US navy retires 'super carrier' USS Enterprise

After half a century on the high seas, the oldest warship in the American fleet, the USS Enterprise, is returning to port for the last time.

From the Cuban missile crisis to the war in Afghanistan, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has played a part in every conflict involving the United States since it was commissioned in 1961.

But the massive vessel was due to glide into the US naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday, with sailors in white uniforms standing on deck, marking the end of its 25th and final deployment after an eight-month tour in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.

"Homecoming will no doubt be a bittersweet day," said Captain William Hamilton, the ship's commanding officer.

"We are pleased to be returning to our families after a very successful deployment, but to know that it is the last time Enterprise will be under way through her own power makes our return very sentimental."

The ship will be formally retired at a ceremony on December 1, but the vessel known as the "Big E" already relinquished its ammunition and ordnance last week at sea, with helicopters ferrying more than 1,500 tonnes of missiles and bombs to nearby cargo ships.

With a length of 342 metres, the Enterprise is the longest naval ship in the world, and weighs nearly 95,000 tonnes. The floating base can accommodate 4,500 sailors and aviators, as well as 72 planes and helicopters.