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Overview
News
Release
National
Parks that Preserve or Commemorate Maritime History or Related Events
Additional National Park Sites that Preserve
or Commemorate Maritime History or Related Events
National Park Service Maritime Related Projects,
Programs, Publications and Web Sites
United States Navy Ships Named After National Parks or Associated with
National Park Sites
United States Navy Museums
Printable PDF Version
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United
States Navy Ships
Named After National Parks
or Associated with National Park Sites
(Click on the
thumbnail images to view a larger photo)
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USS Mesa Verde –
LPD19: The future USS MESA VERDE, currently under
construction at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ shipyard in
Pascagoula, MS, will be the third amphibious transport dock of the
San Antonio Class. The ship will transport and land Marines, their
equipment and supplies, by embarked air cushion or conventional
landing craft or Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles, augmented by helicopters
or vertical take off and landing aircraft. USS MESA VERDE will support
amphibious, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions
through the first half of the 21st Century. Then Secretary of the
Navy Richard Danzig announced the decision to name the third amphibious
transport dock ship of the San Antonio Class, "MESA VERDE"
(LPD 19). The ship is named in recognition of the Mesa Verde National
Park in Southwestern Colorado. This will be the first U. S. Navy
ship named MESA VERDE. |
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USS San Francisco (Cruiser # 5,
C-5, later CM-2), 1890-1939. Later renamed Yosemite. USS
San Francisco, a 4088-ton protected cruiser, was built
at San Francisco, California, and commissioned in November 1890.
She served in the Pacific until 1893, then steamed to the Atlantic.
Operations followed in the North and South Atlantic, and in European
waters. During the Spanish-American War, in 1898, San Francisco
was stationed off Cuba. The cruiser had two additional tours of
European duty in 1902-04, plus spending some time in the Caribbean
area. In 1908-1911, she was converted into a mine planter, one of
the Navy's first specialized mine vessels. San Francisco
assisted in laying the North Sea Mine Barrage during World War I.
She was designated CM-2 in 1920, and decommissioned in December
1921. In reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard for many years thereafter,
the ship was renamed Yosemite in 1931 and was sold for scrapping
in April 1939. |
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USS Yosemite – :
USS Yosemite (1898-1900) USS Yosemite, a 6179-ton auxiliary
cruiser, was built at Newport News, Virginia, in 1892 for commercial
employment. Acquired by the Navy in April 1898, she operated in
the West Indies area during the Spanish-American War. After that
conflict, she served briefly in the Atlantic and then was sent to
Guam for use as station ship and, occasionally, as a transport.
On 13 November 1900 she was badly damaged by a typhoon. After her
crew was rescued, Yosemite was scuttled offshore. |
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USS Yosemite - AD19:
Laid down, 19 January 1942, at Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Tampa,
FL. Launched, 16 May 1943 and Commissioned USS Yosemite
(AD-19), on 26 March 1944. Decommissioned, 27 January 1994, at US
Naval Station Mayport, FL., and simultaneously struck from the Naval
Register. Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James,
River, Fort Eustis, VA. Final Disposition, sunk as a target, 18
November 2003 at location 35-54N7 070-04W1, at a depth of 2340 fathoms. |
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USS Acadia – AD42:
Named after the National Park in the state of Maine, a scenic, rugged
coastal area on Mount Desert Island and the most prominent elevation
on the eastern seaboard, the USS ACADIA was the second
YELLOWSTONE - class destroyer tender. ACADIA was
laid down on 14 February 1978 at San Diego, Calif., by the National
Steel and Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 28 July 1979; sponsored
by Mrs. Clarence R. Bryan, the wife of Vice-Admiral Clarence R.
Bryan, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command; and commissioned on
6 June 1981, Capt. Brenton P. Hardy in command. Decommissioned on
December 16, 1994, but not stricken from the Navy list yet, the
ACADIA is currently held in reserve at the Naval Inactive
Ship Maintenance Facility in Pearl Harbor, HI. |
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USS Grand Canyon – AD/AR28:
Laid down, 16 November 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C3)
hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 206) at Todd-Pacific
Shipyards Inc., Tacoma, WA. Launched, 27 April 1945. Delivered
to the Navy, 8 May 1945. Commissioned USS Grand Canyon
(AD-28), 6 April 1946. Reclassified Repair Ship (AR-28) (date
unknown). Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 1
September 1978. Transferred to the Maritime Administration for
disposal. Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in June 1980 to
Union Minerals and Alloy Corp., New York, N.Y.
