In the annals of naval history, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) has been a leviathan, not just in physical stature but also in her storied past and the complex legacy she leaves behind. The U.S. Navy is confronted with a new challenge: according to public Navy records, the Enterprise will not start being dismantled until 2025, with the process expected to last until 2029. This unique task arises as the Navy must manage the complexities of decommissioning a ship that has been central in historical events from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the war on terror.
The former USS Enterprise was deactivated in 2012 and officially decommissioned in 2017, and now, after extensive contemplation, the Navy has elected to contract the dismantling process out to a commercial facility. This decision, influenced by the high operational tempo and capacity shortages at the service’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, reflects a broader strategic imperative to maintain active fleet readiness. The Navy presented various choices for decommissioning the aircraft carrier but favored one enabling a commercial yard to carry out the task, as per the initial plan disclosed by The Kitsap Sun. This option would incur a cost of $554 million to $696 million and require five years, contrasting with the other two options lasting 15 years and costing $1.102 billion to $1.358 billion, as outlined in the draft report.
“The workforce of the public shipyards of the Navy has been under tremendous pressure to execute their primary mission of maintaining the operational fleet,” according to the draft. The USS Enterprise, with her eight defueled reactors, presents a more complex challenge, a vestige of the pioneering days of naval nuclear power when she was constructed beginning in 1958.
Under the preferred option, Enterprise would be towed to a commercial facility in Brownsville, Texas, Mobile, Ala., or Hampton Roads, Va. The commercial facility would then dismantle the ship. Hundreds of containers will carefully package the defueled reactors, which will be transported to specialized facilities for recycling or disposal. These include Waste Control Specialists in Texas, EnergySolutions in Utah, or the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The Navy’s approach is poised to set a precedent for the dismantling of future nuclear-powered carriers, with the subsequent USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) on deck for decommissioning in the years to come.
The Navy navigates this new territory, it has looked towards the civilian nuclear services industry, known for dismantling larger and more complex radiological facilities successfully. The industry’s expertise provides a valuable blueprint for handling the intricate task of disassembling a nuclear-powered carrier. The commercial route will “reduce the Navy inactive ship inventory, eliminate costs associated with maintaining the ship in a safe stowage condition, and dispose of legacy radiological and hazardous wastes in an environmentally responsible manner, while meeting the operational needs of the Navy,” Baribeau said.
“Commercial dismantlement and disposal of ex-Enterprise supports the Navy prioritizing limited public shipyard resources on active fleet maintenance while realizing cost benefits to the U.S. taxpayer,” he continued.
Bradley Martin, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, predicted that the Navy’s decision to contract with industry for the disposal of Enterprise will prove beneficial in the long run.“I think this, if it works out, it’ll actually be a good model,” he told Breaking Defense. “The capacity of Navy shipyards to deal with everything they’re supposed to be dealing with is already pretty strained.”The dismantlement process, he added, “takes a lot of time and effort and people.”
Relevant articles:
– Powered Aircraft Carrier Enterprise at Commercial Yard, USNI News, Aug 23, 2022
– U.S. Navy Will Dismantle Carrier USS Enterprise at a Commercial Shipyard, The Maritime Executive, Sep 5, 2023
– Uncharted waters: Navy navigating first, Breaking Defense, Nov 15, 2023