No One Has Ever Scrapped a Nuclear Aircraft Carrier. Until Now.

The former USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, left Newport News under tow on November 2, 2026, bound for a scrapyard on the Mobile River in Alabama. She carries eight defueled reactor plants — more than any carrier before or since — and no nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has ever been dismantled. Here is why it took 14 years to start, why the reactor compartments can't simply be lifted out like a submarine's, what the job really costs, and why the Navy is treating Enterprise as the blueprint for ten Nimitz-class carriers. Note: the inbound tow into Mobile was scheduled for about 6 a.m. CST on Friday, November 13, 2026, weather permitting (Alabama Port Authority). Dollar comparisons use the BLS Consumer Price Index. CHAPTERS 0:00 The plan in Mobile 0:49 The final tow 3:49 Why eight reactors 5:04 Building the Big E 6:45 Half a century at sea 7:48 The hard part begins 8:38 How the Navy scraps nuclear subs 10:09 What the GAO found 11:52 A plan nobody had tried 14:07 The contract fight 15:18 The real bill 16:02 Why other carriers cost a penny 17:51 How the cutting will work 19:07 Ten more carriers 20:14 Her 65th birthday SOURCES GAO-18-523, Aircraft Carrier Dismantlement and Disposal (Aug. 2018): https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-523 Navy Notice of Intent, Disposal of Ex-Enterprise (CVN 65), Federal Register, May 31, 2019: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-05-31/html/2019-11221.htm Navy Record of Decision, Sept. 5, 2023 (DOE/EIS-0524): https://www.energy.gov/node/4832795 Final EIS/OEIS, June 30, 2023 (DOE/EIS-0524): https://www.energy.gov/node/4830602 U.S. Coast Guard final rule, Safety Zone; Sector Mobile COTP Zone (Nov. 12, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/12/2026-23027/safety-zone-sector-mobile-captain-of-the-port-zone-mobile-al U.S. Coast Guard proposed rule (Oct. 1, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/01/2026-20124/safety-zone-sector-mobile-captain-of-the-port-zone-mobile-al Alabama Port Authority, channel closure notice: https://alports.com/ Department of War contracts, July 15, 2026: https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4546541/contracts-for-july-15-2026/ USNI News, "Final Bill for Inactivating, Scrapping Carrier Enterprise Now at $1.3B" (July 28, 2026): https://news.usni.org/2026/07/28/final-bill-for-inactivating-scrapping-carrier-enterprise-now-at-1-3b USNI News, "Enterprise Hulk Towed from Newport News Shipbuilding" (Nov. 2, 2026): https://news.usni.org/2026/11/02/enterprise-hulk-towed-from-newport-news-shipbuilding Baird Maritime, departure and contract history (Nov. 2026): https://www.bairdmaritime.com/security/naval/naval-ships/uss-enterprise-towed-for-dismantling gCaptain (Nov. 3, 2026): https://gcaptain.com/former-uss-enterprise-begins-final-voyage-to-alabama-for-dismantling/ Maritime Executive on the 2022 draft EIS: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/navy-seeks-solution-for-decommissioned-nuclear-carrier-uss-enterprise U.S. Navy news releases on the 2012 final deployment and inactivation (NNS120918, NNS121030-15, NNS121201-03) Naval History and Heritage Command, Enterprise (CVN-65): https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/aircraft-carriers/enterprise.html NAVSEA sale of ex-Kitty Hawk and ex-John F. Kennedy (Oct. 2021), as reported by USA Today / Business Insider HII keel laying of Enterprise (CVN 80), Aug. 27, 2022: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/08/hii-lays-keel-of-future-uss-enterprise-cvn-80-aircraft-carrier/ BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U): https://www.bls.gov/cpi/ IMAGERY Video: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) — U.S. Navy, Department of Energy and Department of Defense footage. IDs: 104526, 141444, 144201, 144266, 144289, 144402, 149904, 153618, 192172, 192359, 285483, 508338, 508635, 589776, 746282, 759783, 775553, 828554, 977125, 999799, 1002154; thumbnail: 192359. Photos: DVIDS 1011935, 1011936, 1011937, 1011938 (Norfolk, June 2013), 4582818, 4582820, 4582823, 4582826 (Newport News, July 2018), 6968484, 6968485, 6968487, 6968500 (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 2021); Naval History and Heritage Command NH 98108, KN-9027, USN 1106081. Document: U.S. Department of Defense contract announcement, May 30, 2025. Documents: GAO-18-523 (figures from Navy documentation and GAO analysis), Federal Register. 3D model: "USS Enterprise CVN-65 Aircraft Carrier" by Muhamad Mirza Arrafi (@MirzaArrafiERV_45), CC BY 4.0, via Sketchfab. The red "propulsion space section" follows GAO-18-523 fig. 5; the 3D views are illustrations, not to scale. The Navy has not published a step-by-step cutting plan. Appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. This channel is independent and not affiliated with the U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense. #USSEnterprise #USNavy #AircraftCarrier