September 24, 1960: USS Enterprise, World's First Nuclear Aircraft Carrier is Launched - History...

On September 24, 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear power aircraft carrier, was launched. An excerpt from the article:

"On September 24, 1960, the naval world entered a new phase in history when the nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise CVN- 65 was first launched. The first aircraft carrier with nuclear power, the Big E sported 8 nuclear reactors heating steam in 4 turbine engines, putting out an astounding 280,000 horsepower.

Digging Deeper
The Enterprise had speed as all carriers must to facilitate aircraft launching and quickly getting to where they are needed, but the most remarkable feature of those mighty atomic engines was the fact that the ship could travel non-stop for 20 to 25 years without refueling."