This is the epic and heroic story of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and of the courageous men who fought and died on her from Pearl Harbor to the end of the conflict. America's most decorated warship, Enterprise was constantly engaged against the Japanese Empire from December 1941 until May 1945. Her career was eventful, vital, and short. She was commissioned in 1938, and her bombers sank a submarine just three days after the Pearl Harbor attack, claiming the first seagoing Japanese vessel lost in the war. Most of the men who sailed on Enterprise are deceased. Barrett Tillman was able to interview many crew members before they passed away, making this account one of the last books written with their participation. Enterprise focuses on the lower ranksthe men who did the actual fighting. Tillman puts us in the shoes of the teenage sailors and their captains and executive officers who ran the ship day to day.

We witness their numerous triumphs and many tragedies along the way. Tillman also takes us into the wardrooms and headquarters where larger-than-life flag officers, such as Chester Nimitz and William Halsey, set the broad strategy for each campaign. But the main character in the book is the ship itself. "The Big E" was at once a warship and a human institution, vitally unique to her time and place. Without it, America could not have gone on the offensive in 1942. Now for the first time, we have the full story of this ship's unique contribution to winning the Pacific war.