Underwater Propeller Change,

USS Enterprise, CVN-65

In the Summer of 1983, the Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier ENTERPRISE suffered a mechanical steering failure while navigating the shipping channels within San Francisco Bay. The ship was returning to home port after a 9-month deployment to the Indian Ocean, and its return was a BIG DEAL. There were THOUSANDS of wives and children and news cameras standing on the pier when all of a sudden, in front of everyone, the HUGE ship strayed out of the channel and got stuck in the mud within site of everyone. I have written my own Prologue and Epilogue pages to give you some personal perspective on this event and its results, but the technical core of the story comes word-for-word from a US Navy Publication, which I have transcribed with me own two fingers ;-)

Originally published in the Fall 1983, this edition of the US Navy Publication "FacePlate" records the technical details of one of Marine Engineering's largest-ever undertakings. Prologue and Epilogue are copyright WebMaster Bruce, all other chapters reproduced word-for-word. Original article authored by CMDR Wheeler, Repair Officer, USS Hector AR-7 and Clark Malder NAVSEA, Summer 1983.

Transcribed by WebMasterBruce-