Flight of the Waldo: An A-4C Skyhawk’s Approach to USS Enterprise, Flanked by Naval Legends

The deep blue expanse of the Atlantic is momentarily pierced by a silver dart—a U.S. Navy A-4C Skyhawk of Attack Squadron 66, famously nicknamed the “Waldos.” Its nose points confidently at a horizon dominated by the awe-inspiring USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as she sails in proud company with two of the Navy’s atomic-age surface warships: the guided-missile frigate USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9).

It is a scene that could only have played out in the charged era of the 1960s Cold War, combining state-of-the-art aviation, technological marvels of the nuclear navy, and the steadfast determination of American sailors pitted against the uncertain tides of history. This flight and formation, mundane to those working within it but extraordinary to the world outside, symbolized the adventurous spirit, technical ingenuity, and deterrent muscle of the U.S. Navy at its apex.

The Little Scooter with a Mighty Bite

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was, by any measure, a legendary aircraft. Designed by the visionary Ed Heinemann, the Skyhawk was a marvel of compact engineering. Intended as a lightweight, carrier-capable attack jet, the A-4C incarnation boasted a rugged simplicity paired with enough hardpoints to carry both iron bombs and high-tech ordnance. The Navy’s pilots affectionately called it “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” or simply the “Scooter”—but there was nothing simple about its impact.

Attack Squadron 66 (VA-66), known as the “Waldos,” took the Skyhawk into the thickest dangers, whether flying low-level attack runs over Vietnam or participating in Mediterranean operations. The Waldos were defined by their discipline, courage, and esprit de corps, making them an ideal representative of the potent naval air power projected from floating airfields like the USS Enterprise.

The Giant: USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Ahead, the A-4C pilot beheld not just a destination, but a floating city: USS Enterprise, “Big E.” When commissioned in 1961, Enterprise wasn’t merely another carrier—she was a leap into the future. At 1,123 feet long and powered by eight nuclear reactors, she could steam at high speed for years without refueling, projecting American airpower anywhere across the planet. Her eight distinctive smokestacks—more aptly dubbed “reactor uptakes”—marked her unmistakably against any horizon. She carried more than 4,000 crew and nearly a hundred aircraft, serving as the nerve center for carrier task forces that embodied America’s global commitments.

Nuclear Escort: USS Bainbridge and USS Long Beach

Accompanying the Enterprise were two other icons of the atomic age. USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) was the world’s first nuclear-powered frigate, brimming with advanced sensors and missile systems to defend her charge against air and submarine threats. Her agility, speed, and unlimited range made her a fitting escort for the Enterprise.

USS Long Beach (CGN-9), meanwhile, was the U.S. Navy’s first nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser, her distinctive boxy superstructure and prodigious missile armament making her a formidable companion. Long Beach could track and engage enemy aircraft and missiles at distances undreamed of just a decade before, further cementing the U.S. Navy’s dominance at sea.

Together, this trio formed the core of Task Force One, a demonstration of the future: maneuver groups powered by the atom, free from the logistics leash of oilers, able to roam the world’s oceans in a display of enduring presence and firepower.

The Art and Challenge of Carrier Approach

For the pilot of the Waldos’ A-4C, every carrier approach was a test of skill, nerve, and judgment. The “pickle barrel” landing zone on Enterprise’s angled deck was a scant few hundred feet long, surrounded by a deadly dance of wind, moving steel, and the restless ocean below.

Descending from the blue, the pilot called the Landing Signal Officer (LSO), eyeballing the “meatball”—the carrier’s optical landing sight—and executing precise corrections as the deck rose and fell. Meanwhile, the vast nuclear carrier cast a wake the size of a city park, while her nuclear escorts kept a watchful eye for submarines and missiles—never far from the perils of the Cold War seas.

For the Waldos in their nimble Skyhawks, every “trap” was a combination of split-second airmanship and the professionalism of thousands of sailors working below decks, catapults crew primed for the next launch, arresting gear teams perched for a safe recovery, and command staff orchestrating it all so that air power and sea power became one.

Diplomacy by Presence, Power in Formation

The scene was also a display for friend and foe alike, sentinels of freedom parading across international waters. The Enterprise and her atomic escorts were not just war machines, but ambassadors. Whether sailing into the Med to reassure NATO allies, rounding the Cape of Good Hope during Operation Sea Orbit (a non-stop, round-the-world nuclear-powered task force cruise in 1964), or standing watch in the Gulf of Tonkin, they acted as both sword and shield—delivering disaster relief one day, standing ready for battle the next.

Skyhawks like the Waldos’ A-4C were vital to that presence. Their ability to launch rapidly, deliver precision strikes, and then recover in nearly all conditions gave the U.S. Navy a flexibility unmatched by any rival. Whether practicing high-stress carrier landings or launching real-world missions, the A-4 squadrons helped write the Navy’s Cold War playbook.

The Legacy Lives On

The era of the A-4C Skyhawk, USS Enterprise, Bainbridge, and Long Beach has passed, but the legend lingers. The Enterprise steamed into history as the most honored carrier in the Cold War, her decks graced by generations of aviators and sailors. The Bainbridge and Long Beach paved the way for today’s nuclear-powered surface ships, their silent reactors now a standard of world navies.

And the Waldos? They live on in the memories of those who watched flight decks buzz with activity, in the pride of those who wore their patch, and in the annals of naval aviation.

That moment—a Skyhawk screaming toward the mighty Enterprise, flanked by the atomic might of Bainbridge and Long Beach—captures a time when the United States led a nuclear-powered vanguard, turning seas into boulevards of freedom and resolve, one carrier landing at a time.