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USS Yellowstone – AD41:
Laid down, 16 October 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract
at Todd-Pacific Shipyards Inc., Tacoma, WA. Launched, 12 April 1945.
Commissioned USS Yellowstone (AD-27), 11 January 1946.
Decommissioned, 11 September 1974. Struck from the Naval Register,
12 September 1974. Transferred to the Maritime Administration for
disposal. Final Disposition, sold by the Defense Reutilization and
Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping in September 1975. |
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USS Cape Cod – AD43:
USS CAPE COD was the third YELLOWSTONE - class destroyer
tender. Decommissioned on September 29, 1995, and stricken from
the Navy list on April 7, 1999, the CAPE COD is now berthed
at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, VA, awaiting final
disposal. |
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USS Fort McHenry – LSD43:
Named for the national monument in Baltimore, Maryland, USS FORT
MCHENRY (LSD 43) is the third Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing
Ship. FORT MCHENRY's keel was laid on 10 June 1983, and
the ship was launched on 1 February 1986. The Honorable Helen D.
Bently was the sponsor for FORT MCHENRY's commissioning
ceremony which took place in Seattle, Washington on 9 August 1987.
FORT MCHENRY's maiden deployment was from June 1988 to
December 1988 to the Western Pacific. Following her return, FORT
MCHENRY participated in the cleanup of the EXXON VALDEZ
oil spill by deploying to Prince William Sound from 28 April to
22 June 1989. In recognition of the crew's effectiveness during
the cleanup operation, FORT MCHENRY was awarded the Meritorious
Unit Commendation and the Coast Guard's Special Operations Service
Ribbon. |
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USS Rushmore – LSD47:
USS RUSHMORE is named after the Mount Rushmore National
Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota. RUSHMORE was built
by Avondale Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mrs. Meredith
Brokaw, wife of NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw, christened the ship
RUSHMORE May 6, 1989. Commissioning ceremonies were held
on June 1, 1991 on the banks of the Mississippi River at the River
Walk, New Orleans. The ship’s first assignment was to deliver
three Air Cushioned Landing Craft (LCAC) to Camp Pendleton, California
from Panama City, Florida. Along the way, RUSHMORE conducted
a port visit in Jamaica, traversed the Panama Canal, and visited
Rodman, Panama. Camp Pendleton was the last stop before arriving
at her homeport of San Diego. During her first six-month deployment,
USS RUSHMORE spearheaded the beach landing on Somalia during
OPERATION RESTORE HOPE, the largest military humanitarian operation
in history. OPERATION RESTORE HOPE was designed to provide food
and medical relief to the starving people of Somalia. |
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USS Lassen – AE3 (1941-47):
Lassen (AK 3) ex-shooting Btar, was launched by the Tampa Shipbuilding
Co., Tampa, Fla., under a Maritime Commission contract 10 January
1940; sponsored by Mrs. Fred C. Cone; acquired by the Navy 15 November
1940; commissioned 4 days later for transfer to Mobile, Ala. for
conversion, Lt. Comdr. A. B. Kerr in command; and commissioned in
full 27 March 1941, Comdr. R.S. Berkey in command. In the months
prior to the war, this ammunition ship had made deliveries along
both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in July saved to Pearl
Harbor. On 22 November she departed Norfolk for San Francisco, her
homeport. There was little need during the period of hasty demobilization
which followed World War II for this ship which had plied its hazardous
duties so efficiently. Berthed first at Port Discovery, Wash., from
20 November to 2 March 1846, she proceeded down the coast by stages
and arrived in San Diego 27 March. Lassen decommissioned
15 January 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, remaining
a unit of that fleet until struck from the Navy list 1 July 1961.
Lassen received three battle stars for World War II service. |
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USS Shenandoah – AD44:
USS SHENANDOAH was the fourth and final YELLOWSTONE
- class destroyer tender and the fifth ship in the Navy named for
the Shenandoah Valley. AD 44 is also named for the adjoining Shenandoah
National Park. The Valley and the National Park are both located
in the western part of the State of Virginia. The name Shenandoah
is derived from an Indian word meaning "Daughter of the Stars."
