Into the Wind, The Enterprise on Yankee Station by Rick Herter

One of the most storied warships to ever sail the oceans was the USS Enterprise, CVN-65. The Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier was launched on November 25, 1961 and served for 51 years until inactivated on December 1, 2012.

The first deployment at the tip of the spear for the gallant warship was in the fall of 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Rounding out her career, Enterprise and her strike aircraft supported combat operations in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan. “Into the Wind, Enterprise on Yankee Station” depicts a typical combat service off the coast of Vietnam. The waters off the coast of Vietnam were nicknamed “Yankee Station” by the carriers and their crews. In this particular scene, fighters and strike aircraft from the Carrier Air Wing launch into the color drenched, tropical sky for an early evening attack on North Vietnamese targets. F-4 Phantoms will provide the protective escort against enemy MiG’s while A-6 Intruders and A-4 Skyhawks will rain steel.