kid never got old