The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) under tow to Newport News, Virginia, for dismantling in June 2013. More than 14 years after its inactivation, the Enterprise has still not been scrapped, and the process has already cost the US Navy more than $1 billion. (US Navy/Mass Communication Spc. Seaman Scott Barnes)

Fourteen Years After Inactivation, the USS Enterprise Is Still Costing Taxpayers

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The total cost of deactivating and scrapping the USS Enterprise is estimated at $1.3 billion, roughly a quarter of the ship’s original construction cost.

The USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the United States Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was inactivated 14 years ago and has now been decommissioned since 2017. Yet even though the carrier is permanently out of the service and awaiting the scrap heap, it continues to cost American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon awarded Vernon, Vermont-based NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services a $418.5 million contract to completely dismantle, recycle, and dispose of the retired flattop.

“Hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive waste, will be packaged and safely transported for disposal at authorized licensed sites. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by September 2030,” the contract announcement explained.

About the USS Enterprise

Year Commissioned: 1961

Year Decommissioned: 2017 (inactive since 2012)

Length: 1,123 ft (348 m)

Beam (Width): 257.2 ft (78.4 m), widest point

Displacement: ~93,000........

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