Enterprise celebrates 100 years of Naval aviation

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USS Enterprise (CVN 65) - Monday, May 30, 2011

1911

2011 Photo by MC3 Alex R. Forster


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Enterprise News

Enterprise celebrates 100 years of Naval aviation By MC3 Brooks B. Patton USS Enterprise Public Affairs

USS ENTERPRISE, At sea – Sailors and Marines deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) are honoring the birth of naval aviation 100 years ago as the ship conducted close-air support for Operation Enduring Freedom off the coast of Afghanistan May 29. It has been just over 100 years since Eugene Ely became the first person to land an aircraft on a makeshift wooden platform built on an armored cruiser in the San Francisco Bay. Since his daring maneuver, naval aviation has transformed itself into one of the most versatile and dynamic forces the military has in its arsenal. “The centennial allows us to look back at all of our accomplishments and how we grew from humble beginnings to be the major combat force we are today,” said Rear Adm. Terry B. Kraft, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12. Humble beginnings indeed. The birth of naval aviation started with Capt. Washington Irving Chambers contracting specifications for the

U.S Navy historical photo

Eugene Ely lands his Curtiss Pusher onboard the armored cruiser (ACR 4) USS Pennsylvania January 18, 1911 in San Franciso Bay. It is the first successful shipboard landing of an aircraft.

Navy’s first aircraft. Only two months later on July 1st 1911, the Navy purchased its first aircraft, the A-1 Tiad, which then made its maiden flight from Keuka Lake at Hammondsport, New York. Early commanders didn’t have the experience to know how decisive air power could be, because it had never been employed the way it is today. “Prior to WWII, the kings of the Navy were the battleships. Naval aviation was something that existed out there for reconnaissance purposes, to help ships target other ships,” said Kraft. It wasn’t until WWII

that aircraft were used extensively to fight the war. Most notably, during the Battle of Coral Sea on May 7th, 1942 when the ships involved never saw each other and engaged one another over-thehorizon by air. “The importance of naval aviation to the security of the United States and to our ability to carry out foreign policy cannot be overstated,” said Capt. Gregory C. Huffman, Enterprise’s executive officer. “From the major sea battles of WWII to the strikes into Afghanistan, naval aviation provides a great deal of flexibility to the decision makers in Washington.”

Sailors aboard Enterprise take special note of the centennial since the ship, the longest serving active warship in Navy history, marks its 50th birthday later this year. Enterprise is the elder statesman of the fleet, and her Sailors take pride in the fact that their ship has been actively deployed in combat for half a century. The ship’s Commanding Officer, Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, is one of just two officers to have served in command of two aircraft carriers, and he is the only one to have (continued on Page 6) commanded two carriers of different classes. “In my experience in


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100 Years of N


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Naval Aviation

Photos for U.S. Navy and USS Enterprise (CVN 65) historical archives


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Enterprise News

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Big ‘E’ celebrates centennial of Naval aviation (cont.)

command of both USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS Enterprise (CVN 65), it’s the teamwork that matters most,” said Mewbourne. “The true power of naval aviation is in the individuals who sacrifice selflessly to accomplish the mission.” Enterprise, taking its name from the seven ships carrying the name before her, was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and second nuclear powered ship in the fleet. It has since, like her predecessor, defined naval aviation. “The legacy of the Enterprise will be twofold, first as pioneer of the future and second as the continuation of the tradition,” added Huffman. Enterprise has a long and storied history, and even after 50 years of service is still among the strongest forces in the Navy, as its recently celebrated 400,000th arrested landing attests to. “Think about other countries who have tried to develop aircraft carriers or maintain the strength of the carriers that they have,” said Capt. Robert Boyer, the deputy commander of

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1. “Having a single ship stay this capable for this long and having this many landings is an incredible feat.” The legacy of Enterprise and its role in naval aviation couldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the estimated 250,000 hardworking men and woman who have served as a part of her crew throughout her 50 years. “The true story of Enterprise is all of the people who made it happen over the course of these five decades all the maintenance and repair, the training, the execution of the mission, and all those flights,” said Boyer. The importance of aircraft carriers and naval aviation in the fleet is unarguable. It has provided security to our country and our allies while also providing an unmistakable diplomatic tool for the U.S. government that can’t be provided by other types of military power. “One of the greatest strengths that carrier aviation brings to the table is ‘presence’. Simply by moving into an area of operation, we play a part in shaping