Decommissioned on August 15, 1996, and stricken from the Navy list
on April 7, 1999, the SHENANDOAH is now located at the
James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, VA., awaiting final disposal. |
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USS Antietam –CV36:
USS ANTIETAM was one of the ESSEX - class aircraft carriers
and the second ship in the Navy to bear the name. Commissioned as
CV 36, her designation was changed to CVA 36 in October 1952, and
to CVS 36 in August 1953. In December 1952, the ANTIETAM
became the first carrier in the Navy to be equipped with an angled-deck.
Decommissioned on May 8, 1963, and stricken from the Navy list on
May 1, 1973, the ANTIETAM was sold for scrapping in early
1974. The ship was named ANTIETAM to commemorates a site
along Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, at which a major
Civil War battle was fought. |
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USS Antietam – CG54:
In naming this cruiser ANTIETAM, the U. S. Navy commemorates
a site along Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, at which
a major Civil War battle was fought. ANTIETAM is the
third American warship named in remembrance of this battle. ANTIETAM
was commissioned on 6 June 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland. Following
its commissioning, the cruiser steamed through the Panama Canal
to its first homeport in Longbeach, California. ANTIETAM's
first deployment, beginning September 1988, took the ship to the
Arabian Gulf for Kuwaiti tanker escort operations as part of Operation
EARNEST WILL. Following the first full 18-month competitive cycle,
ANTIETAM was awarded the Battle "E", eight
of nine departmental excellence awards, and the LAMPS MK III Safety
Award. The ship's second deployment in June 1990, scheduled for
Pacific operations, was cut short by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
ANTIETAM entered the Arabian Gulf on 6 August, assuming
duties as anti-air warfare commander for Middle East Force during
the turbulent early days of Operation DESERT SHIELD.
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USS Gettysburg – CG64:
USS GETTYSBURG was one of six U.S. Navy ships ordered by
President Clinton on October 15, 1993, to be deployed to enforce
a trade embargo against Haiti as part of Operation "Support
Democracy". The order came the day after the United Nations
Security Council voted to reimpose stiff sanctions against Haiti,
including an embargo on oil products, until order was restored and
the Governors Island process clearly resumed. GETTYSBURG
was one of five ships replaced less than two weeks later so as to
permit it and the others to resume previously scheduled assignments.
The ship's name, Gettysburg, commemorates the pivotal battle of
the American Civil War fought from July 1 through July 3, 1863. |
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USS Chancellorsville – CG62:
USS CHANCELLORSVILLE was commissioned at Ingalls Shipbuilding
in Pascagoula, MS, on 4 November 1989. She deployed from 1 March
1991 to 27 August 1991 to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation
DESERT STORM. CHANCELLORSVILLE deployed from 19 February
1993 to 19 August 1993 to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf as
part of the NIMITZ Battle Group. On 26 June 1993, CHANCELLORSVILLE
launched strikes on the Iraqi Intelligence Center in Baghdad with
nine Tomahawk missiles in retaliation for the aborted assassination
attempt on former President Bush. On 28 April 1995, and until 28
October 1995, CHANCELLORSVILLE deployed to the Western
Pacific and Arabian Gulf. |
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USS Vicksburg
- CL-86, 1944-1964: USS Vicksburg, a 10,000-ton
Cleveland class light cruiser built at Newport News, Virginia,
was commissioned in June 1944. In October-December of that year,
following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay and the West Indies, she
served as a training ship in the Long Island Sound area. The cruiser
went to the Pacific early in 1945. In February and March she provided
naval gunfire support for the U.S. Marines as they landed on Iwo
Jima and fought a hard and bloody campaign against the island's
defenders. She escorted the fast carriers during their mid-March
raids against Kyushu, taking part in several actions against Japanese
aircraft. Vicksburg resumed her bombardment role during
the Okinawa operation that began in late March and spent more
than two months in the "Kamikaze" infested waters around
the Ryukyus. Late in June, after completing her work at Okinawa,
the cruiser supported minesweeping operations in the China Sea.
When Japan capitulated in mid-August 1945, she was sent from the
Philippines to the former enemy's home waters to provide offshore
cover for the surrender ceremonies that took place on 2 September.
