The Navy has committed $1.3 billion to dismantle and recycle the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN‑65), awarding NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services a $418.5 million contract to tow the hulk from Newport News Shipbuilding to Mobile, Alabama, for final disposal. Enterprise was removed from active service in 2012 and decommissioned in February 2017. The total cost of recycling the 95,000‑ton vessel has risen to $1.3 billion, comprising $902 million for initial activation, $111 million for storage, and $418.5 million for the disposal contract. The work is expected to continue through 2030. The contract requires NorthStar to transport the carrier’s hull to a dismantling site near the S.S. United States, where the remaining nuclear fuel will be removed and the reactors shipped to the Department of Energy’s Hanford facility in Washington for disposal. Defueling the carrier’s eight nuclear reactors proved challenging, as the reactor compartments are larger than those on submarines and must be broken down before removal, according to Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute. Rear Adm. Casey Moten, who oversees the carrier program, said the effort involves multiple Navy and Defense Department stakeholders and offers an opportunity to leverage the industrial base. Capt. William Cleveland, commander of PMS 386, noted that the contract will help establish a blueprint for disposing of future nuclear carriers, including the Nimitz‑class, which is scheduled to leave service in 2027. The timeline for completing Enterprise’s recycling extends into 2030, and the Navy must determine how to apply the lessons learned to the broader nuclear carrier fleet.