On September 24, 1959 a strange all black aircraft with no markings made an emergency “wheels up” landing at a private landing strip in Japan. It was an embarrassing accident for the US Central Intelligence Agency, as the plane, a Lockheed U-2C, did not officially exist. 66 years later, details of the incident, and of the extraordinary aircraft that has had an extraordinarily long service life, are still secret.
USS Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, and would see an exceptional five decades of active service throughout an astounding number of operations, including being the first nuclear powered ship to engage in combat. However, Enterprise’s deadliest day was not off of Vietnam, but off of Hawaii.