(Tribune News Service) — A Vermont company has been awarded more than a half-billion dollars to dismantle a historic aircraft carrier in Mobile, Ala.

According to a Pentagon procurement notice posted Friday, NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services LLC of Vernon, Vt., has been awarded a $536,749,731 firm-fixed-price contract for “the dismantling, recycling, and disposal” of the former USS Enterprise, CVN-65.

The Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier when it was commissioned in 1961. It was the only vessel of its class to be built, and 1,123 feet, was the longest ship to ever serve in the U.S. Navy.

“The Big E” completed 25 deployments during 51 years of service, according to Naval History and Heritage Command. The carrier was deactivated in 2012 and decommissioned in 2017.

The Navy’s effort to dispose of the decommissioned nuclear-powered carrier has been more than a decade in the making, AL.com has reported. The Navy has said it would see significant cost savings by outsourcing the dismantling to a private company rather than undertaking it at a Navy facility.

The notice states NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services will be responsible for any hazardous materials encountered during the dismantling, “including low-level radioactive waste, [which] will be packaged and safely transported for disposal at authorized licensed sites.”

Work is expected to be completed by November 2029.

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