Staying briefly in Japanese waters as the occupation effort expanded,
Vicksburg next went to Okinawa, where she took aboard
a large number of servicemen for transportation back to the United
States. She arrived at San Francisco, California, in October and
served along the West Coast for the rest of 1945, all of 1946
and part of 1947. Decommissioned at the end of June 1947, USS
Vicksburg was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet until
October 1962, when she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
She was sold for scrapping in August 1964.
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USS Vicksburg – CG69:
Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, MS, USS VICKSBURG's
keel was laid on May 30, 1990 and she was launched on September
7, 1991. USS VICKSBURG was sponsored by Tricia Lott, wife
of the Honorable Trent Lott, United States Senator, Mississippi.
On October 12, 1991, Mrs. Lott christened CG 69 as "VICKSBURG".
The ship was commissioned on November 14, 1992. On her six month
maiden deployment to the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas as a part
of the USS SARATOGA joint task group, USS VICKSBURG
operated as "redcrown" cruiser, an airspace deconfliction
and command and control platform, in support of United Nations operations
"Deny Flight", "sharp Guard" and "Provide
Promise" off the coast of Montenegro. In May 1994, USS VICKSBURG
participated, as part of the USS SARATOGA (CV 60) Battle
Group, in the major annual spring NATO exercise "Dynamic Impact
94", a conventional major NATO exercise for maritime, amphibious,
land based air and ground forces in the central and western Mediterranean
area. The exercise was being held in the Western Mediterranean.
USS VICKSBURG was on station in the Florida Straits in
August 1994 for Operation Able Vigil. While deployed, USS VICKSBURG
was tasked with providing support to the interdicting and transporting
Cuban migrants in the Florida Straits to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, and assisting the U.S. Coast Guard which had the primary
responsibility for Operation Able Vigil.
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USS Valley Forge – CV45,
later CVA45, CVS45 and LPH8: USS Valley Forge
1946-1971. USS Valley Forge, a 27,100-ton Ticonderoga class aircraft
carrier, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, paid for by a
special war bond drive in that city. Commissioned in November 1946,
she transferred to the Pacific Fleet in the following year. Valley
Forge made a cruise to Australia and the Far East early in
1948 and then steamed the rest of the way around the World. In May
1950, she again deployed to the Western Pacific. She was the only
U.S. aircraft carrier in that region when the Korean War broke out
in late June. For the next three years, Valley Forge was
heavily engaged in Korean War operations, making four separate combat
tours. During this time, in October 1952, she was redesignated CVA-45.
With her flight deck essentially unchanged from its World War II
design, Valley Forge was increasingly unable to handle
the new high-performance, heavier jet aircraft of the post-Korean
War era and, in January 1954, she was reclassified an anti-submarine
warfare (ASW) support carrier with the designation CVS-45. Operating
in the Atlantic, she served in this role for seven years. In June
1961, Valley Forge was given a new mission, as an amphibious assault
ship, and redesignated LPH-8. Carrying a force of helicopter-born
Marines, she was stationed in the Pacific for the rest of her career,
making five more Far Eastern deployments. The last three of these,
in 1965-69, were largely spent on combat operations off Vietnam.
USS Valley Forge decommissioned in January 1970 and was
sold for scrapping in October 1971. |
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USS Valley Forge – CG50:
USS VALLEY FORGE was the fourth TICONDEROGA
- class guide missile cruiser and the first ship in her class
to be decommissioned. VALLEY FORGE's primary mission
was to operate with aircraft carrier battle groups in extreme
threat environments. The ship's purpose was to detect, classify
and track hundreds of potential targets simultaneously in the
air, on the surface, and under the sea. USS VALLEY FORGE
was last homeported in San Diego, Calif. The ship is currently
held in reserve at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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USS Saratoga – CV3:
USS Saratoga, a 33,000-ton aircraft carrier, was converted
from the battle cruiser Saratoga (CC-3) while under construction
at Camden, New Jersey. Commissioned in November 1927, as the second
of the Navy's initial pair of fully capable aircraft carriers. She
was in the Pacific when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7
December 1941 and took part in the abortive Wake Island relief expedition
later in that month. While operating in the Hawaiian area on 11
January 1942, she was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine,
necessitating several months of repairs, during which her eight-inch
guns were replaced by the more useful 5"/38 dual purpose type.
