80 years ago today, USS Enterprise, “the fightingest ship in the navy”, sails up the Hudson River prior to Navy Day celebrations in New York. 17 October 1945. [1024 × 744]
80 years ago today, USS Enterprise, “the fightingest ship in the navy”, sails up the Hudson River prior to Navy Day celebrations in New York. 17 October 1945. [1024 × 744]
It hadn’t even been 10 years since she first touched water, yet in 4 years of war Enterprise had turned from a young rookie humbled by her seniors into a war hero, with a list of battles and achievements unrivalled by any other warship in US service. She and her air groups had destroyed 911 planes and sank or helped sink 71 ships. Her 20 battle stars, Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation spoke for themselves.
With the war in the Pacific over, Enterprise had one last service to perform. She moored in Pearl Harbor for the last time, taking on 1,141 officers and men on her first Magic Carpet trip to New York. She passed through the Panama Canal on 12 October, tasting Atlantic waters for the first time in years. She made New York on the 17th. Acting as flagship one last time, escorted by 5 destroyers and flanked by the light carriers Monterey ahead and Bataan astern, the little armada sent up 101 aircraft roaring over Manhattan. She sailed up the Hudson and was anchored off Eighty-fifth Street.
For the next 10 days til Navy Day, more than a quarter million people supposedly crowed aboard to see “the fightingest ship in the Navy”. When Navy day finally came, Enterprise had pride of place in the celebrations ashore. Her band would head the parade down the Avenue of the Americas. Whatever the future would bring, for now, it was good to be home.
Photo from [Navsource](https://www.navsource.net/archives/02/06a.htm), though originally an AP photo. Sources include Barrett Tilman’s book on Enterprise and NHHC’s DANFS entry on CV-6.
2 Comments
It is too bad the Big E got scrapped.
It hadn’t even been 10 years since she first touched water, yet in 4 years of war Enterprise had turned from a young rookie humbled by her seniors into a war hero, with a list of battles and achievements unrivalled by any other warship in US service. She and her air groups had destroyed 911 planes and sank or helped sink 71 ships. Her 20 battle stars, Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation spoke for themselves.
With the war in the Pacific over, Enterprise had one last service to perform. She moored in Pearl Harbor for the last time, taking on 1,141 officers and men on her first Magic Carpet trip to New York. She passed through the Panama Canal on 12 October, tasting Atlantic waters for the first time in years. She made New York on the 17th. Acting as flagship one last time, escorted by 5 destroyers and flanked by the light carriers Monterey ahead and Bataan astern, the little armada sent up 101 aircraft roaring over Manhattan. She sailed up the Hudson and was anchored off Eighty-fifth Street.
For the next 10 days til Navy Day, more than a quarter million people supposedly crowed aboard to see “the fightingest ship in the Navy”. When Navy day finally came, Enterprise had pride of place in the celebrations ashore. Her band would head the parade down the Avenue of the Americas. Whatever the future would bring, for now, it was good to be home.
Photo from [Navsource](https://www.navsource.net/archives/02/06a.htm), though originally an AP photo. Sources include Barrett Tilman’s book on Enterprise and NHHC’s DANFS entry on CV-6.