Q&A · 4:08:56-4:09:26

Why Britain would avoid Enterprise for a nuclear cruiser

Enterprise suited Royal Navy naming practice, but the contemporary American nuclear carrier made it an unlikely choice for a British nuclear cruiser.

Question

Would Enterprise make sense as the name of a 1960s Royal Navy nuclear guided-missile cruiser?

Short answer

The name fit Royal Navy tradition, but Britain would probably avoid sharing it with the contemporary American nuclear carrier.

Notes

The Royal Navy often reused E- and D-class names, so Enterprise would fit its naming traditions. A 1960s nuclear guided-missile cruiser would still share the public identity of the new American nuclear carrier Enterprise. Britain was therefore unlikely to use the name for its own nuclear surface ship and would probably turn to another established choice.