Saratoga returned to action in June 1942, in time for reinforcement
operations immediately following the Battle of Midway. She was next
engaged in supporting the Guadalcanal Operation in August 1942,
including participation in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Another
enemy submarine torpedo hit on 31 August put her in the repair yard
for two months. The carrier was back in the South Pacific war zone
in December 1942, spending the next year in that area. In November
1943, her planes made devastating raids on the Japanese base at
Rabaul and supported the Gilberts operation later in the month.
In January and February 1944 Saratoga took part in the
invasion of the Marshall Islands. She then was sent to join the
British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean and participated in raids
on Japanese positions in the East Indies during April and May 1944.
An overhaul from June to September prepared her for employment training
aviators for night operations. In February 1945, she carried night
fighters during the Iwo Jima invasion and raids on the Japanese
home islands. Several Kamikaze suicide plane hits on 21 February
caused serious damage and casualties, sending her back to the U.S.
for another session in the shipyard. Saratoga returned
to service in May, again taking on a training role that lasted until
Japan's surrender. Beginning in September 1945, she transported
servicemen from the Pacific back to the United States as part of
Operation "Magic Carpet". Too old for retention in the
post-war fleet, Saratoga was then assigned to target duty
for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini, in the Marshall Islands. She
survived the first blast, on 1 July 1946, but sank after the 25
July underwater test. USS Saratoga still lies beneath the
waters of Bikini atoll, where she is occasionally visited by divers.
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USS Saratoga – CVA60
(later CV60): USS Saratoga, second of the 56,000-ton
Forrestal class aircraft carriers, was built at New York
Naval Shipyard. She went into commission in April 1956, operated
in the Western Hemisphere until September 1957, then briefly went
to Northern European waters to participate in operation "Strikeback".
In February 1958, Saratoga began the first of more than
twenty deployments to operate with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
Over the following decade, the big carrier made seven more tours
to that increasingly tense part of the World.
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USS Sequoia – Presidential
Yacht: The Sequoia was the scene of some of
America's most historic events: It was used during the Harding
administration to enforce Prohibition; Herbert Hoover promoted
his use of the Sequoia during the Depression in a misguided effort
to elevate the spirit of a starving public; FDR and Eisenhower
planned D-day; Truman decided to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and
later conducted the world's first nuclear arms control summit;
Eisenhower entertained Korean War veterans; Kennedy celebrated
his last (46th) birthday party; LBJ lobbied for civil rights legislation,
and planned Vietnam War strategy; Nixon negotiated the first arms
control treaty with the Soviet Union, and later decided to resign;
Gerald Ford conducted cabinet meetings on board; Ronald Reagan
met all of the nation's 50 Governors at the Sequoia's gangplank;
and George Bush negotiated with the Chinese Premier. |
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USS Shiloh -
(CG 67): The twenty-first ship of the TICONDEROGA
(CG 47) Class, Aegis guided missile cruiser, an adaptation of
31 SPRUANCE (DD 963) and 4 KIDD (DDG 993) Class
destroyers. Her Keel was laid on August 1, 1989, and she was christened
on September 8, 1990. The Engineering System aboard USS Shiloh
represents advanced technology in shipboard construction. Its
four LM-2500 gas turbine engines, manufactured by General Electric,
provide the ship with tremendous power. With its 80,000 shaft
horsepower, this ship is able to go through the water in excess
of 30 knots. |
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USS Cowpens
- (CVL-25): USS Cowpens (CV-25) was launched
17 January 1943 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.;
sponsored by Mrs. M. H. Spruance; daughter of Vice Admiral W.
