The storied nuclear aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), probably the most beloved warship in the U.S. Navy, was decommissioned on Jan. 3 ending 51 years of honorable service to the United States.

The only ship in her class, the legendary Enterprise or the "Big E," was the stuff of action movies, books, videos and, of course, the namesake of that famous starship that keeps on going to where no man has gone before, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

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The Big E was also the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier when she was commissioned into the Navy on Nov. 25, 1961.  She remains the longest serving U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

During the decommissioning ceremony at a Newport News shipyard in Virginia, the Enterprise was described as a "legendary" warship that helped shape history. In her 51 years of service, she played a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She was taken out of service on Dec. 1, 2012.  When this occurred, the Enterprise was third-oldest commissioned vessel in the Navy after the wooden-hulled USS Constitution and the USS Pueblo (AGER-2), a Banner-class environmental research ship attached to Navy intelligence as a spy ship.

The Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korean forces on Jan. 23, 1968 in what is known today as the "Pueblo Crisis."

The Navy has spent the last few years defueling the Enterprise's nuclear reactors. The ship will eventually be broken-up and its metal recycled.

The decommissioning of CVN-65 isn't the end of the line for the Enterprise, however.

A new and more powerful aircraft carrier with her name is expected to join the Navy in 2027.

The new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) will be the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier after the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

CVN-80 will replace the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), lead ship of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, of which the Navy has 11 in operation.

TagsUSS Enterprise (CVN-65), U.S. Navy, decommissioned, Big E, USS Constitution, USS Pueblo (AGER-2), Pueblo Crisis, USS Enterprise (CVN-80)