Enterprise (CVN-65)
Fuel enrichment
~93% U-235
HEU
Enterprise (CVN-65) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operated by United States Navy, powered by 8 Westinghouse A2W. Retired.
The first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1961 with eight separate reactors, twice as many as any carrier built since. It served for over fifty years and was defuelled in 2016. Every carrier that followed it uses two reactors, which is the number the Navy concluded was actually needed.
Propulsion
| Reactor | Westinghouse A2W |
|---|---|
| Reactors per vessel | 8 |
| Thermal output | not disclosed |
| Fuel enrichment | ~93% U-235HEU |
| Refuelling | not disclosed |
Vessel
| Category | aircraft carrier |
|---|---|
| Role | aircraft carrier |
| Operator | United States Navy |
| Country | United States |
| Vessels in class | not stated |
| In service from | 1961 |
| Status | Retired |
Other aircraft carriers
| Class | Enrichment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle | LEU | Operating |
| Gerald R. Ford class | HEU | Operating |
| Nimitz class | HEU | Operating |
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear-Powered Ships · retrieved 2026-09-07
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data