Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
Underway on Nuclear Power
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="NSP, post: 4070260, member: 74849"]<b><font size="5">USS Enterprise Medal</font></b></p><p><br /></p><p>Another new addition to my “Nuclear Navy” collection: the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) christening medal. This medal was distributed to attendees of the Enterprise’s christening ceremony on September 24, 1960. This 38 mm bronze medal was struck by the Medallic Art Company for Newport News Shipbuilding, the builder of the Enterprise. Supposedly 15,000 were struck, 11,000 were distributed on christening day, and the remaining 4,000 were purchased by a local souvenir dealer. Unlike my previous two “Nuclear Navy” medals, this medal is considered a “so-called dollar” and is listed as HK-578. There are 64 mm diameter variants of this medal (with a different reverse) made out of silver and bronze. Perhaps I will pick those up someday. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1063745[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1063746[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>When the Enterprise was christened in 1960, she was the largest ship in the world. The Enterprise was 1,088 feet long, 132.8 feet wide at the waterline (257.2 feet at the widest point on the deck), and displaced roughly 94,000 tons of water when fully loaded. The ship was powered by eight A2W Westinghouse-designed nuclear reactors. Two A2W reactors powered each of the four screws. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1063747[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The Enterprise’s reactors propelled her over one million nautical miles over her service life (more than enough to go to the moon and back, twice) before the ship was deactivated in 2012. Since then, the Enterprise’s decommissioning has challenged the Navy, since she is the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier to ever be decommissioned. The last reactor was defueled in 2016, and now the ex-Enterprise is currently in a state of limbo until she is finally broken up in the future when more sophisticated aircraft carrier disposal plans are in place. </p><p><br /></p><p>This particular medal came with all of the christening day memorabilia, including the medal and its holder/envelope, the christening ceremony’s program, a booklet prepared by Westinghouse titled “Our Atomic Navy,” a postcard with an artist’s rendition of the Enterprise, and the original outer envelope that held everything. The medal shipped out of the Newport News, VA area, so I suspect that this is the first time that the medal has been outside of Virginia. On a personal level, it’s also cool to own this medal because a couple of my friends from college work at this shipyard!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1063748[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>At this point, I believe that I have all of these types of medals from the 1950-1960 time period. There’s a token (or at least I’d call it a token) from that time that I want to get, but I’ve only seen two of them... one in a sold eBay listing and one on the issuer’s website! Maybe another will turn up on eBay.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="NSP, post: 4070260, member: 74849"][B][SIZE=5]USS Enterprise Medal[/SIZE][/B] Another new addition to my “Nuclear Navy” collection: the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) christening medal. This medal was distributed to attendees of the Enterprise’s christening ceremony on September 24, 1960. This 38 mm bronze medal was struck by the Medallic Art Company for Newport News Shipbuilding, the builder of the Enterprise. Supposedly 15,000 were struck, 11,000 were distributed on christening day, and the remaining 4,000 were purchased by a local souvenir dealer. Unlike my previous two “Nuclear Navy” medals, this medal is considered a “so-called dollar” and is listed as HK-578. There are 64 mm diameter variants of this medal (with a different reverse) made out of silver and bronze. Perhaps I will pick those up someday. [ATTACH=full]1063745[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1063746[/ATTACH] When the Enterprise was christened in 1960, she was the largest ship in the world. The Enterprise was 1,088 feet long, 132.8 feet wide at the waterline (257.2 feet at the widest point on the deck), and displaced roughly 94,000 tons of water when fully loaded. The ship was powered by eight A2W Westinghouse-designed nuclear reactors. Two A2W reactors powered each of the four screws. [ATTACH=full]1063747[/ATTACH] The Enterprise’s reactors propelled her over one million nautical miles over her service life (more than enough to go to the moon and back, twice) before the ship was deactivated in 2012. Since then, the Enterprise’s decommissioning has challenged the Navy, since she is the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier to ever be decommissioned. The last reactor was defueled in 2016, and now the ex-Enterprise is currently in a state of limbo until she is finally broken up in the future when more sophisticated aircraft carrier disposal plans are in place. This particular medal came with all of the christening day memorabilia, including the medal and its holder/envelope, the christening ceremony’s program, a booklet prepared by Westinghouse titled “Our Atomic Navy,” a postcard with an artist’s rendition of the Enterprise, and the original outer envelope that held everything. The medal shipped out of the Newport News, VA area, so I suspect that this is the first time that the medal has been outside of Virginia. On a personal level, it’s also cool to own this medal because a couple of my friends from college work at this shipyard! [ATTACH=full]1063748[/ATTACH] At this point, I believe that I have all of these types of medals from the 1950-1960 time period. There’s a token (or at least I’d call it a token) from that time that I want to get, but I’ve only seen two of them... one in a sold eBay listing and one on the issuer’s website! Maybe another will turn up on eBay.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
Underway on Nuclear Power
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...