Enterprise was followed by 10 Nimitz-class carriers, and the Navy now has one Ford-class carrier in service with two more under construction. The Navy has continued building nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, however. After the Cold War, the Navy decided the expense of nuclear-powered cruisers was no longer justified and canceled their mid-life refueling. The US Navy ultimately built seven more nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers, with the last entering service in 1980. Their nuclear reactors meant that each ship could do their mission - whether it was launching aircraft or chasing submarines - for much longer than their predecessors. It was armed with two RIM-2 launchers, two twin-barreled 3-inch guns, one RUR-5 ASROC, and six torpedo tubes.Įnterprise was meant to project US airpower anywhere in the world, while Long Beach and Bainbridge were meant to deal with air, surface, and submarine threats. (Originally considered a frigate, Bainbridge was reclassified as a cruiser in 1975.) Powered by two D2G reactors, Bainbridge was 565 feet long and had a crew of about 500. USS Bainbridge was commissioned in 1962 and was the first nuclear-powered ship of its kind in service. Its air wing was usually about 60 aircraft, but it could carry up to 90. It was just over 1,100 feet long and had a crew of about 4,600 sailors and aviators. With eight Westinghouse A2W reactors, Enterprise was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history. Two months after Long Beach entered service, the Navy commissioned USS Enterprise.
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