F. Halsey; and commissioned 28 May 1943, Captain R.P. McConnell
in command. She was reclassified CVL-25 on 15 July 1943. Departing
Philadelphia 29 August 1943 Cowpens arrived at Pearl
Harbor 19 September to begin the active and distinguished war
career which was to earn a Navy Unit Commendation. She sailed
with TF 14 for the strike on Wake Island on 5 and 6 October, then
returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for strikes on the Marshall
Islands preliminary to invasion. Placed in commission, in reserve
at Mare Island 3 December 1946, Cowpens was decommissioned
13 January 1947. In addition to her Navy Unit Commendation, Cowpens
received 12 battle stars for World War II service. |
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USS Cowpens
- CG 63: USS Cowpens is the seventeenth of twenty
seven Ticonderoga (CG 47) class guided missile cruiser. It's a
multi-mission surface combatant capable of supporting carrier
battle groups, amphibious forces, independent operations, or of
acting as the flagship of a surface action group. The primary
roles of Cowpens and of other Aegis cruisers are Anti-Air
Warfare (AAW) and Strike Warfare (STW), while still performing
superbly in her secondary roles in Undersea Warfare (USW/ASW),
Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW), and Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS)
for ground forces ashore. Cowpens serves as part of the
Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Yokosuka, Japan as part of Battle
Force Seventh Fleet. The mission of USS Cowpens is to
be fully ready to seek out and destroy enemy aircraft, submarines
and surface ships and to attack enemy land targets. |
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USS Yorktown - CV5:
A 19,800 ton aircraft carrier built at Newport News, Virginia,
was commissioned on 30 September 1937. Operating in the Atlantic
and Caribbean areas until April 1939, she then spent the next
two years in the Pacific. In May 1941 Yorktown returned
to the Atlantic, patrolling actively during the troubled months
preceding the outbreak of war between the United States and
the Axis powers. Two weeks after the 7 December 1941 Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor, Yorktown transited the Panama
Canal to reinforce the badly damaged Pacific Fleet. The carrier's
first combat operation was the Marshalls-Gilberts raid in early
February 1942. Yorktown then steamed to the South Pacific,
where she participated in a series of raids and other operations
that climaxed in the Battle of Coral Sea in early May. In this
action, in which she was damaged by enemy bombs, her planes
attacked two Japanese aircraft carriers, helping to sink Shoho
and damaging Shokaku. Quick repairs at Pearl Harbor
put Yorktown into good enough condition to participate
in the Battle of Midway on 4-6 June 1942. During this great
turning point of the Pacific War, her air group fatally damaged
the Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu and shared in the
destruction of the carrier Hiryu and cruiser Mikuma.
However, successive strikes by dive bombers and torpedo planes
from Hiryu seriously damaged Yorktown, causing her
abandonment during the afternoon of 4 June. Two days later,
while salvage efforts were underway, the Japanese submarine
I-168 torpedoed both the damaged carrier and the destroyer
Hammann (DD-412), sinking the latter immediately and
Yorktown shortly after daybreak on 7 June 1942. USS
Yorktown's wreck was discovered and examined in May
1998, in surprisingly good condition after fifty-six years beneath
more than three miles of sea water.
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USS Yorktown - CV10:
Second of the Essex class carriers, replaced her namesake,
lost at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The Essex carriers
formed the core of the fast carrier task forces that struck Japanese
forces in the Pacific with devastating results. Yorktown's
planes inflicted heavy losses on the enemy at Truk and in the Marianas;
the carrier supported American troops in the Philippines, at Iwo
Jima, and at Okinawa. Yorktown received 11 battle stars for her
World War II service and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
For service off Vietnam she was awarded four battle stars. As the
National Memorial to Carrier Aviation, Yorktown serves
as host to the following memorials: the Arlington of Carrier Aviation,
the Carrier Aviation Test Pilots Hall of Honor, the Carrier Aviation
Hall of Fame. the Carrier Aviation Combat Aircraft Exhibit, and
the Combat Aircrew Roll of Honor. Yorktown also serves
as the headquarters for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
and the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum. USS Yorktown
is a National Historic Landmark. |
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USS Yorktown - (CG 48):
USS Yorktown was built from keel up to utilize every
capability of the awesome Aegis Combat System and was commissioned
on 4 July 1984 at Yorktown, VA. It proceeded immediately to
work up for a major series of shock trials. As of late 2001,
and since commissioning, the Yorktown had completed five, highly
successful Mediterranean deployments. The first, from August
1985 to April 1986, involves most notably the dramatic Achille
Lauro hijacker intercept, two Black Sea excursions, and three
operations off the Libyan coast.
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USS VINCENNES – CG 49:
was the first of the United States Navy's AEGIS Cruisers
of the TICONDEROGA Class to enter the Pacific Fleet.
Upon commissioning in 1985, VINCENNES entered the Pacific
Fleet via the Panama Canal and participated in the testing and
development of the SM-2 Block II surface-to-air missile. In May
1986, VINCENNES participated in the multinational exercise
RIMPAC 86, coordinating the AAW efforts of two aircraft carriers
and over forty ships from five nations. USS VINCENNES
is the fourth capital warship to bear this name and a city in
Indiana, 55 miles south of Terra Haute. The city is the site of
the old Fort Vincennes, captured during the American Revolution
in 1779 by George Rogers Clark.