U.S. Navy Photo by Andy Wolfe

An aircraft carrier variant of the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flies over Andrews Air Force Base, MD, May 21, 2011. The F-35C is a fifthgeneration fighter slated to become the US Navy primary fighter/attack plane in the future.

world events and defining national strategy,” said Huffman. “In many parts of the world, a carrier and its air wing dwarf the capabilities of entire air forces. That is a powerful tool.” While naval aviation has evolved over the past 100 years, it continues to become stronger and more versatile. “The future of naval aviation will be launching unmanned aircraft off the flight deck, performing complex and long missions giving us the ability to influence conflicts vast distances away.” said Kraft, whose previous assignment as the director of airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance on the staff of the Chief of

Naval Operations gives him special insight into the future of unmanned aircraft and air power. Naval Aviation has written history as we know it and continues to keep America and her allies safe, whether by carrying out strike missions, reconnaissance, or shows of force. But its scalability and flexibility might be the thing naval aviation is remembered for 100 years from now. “We respond, completely unplanned in some cases, carry out the mission safely, and make it look routine,” said Boyer. “That’s what naval aviation is all about and has been for 100 years.”


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Asian Pacific Heritage Month Enterprise Celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Photos by MCSN Anna M. Wade

About Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian-Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and

the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island). In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten

days of May as AsianPacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992,

the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.


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Sailors of the Day Logistics Specialist 3rd Class

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class

Mark William Hoover- Sayville, NY

David Seithel- St. Louis, Missouri

LS3 (SW) Hoover, the leading petty officer for Enterprise’s Air Transit Office, joined the Navy three years and six months ago to “serve my country and better myself.” Hoover says the most rewarding aspect of his job is knowing he moved “hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of cargo to their destination effectively.” Hoover plans to finish his bachelor’s degree and wants to “become a good leader and mentor those who work under me.” When he returns from deployment, Hoover wants to ride motorcycles.

HM3 Seithel, a search and resuce (SAR) medical technician and command corpsman for Helicopter Anti-Submarine squadron (HS) 11, joined the Navy almost two years ago to “ be a SAR corpsman and experience different parts of the world.” Seithel says the most rewarding aspect of his job is “the opportunity to help people in need, and the chance to fly.” Seithel is working hard to obtain his Naval Aicrew wings and beome a second class petty officer. When he returns from deployment, Seithel plans to camp, hike and rock climb.

Photos by MC3 Michael L. Croft

FUN ZONE!

Down 1 Mirthful sound 2 Ice skater’s leap 3 Excess flesh 4 Tiresome 5 Cast member 6 Hide ___ hair 7 Too much in Toulouse 8 Set aflame 9 Registered one’s departure 10 Practiced pugilism 11 “The Godfather” actress 12 Choose 13 Amount of corn 18 Be abrupt 22 Becomes wearisome 24 Insignificant one 26 Lose traction 27 Allude to 28 Mixture 30 “Ash Wednesday” poet 32 “Burr” author 34 Ardent 35 Printing error 37 Quibble 38 Drying oven 41 Daniel ___ (George Eliot novel) 43 Turncoat 45 Do a cobbling job 46 Formally surrender 47 Brown tone 49 “Roots” author 50 Remove 51 Fit of resentment 53 Actor Andrews 54 Confederate 55 Hebridean isle 58 Morsel

Across

Answers can be found on Big ‘E’ Net at S:\Public\MEDIA\GM\Crossword and Sudoku answers

1 Weapon handle 5 Those opposed 10 Pace 14 Wheels connector 15 Welsh dog 16 Wan 17 Wayward 19 Actor Guinness

20 “___ Alligator” (Matt Dillon movie) 21 Minor annoyance 23 Boat propellers 25 Claw 26 Diving duck 29 Embroidery items 31 What X may represent 32 Jazzman Evans

33 Outmoded 36 “___ a Wonderful Life” 37 Abundant 39 Climbing plant 40 Cedar of the Himalayas 42 ___ grass 43 Excursion 44 Falls back 46 Belief

47 Make an effort 48 “Take ___ Train” 50 Destroy 52 Reebok rival 56 Tournament type 57 Evasive language 59 Discover 60 1966 Michel Caine role 61 Just

62 ___ morgana (mirage) 63 Southpaw 64 “Big Mouth” Martha


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