After half a century on the high seas, the oldest warship in the American fleet, USS Enterprise, will return to port today for the last time.
From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the war in Afghanistan, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has played a part in every conflict involving the United States since she was commissioned in 1961.
But when the massive vessel glides into the US naval base in Norfolk, Va., this morning, with sailors in white uniforms standing on deck, it will mark the end of her 25th and final deployment after an eight-month tour in the Mediterranean and the Gulf, the Navy said.
“Homecoming will no doubt be a bittersweet day,” said Capt. William Hamilton, the ship’s commanding officer.