Seaman Harry Andrew D. Gordon/U.S. Navy
- On April 28, 1983, USS Enterprise arrived in San Francisco after an eight-month deployment.
- The aircraft carrier came up short, however, running aground a few thousand feet from its berth.
- Some 3,000 family members watched as Enterprise's 4,500 sailors tried to dislodge it.
Homecoming for a naval vessel is a huge deal. After months at sea, the ship's crew don their sharpest uniforms and stand on deck to catch a glimpse of their loved ones before they dock and are finally reunited.
Homecomings were an even bigger deal in the days before email, phones, and video calls were more common aboard ships. Imagine, then, the frustration felt by sailors and family members alike when a ship ran aground right before it docked. That was the situation for the crew and family of the USS Enterprise in 1983.