War at Sea

War at Sea is a new series of one-off specials where each issue delves deep into a particular subject; from aircraft carriers, warships, submarines, navies and naval battles. Every edition you can be assured of 100 pages of interesting and informative reading, accompanied by outstanding photography.

War at Sea

USS ENTERPRISE

USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) • In 2028, the latest warship to bear the illustrious name of USS Enterprise should enter service with the US Navy. It will be the seventh warship to have been christened with the name, but all of the last three have been ground-breaking and record making warships in their own right. Since the first of the aircraft carriers entered service, all US Navy ships with the name Enterprise also carry with them the nickname of ‘The Mighty E or Big E.’ Today we celebrate a legacy that encompasses all but two of the major campaigns of the Pacific War of the Second World War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, the Gulf War and numerous other incidents and campaigns throughout almost 90 years of War at Sea.

GOING NUCLEAR • The construction of any aircraft carrier is a heady mix of military requirements and political will. The building of a revolutionary, one of a kind warship that would for the first time, harness the power of nuclear fission as a propulsion choice was a bold move indeed. It was a gamble, and it is an expensive choice, but we must remember the era in which the decision to build the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier was made, the height of the Cold War, where every advantage over the perceived enemy was to be explored and exploited if at all possible.

USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-80) • The Olympic Gold medallists Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky on 24 August 2017 were signing their names, not in some avid sport collectors signature book, they were signing the first steel components in a new warship for the United States Navy. Together with Jennifer Boykin, President of Newport News Shipbuilding, the three ladies became the ship’s sponsors by signing a 25-ton piece of steel plate that launched the construction phase for the next USS Enterprise and the ninth ship to bear the name in the history of the US Fleet.

CARRIER COMBAT AIRCRAFT