Welcome Aboard!
Helpful
info for new Big 'E' Sailors
Need a sponsor?
If you are a new shipmate with orders to Enterprise and have not been assigned a sponsor, send an e-mail to sponsor@cvn65.navy.mil with your name, rate and report date.
USS Enterprise Mailing Address
Sailor's Rate, First Name, Last Name
Department, Division, Box Number
USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
FPO-AE 09543-2810
Click here for mailing tips!
Frequently Asked Questions
Location
USS ENTERPRISE is home-ported at Pier 12* in Naval Station Norfolk, located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Hampton Roads is a vast area consisting of several cities, including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, and Suffolk. Hampton Roads is located approximately 90 minutes from Richmond, Virginia and three hours from Washington, D.C. Interstate 64 (which transits the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel) is the primary thoroughfare to and through Hampton Roads. Several other highways also intersect the area. Naval Station Norfolk is located at the end of Interstate 564. Virginia Beach, a popular tourist destination, is located at the eastern end of Route 44/Interstate 264. Downtown Norfolk, also home to several local attractions including the Waterside District, Nauticus Museum and Harbor Park, is located off Interstate 264.
The climate of Hampton Roads is generally mild year-round, though temperatures can certainly reach extremes (0-100 degrees) during the winter and summer months. The region is ethnically and economically diverse, offering a wide variety of recreational, educational, and professional opportunities. Looking to earn a degree? Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, and Hampton University are just a few of the schools located here.
Monthly property rentals in the area range from $300 for one-bedroom efficiencies to $2,000 for single detached homes. The average two-bedroom apartment goes for $650-850. Commute times to Naval Station Norfolk vary greatly from different cities and depend heavily on traffic flow over local highways and through tunnels and bridges in the area. Plan on spending 15-45 minutes in your car for the drive to and from work, possibly a little more if there is an accident or road construction.
*While ENTERPRISE is underway, all personnel on PCS orders must check in with Naval Station Norfolk's Transient Personnel Unit (TPU).
Housing
BAH is not authorized for E-3 and junior Sailors and E-4 Sailors with less than 4 years of service.
Navy Housing
Navy housing for married personnel in the Hampton Roads area consists of several thousand enlisted units and several hundred officer units. Requests for application should be made in person or by writing the Housing Referral Office nearest your new duty station.
Housing Welcome Centers
Your orders require you to check into one of the Hampton Roads Housing Offices before you negotiate for off-base housing. They can help you locate civilian vacancies. The following are local Housing Office telephone numbers and addresses:
Norfolk Navy Housing Welcome Center
1126 N Military Hwy
Norfolk, VA 23502
757-445-2832
Navy Housing Welcome Center/
Navy Public Works Center
7924 14th Street
Norfolk, VA 23505-1217
757-445-2832 or 800-628-7510
Housing Welcome Center
Navy Medical Center, Portsmouth
845 Sterling Cook Street
Portsmouth, VA 23708-5100
757-953-5404, DSN 565-2832, or 800-628-7510
Portsmouth Housing Office
Norfolk Housing Shipyard
129 1/2 Morning Side Drive
Portsmouth, VA 23702
757-399-0611, DSN 961-7620
Housing Welcome Center
Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek
2100 Independence Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757-462-7448, DSN 253-7448
Housing Welcome Center
Naval Air Station, Oceana
1201 Paul Jones Circle
Virginia Beach, VA 23460-5120
757-433-2195, DSN 462-7448
Relocation Assistance
Military One Source is a new, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year information and referral program the military community can use to gain information on almost any topic, from child care to schools to relocation and much more. To use this system online, visit militaryonesource.mil (to log in on the Navy's Military One Source page, use the User ID NAVY and Password SAILOR). Military One Source can also be accessed by phone. In the U.S., call 1-800-540-4123. Outside of the continental U.S., call 1-800-540-1233 and international collect using 484-530-5914.
If you are an experienced mover, check out SMARTWebMove (SWM), an interactive Web site. Currently, personally procured transportation (old DITY) are not SWM-eligible. Otherwise, personnel can schedule an appointment to attend a group session at the personal property office. If you need further directions to the personal property building, call toll-free 1-877-619-8596.
The Fleet & Family Support Centers (FFSC) of Hampton Roads offer a 50-minute sponsorship training course designed to teach command personnel to serve as sponsors.
The FFSC also offers a Relocation Assistance Program (RAP) which provides the following services for military personnel and their families:
- Welcome to Hampton Program: Acquaints families with the Navy lifestyle, benefits, and other available services. Topics include: Spouse employment, medical care, housing referral, financial planning, legal assistance, base police, Navy & Marine Corps Relief Society and the Ombudsman Program.
