USS Enterprise (CVN-80)

PCU Enterprise (CVN-80) is to be the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier to be built for the United States Navy. She is scheduled to be constructed and in operation by 2025.

Naming

On 1 December 2012, during the presentation of a pre-recorded speech at the inactivation ceremony for USS Enterprise, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that CVN-80 would be named Enterprise. She will be the ninth ship and the third aircraft carrier in the history of the United States Navy to bear the name. CVN-80 will also be the first U.S. aircraft carrier since America was commissioned in 1966 not to be named in honor of a person.

Construction

CVN-80 will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. Enterprise is scheduled to begin active construction around 2018 and be delivered by 2025. However, in an effort to save costs, the Congressional Research Service indicates that the Navy Department is reviewing the possibility of extending the length of time used to build both John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) and Enterprise by two years. If approved, the ship would not enter service until 2027 and prevent any instance of 12 carriers being in service at any one time. The ship is currently scheduled to replace USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69).