The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $536.7 million contract for the full dismantling of the Ex-USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the nation’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The project will take place in Mobile, Alabama, marking a significant industrial milestone for the region.

According to a Department of Defense announcement, the contract was awarded to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services LLC, headquartered in Vernon, Vermont. The firm will be responsible for the complete dismantling, recycling, and disposal of the historic vessel.

Funded through Fiscal Year 2025 Navy operations and maintenance funds, the project is expected to cost over $533 million. The funds will be obligated at the time of award and are set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

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The work, per the agency, will include the safe handling and removal of hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive waste. All such materials will be properly packaged and transported to authorized, licensed disposal sites.

The contract was competitively bid through the Department of Defense’s Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment, with three companies submitting proposals. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., is overseeing the project.

The Ex-USS Enterprise, commissioned in 1961 and decommissioned in 2017, served the U.S. Navy for more than 50 years. Its dismantling in Mobile places the city at the center of a major Navy deconstruction effort with national significance.

The project is expected to be completed by November 2029.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at sherri@yellowhammernews.com.