- Hospitality items: Card tables, high chairs, kitchenware and utensils, playpens, weekender beds, linens and other items are available for temporary use until your household shipment arrives. Child safety seats are available at no cost.
The FFSC and MWR are offering a free 90-minute, narrated bus tour of Naval Station Norfolk for all military and their family members. Please call 757-444-2102 for times and dates.
Two services are available to assist with spouse employment. The first, Nexstep, is a Department of Labor-funded pilot program for qualified relocating military spouses. The program provides employment-training funds to gain new job skills or to obtain certification, etc. To determine if you qualify, call Job Zone Nexstep at 757-461-7537.
All active duty members, dependents of active duty members and retirees may make appointments for ID cards at the NEX ID center. To do so, please visit their Web site and click on the icon for ID card appointments. Members may call 757-444-1150 if they have questions regarding appointments.
Schools & Child Care
To place a child in licensed child care or to enroll your child in school you must:
- Have proof of immunizations against a number of contagious diseases.
Children entering kindergarten through seventh grade must:
- Submit the child's birth certificate.
- Have had a complete physical examination within the past 12 months.
- Be age 5 on or before 30 September of the enrollment year.
If your child is in Special Education or has developmental disabilities, have copies of your child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) and any partial or completed evaluative testing performed by previous schools. The Navy Family Services Centers have Education Specialists who have additional information and phone numbers for area schools and community agencies.
Some Hampton Roads area schools require that children rent or purchase their textbooks. The rental amount varies by school district or grade and must be paid upon enrollment. The rental amount varies by school district or grade and must be paid upon enrollment. The rental fees usually range between approximately $10 and $35 per year, per student.
Addresses and telephone numbers for the Hampton Roads cities' public school systems are as follows:
Chesapeake
312 Cedar Road
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-547-0153
Hampton
144 Research Drive
Hampton, VA 23666
757-896-8100
Newport News
12465 Warwick Blvd.
Newport News, VA 23606
757-591-4500
Norfolk
800 E. City Hall Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-441-2337
Portsmouth
810 Crawford Street
Portsmouth, VA 23704
757-393-8751
Suffolk
524 N. Main Street
Suffolk, VA 23439
757-925-5550
Virginia Beach
P.O. Box 6038
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757-427-4320
Williamsburg / James City
P.O. Box 8783
Williamsburg, VA 23187
757-253-6762
York City County
302 Dare Road
Yorktown, VA 23692
757-898-0300
Vehicle Registration
Due to current security posture, base stickers are required to enter Naval Station Norfolk. Stickers can be attained at the Pass and ID Office located at 9040 Hampton Boulevard in Building CD-9 outside of Naval Station Norfolk. The following documents must be presented to receive a base sticker:
- Valid driver's license
- Current proof of registration
- Proof of insurance
- Military identification card
Pass and ID Hours:
For ID: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
For Vehicle Passes: 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Phone: 757-322-2978 or 757-322-2979
Virginia Driver's License
If you are an active duty member of the Armed Forces and stationed in Virginia, you, your spouse and dependent childrenwho are 16 years of age or older may drive with a valid driver's license issued by your home state or country. Vehicles registered in your name may be driven with valid out-of-state license plates. If you choose to register your vehicle in Virginia, you do not have to obtain a Virginia driver's license. Note: Your spouse and dependent children, if gainfully employed in Virginia, will be required to obtain a Virginia driver's license.
Virginia DMV Hours:
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. M-F
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. SAT
Central Phone: 757-461-1919
Insurance
Applicants must present evidence or appropriate certification of compliance with the Virginia Motor Vehicle Responsibility Act. The insurance must cover the vehicle and the driver.
City Car Decals
Each Hampton Roads-area city requires a city decal for automobiles owned by individuals residing within the city. Active duty personnel whose vehicle is registered (title, registration and plates) in another state are not required to obtain a city decal.
Military non-residents of Virginia wishing to obtain a Virginia title, plates and registration will be required to obtain a city decal. The $15-$25 charge for the decal may be waived if the automobile is registered in the name of the military member alone. In order to obtain the waiver and the decal, the active duty person must submit one of the following: a current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), a copy of the prior year's income tax return, or a letter from his/her command to the city treasurer's office.
Effective Safety Inspection Certificates
Vehicles registered in states having safety inspection laws must display current safety inspection stickers, either from the state of registration or Virginia. Owners with vehicles registered in states not having mandatory safety inspection requirements must present evidence of having been inspected by an authorized Virginia State Inspection Agent. Safety inspections in Virginia are required annually and cost around $10.
