Winnefeld was the commanding officer of the '' USS Enterprise '' during the September 11 attacks . The '' USS Enterprise '' was headed to Cape Town , South Africa , for a port call . The crew was watching television at sea on September 11 and watched the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 airliner strike the south tower of the World Trade Center . Acting without specific direction from the National Command Authority , then-Captain Winnefeld gave the order to put the ship 's rudder over ( 180 ° degree turn ) to take station in the Arabian Sea . The carrier 's aircraft were within range of Afghanistan the next morning . For over three weeks starting on October 7 , aircraft from '' USS Enterprise '' flew nearly 700 missions and dropped large amounts of ordnance over Afghanistan . The Chief of Naval Operations , Admiral Vern Clark praised Winnefeld and credited him for taking initiative as well as for '' USS Enterprise '' 's crew readiness
United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175
James A. Winnefeld Jr.