The first VINCENNES was one of ten Sloops-of-War to be
authorized by Congress in 1825. For 41 years, she compiled an
outstanding record of unprecedented achievements in polar exploration,
global circumnavigation and distinguished service in the War Between
the States. The second VINCENNES, designated (CA 44),
was a heavy cruiser commissioned in 1937. She fought valiantly
during General Jimmy Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, the Battle Midway,
the landing at Guadalcanal, and finally, at the Battle of Savo
Island. The third VINCENNES (CL 64) was commissioned
in January 1944 and fought brilliantly throughout the Pacific
in Battles of Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa, and Formosa. During
the closing months of World War II, VINCENNES became
legendary for her successes against Japanese aircraft. In addition
to performing duties as the Battle Group Anti-Air Warfare Commander
during her Western Pacific Deployments, VINCENNES has
been awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Citation, the Battle "E"
three times, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Medal,
and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four stars. |
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USS Blue Ridge – LCC
19: Unlike its World War II predecessor
of the same name, which had to be converted from a merchantman
to an Amphibious Force flagship, the United States Ship BLUE
RIDGE represents a unique effort and achievement in the Navy's
Command and Control ship design.
For the first time it is a platform built from the keel up to
accomplish the mission of Command and Control coordination. In
this 18,500 ton ship are found the facilities to direct and manage
every phase of command and control operations. Blue Ridge
represents the accumulated knowledge of four decades of the Navy's
experience in meeting difficult challenges of Control and Coordination.
In addition to its sophisticated command and control system, an
extremely refined communications system is also an integral part
of the ship's radical new design. Through an automated patch panel
and computer-controlled switching matrix, any combination of communications
equipment desired may be quickly connected. The "clean"
topside area is the result of careful design intended to keep
the ship's interference to her own communications system at a
minimum.
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USS Harpers Ferry – LSD
49: Harpers Ferry’s mission is to project
power ashore by transporting and launching amphibious craft and
vehicle loaded with embarked Marines and their equipment in an
amphibious assault. Harpers Ferry can also render limited
docking and repair service to small ships and craft, as well as
act as primary control ship in an amphibious operation.
Harpers Ferry is an extremely flexible, capable platform,
ready to handle a myriad of tasks within an amphibious maritime
assault. She has been fitted with state of the art medical facilities,
comfortable berthing for her crew and embarked Marines, and a
shortened well deck to carry additional cargo and ammunition.
USS HARPERS FERRY is the first of four new cargo variants
to the WHIDBEY ISLAND class of dock landing ships. The
Harpers Ferry class is also called LSD 41(CV) class.
On September 1, 2002, Harpers Ferry relieved USS Germantown
(LSD 42) as a forward deployed naval unit in Sasebo, Japan. |
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USS Haleakala
– AE 25: was the fifth and final ship in the SURIBACHI
- class of Ammunition Ships. The ship was named after the extinct
volcano located on the eastern end of the island of Maui, Hawaii.
Decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on December 10,
1993, the HALEAKALA was later disposed of by title transfer
to the Maritime Administration on March 28, 1994. |
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USNS Rainier
– (T-AOE 7): Rainier is one of the biggest
supply ships in the world and the second AOE in the SUPPLY - class.
RAINIER was decommissioned on August 29, 2003, and was
transferred to the Military Sealift Command where she was placed
back in service as a "United States Naval Ship." As
a US Naval Ship, RAINIER does no longer carry the weapons
systems she previously (as "USS RAINIER") was
equipped with. One of these systems was the Phalanx CIWS. USS
RAINIER (AOE 7) was constructed at National Ship and
Shipbuilding in San Diego, California and was commissioned January
21, 1995. It is a SUPPLY class, Fast Combatant Support Ship, which
is the first type of deep draft vessels to have gas turbine engines.
The AOE-7 contract design was completed in February of 1986 and
steel fabrication work for RAINIER began on August 16,
1989 with the official keel laying conducted on May 31, 1990. |
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USS Everglades - (AD-24):
USS Everglades was launched on 28 January 1945 by the
Todd Shipyard Corp., San Pedro, CA; sponsored by Mrs. Anne E.
