USS Enterprise (CVAN/CVN-65) Association

2016 Historian's Annual Report

This report covers activities of the Historian from the period of the 2015 reunion in Windsor Locks, Ct. through 11 September, 2016. 2016 marks my 19th year as the Association Historian.

With the ship in the yard and slowly being shutdown, there isn't much shipboard news. The ship was scheduled to remain in commission until sometime in mid-2016 when the nuclear defueling and shutdown are completed, but due to circumstances, it now seems likely that date may be pushed back to sometime in 2017. As of this writing, the Capt. Todd Beltz is still expected to be the last CO of Enterprise.

The only donation received over the past year was 28 challenge coins from the inventory of the ship’s store that have not sold. I asked that the historian be permitted to hold a few, in case there was a decision to dispose of the inventory.

 For the last several years your historian has been an administrator of our Facebook page (Veterans of USS Enterprise). Every few weeks I have posted history related items I believe will be of interest to the viewers and keep the ship and the Association in people's minds. In addition to generating interest in the ship, the site encourages readers to comment on the postings. This year we have advertised the upcoming reunion, Navy interest items and the status of the Enterprise’s progress as the ship moves ever closer to decommissioning and scrapping.

I will submit one voucher following the reunion for historian expenses and fuel cost along with several small expense items. As in past years, I will be hauling about 700 to 800 pounds of memorabilia and reunion support items.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Slupe, Association Historian

USS Enterprise (CVAN/CVN-65) Association

2015 Historian's Annual Report

Submitted: 10 September, 2015

This report covers activities of the Historian from the period of the 2014 reunion in Waterloo, Iowa through 01 September, 2015. 2015 marks my 18th year as the Association Historian.

In April Jim Voorhies, Bill Slupe and Linda Slupe were in San Diego, California, aboard the museum ship USS Midway, as representatives of the Enterprise Association for the 40 year commeration of Operation Frequent Wind; the fall and evacuation of Saigon in 1975. Along with representing the USS Enterprise and the part it played in the operation, it afforded us an opportunity to promote our association.

With the ship in the yard and slowly being shutdown, there isn't much shipboard news. For the last few years it was understood that Captain William Hamilton would be the last skipper, but we learned in July, Capt. Hamilton will retire on 16th October of this year. The ship scheduled to remain in commission until sometime in mid-2016 when the nuclear defueling and shutdown are completed. As of this writing, the Executive Officer, Capt. Todd Beltz is scheduled to relieve Capt. Hamilton on that date, on board the ship.

We have also learned this past June, the first CO of Enterprise, Vince dePoix had passed away in February at the age of 98.

For the last several years your historian has been an administrator of our Facebook page (Veterans of USS Enterprise). Every few weeks I have posted history related items I believe will be of interest to the viewers and keep the ship and the Association in people's minds. The postings also generate and encourage readers to comment on the postings. This year we have advertized events like the Operation Frequent Wind commeration, the upcoming reunion and products like Dr. McKay's book about the ship. The Facebook postings for this years' Windsor Locks reunion have netted over 4400 hits.

One of the items removed from the ship and turned over to the historian in 2013 was a 45 page hand printed booklet. We have long believed it came from the Han Lo prison (the Hanoi Hilton) from one of the Enterprise flyers that was shot down during the war. In August its' authenticity was verified by a former POW, Major Joe Crerra, USAF Ret. The Major was shot down in 1966 and spent the next 6 1/2 years as a POW and witnessed most every aspect of life as a captive and the changes over those years until being released in 1973. A question remains as to who this booklet once belonged.

Over the last year my wife Linda and I penned an article for the newsletter about the Waterloo reunion. In August I posted notes in our newsletter about an interview I conducted with Vince dePoix back in 2012. The article focused on some of the highlights of his life and career that were outside of the official biographies.

I have submitted one voucher earlier this year for historian expenses for $256.89. There are currently no outstanding historian expenses to be submitted before this year's reunion. After this years' reunion I will submit a request for reimbursement for the to/from fuel expense. I will be hauling about 700 pounds of memorabilia and reunion support items. The trip from Boise, Id. to Windsor Locks, Ct. is about 5200 miles round trip, so I estimate fuel costs will be about $650.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Slupe, Association Historian