A Look At Some of Hampton Roads' Most Famous Ships-- Part 4: The "Big E"

**  The United States' most-decorated aircraft carrier, the second of two Yorktown-class carriers completed at Newport News in the late 1930s. the USS Enterprise (CV-6).  It was longer and faster than the USS Ranger and called "The Big E," it earned 20 battle stars during World War II.

**  The Backbone of the Fleet, the first of the new longer, wider and more powerfully armed aircraft carriers, the USS Essex (CV-9) was completed at Newport News in July 1942.  It won 12 battle stars in 68 combat operations in the Pacific.  It and its 20 sister ships became the backbone of the U.S. Navy.

--CooterCraft