By Troy Turner
One year ago, it was announced that the world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier, the former USS Enterprise (CVN-65) with a distinguished record of military service dating back to the Cuban Missile Crisis and NASA’s Project Mercury program, would spend its final days in Mobile.
A year later, the storied ship instead finds itself once again at the center of another fight, this time a legal battle to determine what company or companies will be involved in dismantling what remains of a once proud symbol of American naval and aviation power that served around the globe.
The latest: “The U.S Navy anticipates a new contract will be awarded by June 2026,” a Navy spokeswoman told AlaDefense.com this week.
That’s less than two weeks away, meaning a new “final destination” announcement for the ex-Enterprise could come any day.
Awaiting the decision, but moving ahead
“On 30 May 2025, the Navy awarded a $536,749,731 firm-fixed-price contract for the dismantling, recycling and disposal of ex-Enterprise to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services LLC, Vernon, Vermont,” the Navy spokeswoman shared. “The contract was subsequently protested based on decisions that disqualified an offeror. The Court of Federal Claims upheld the protest, ordering the Navy to afford offerors the opportunity to resubmit final proposal revisions (FPRs). The protest has been remanded to the Navy.
“The Navy is re-opening the solicitation via an Amendment that allows all offerors in the competitive range to resubmit FPRs to inform a new source selection decision,” she said. “The Navy anticipates a new contract will be awarded by June 2026. Due to ongoing litigation, the Navy is unable to comment further at this time.”
NorthStar and Modern American Recycling and Radiological Services, LLC (MARRS), a subsidiary of Modern American Recycling Services (MARS) formed a team to dismantle and dispose of the ex-Enterprise in Mobile.
However, another bidder for the project protested the decision after missing an application deadline because of a computer glitch in the system collecting bids on deadline. After a court order to reopen the bids, NorthStar filed the appeal that is expected to be decided any day now.
Nevertheless, the Navy moved ahead with its renewed look at bids for the more than half-billion-dollar contract, putting other contractors such as Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) into play.
Thus, whether the ex-Enterprise ever makes final port in Mobile is still to be determined, but that determination is expected in the imminent future.
For the story reporting the original contract award and history of the former USS Enterprise, click here.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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