Richardson; and completed on 23 May 1946. Never commissioned she
was turned over to the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet
for inactivation on 15 May 1947. United States embroilment in
the Korean hostilities occasioned activation of Everglades
who commissioned for the first time on 25 May 1951, Captain Thomas
M. Brown, commanding. Following shakedown and training exercises,
Everglades transited the Panama Canal and arrived at
Norfolk, VA, for duty with Destroyer Force, Atlantic. Since then
she has played a vital part in keeping the Navy ready, repairing
Norfolk-based destroyers and servicing ships in the Caribbean
or the Mediterranean where she has made four extensive cruises
through the end of 1960.
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USS Bryce Canyon - AD-36:
USS Bryce Canyon was launched 7 March 1946 by Charleston
Navy Yard and sponsored by Mrs. William J. Carter, wife of Rear
Admiral Carter. Little additional work was done on her until after
the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. Charleston Naval Shipyard
then completed the tender and she was commissioned 15 September
1950, Captain M. R. Gerin in command. Bryce Canyon transited
the Panama Canal 5 December and reported to the Pacific Fleet. On
26 March 1951 she got underway from San Diego for the Far East.
Arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, 12 April 1951, she spent the next seven
months in Japanese waters repairing and servicing vessels based
at Yokosuka and Sasebo. Bryce Canyon left Japan 4 November
1951 and arrived at San Diego 18 November 1951.
Bryce Canyon received one battle star for her services
to the forces afloat in the Korean combat area. |
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USS Isle Royale - AD-29:
USS Isle Royale was launched by Todd Pacific Shipyards,
Inc., Seattle, WA, 19 September 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Greer A.
Duncan; and delivered to the Navy 2 July 1946 for lay-up in the
San Diego Reserve Fleet.
During her period of inactivation, Isle Royale served as
headquarters ship for the San Diego Subgroup, Pacific Reserve Fleet.
She was designated to replace Hamul in the active fleet,
and commissioned at Long Beach 9 June 1962, taking Hamul’s
officers and men as that ship decommissioned. After shakedown Isle
Royale moved to Long Beach to begin her services to Pacific
Fleet destroyers, supplying them with parts and vital repair facilities.
The tender sailed for Pearl Harbor 8 February 1963 and for the next
seven months served the destroyers roaming the Pacific on their
vital peace-keeping mission. She returned to Long Beach from this
deployment 11 September 1963, and conducted training operations
in California waters until June 1964. The ship then got underway
again for Pearl Harbor, where she operated until 30 October. She
returned to Long Beach 5 November where she operated until departing
3 August 1965 for a scheduled 6-month mid-Pacific cruise. However,
upon arriving Pearl Harbor, she received orders to proceed on to
the Philippines where she tended ships of the 7th Fleet fighting
in Vietnam Isle Royale returned to Long Beach 5 March 1966
and operated along the West Coast until sailing again for the Far
East 16 September. She remained in the Orient operating primarily
out of Subic Bay tending the destroyers of the 7th Fleet until her
return to Long Beach 12 April 1967. Thereafter Isle Royale
operated in waters off southern California preparing for future
action. |
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USS Independence – CV 62:
CV-62 was launched by New York Navy Yard June 6, 1958; sponsored
by Mrs. Thomas Gates, wife of the Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned
January 10, 1959; Captain R. Y. McElroy in command. One of the newest
class of "supercarriers" at the time of her commissioning,
INDEPENDENCE conducted shakedown training in the Caribbean
and arrived her home port Norfolk, June 30, 1959. On August 25,
during suitability trials on board INDEPENDENCE, an A3D
Skywarrior, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Ed Decker, took off at a gross
weight of 84,000 pounds - the heaviest aircraft ever to take off
from a carrier.INDEPENDENCE operated off the Virginia Capes
for the next year on training maneuvers, and departed August 4,
1960 for her first cruise to the Mediterranean. There, she added
her great strength to the peace-keeping power of the 6th Fleet in
that troubled region, remaining in the eastern Mediterranean until
her return to Norfolk March 3, 1961. The remainder of the year was
spent in training and readiness operations off the Atlantic coast.
After a long and prestigious career, INDEPENDENCE was decommissioned
at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., on September
30, 1998. |
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USS Kilauea – AE 26:
Kilauea is the lead ship in the KILAUEA - class
of Ammunition Ships and was the first ship in that class being transferred
to the MSC. |
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