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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 28 August 1981 |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi |
| Laid down: | 19 October 1982 |
| Launched: | 14 April 1984 |
| Acquired: | 3 June 1985 |
| Commissioned: | 6 July 1985 |
| Decommissioned: | 29 June 2005 |
| Struck: | 29 June 2005 |
| Homeport: | Yokosuka, Japan |
| Motto: | Freedom's Fortress |
| Fate: | Stricken, to be disposed of |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | approx. 9,600 tons full load |
| Length: | 567 feet (173 m) |
| Beam: | 55 feet (17 m) |
| Draught: | 33 feet (10 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW) |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (60 km/h) |
| Complement: | 33 officers & 327 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPY-1A/B multi-function radar AN/SPS-49 air search radar AN/SPG-62 fire control radar AN/SPS-55 surface search radar AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar AN/SQQ-89(V)3 Sonar suite, consisting of
|
| Armament: | 2 × Mk 26 missile launchers 88 × RIM-66 SM-2 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon missiles 2 × Mark 45 5 in / 54 cal lightweight gun 2–4 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) gun 2 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 32 12.75 in (324 mm) triple torpedo tubes |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. |
The fourth USS Vincennes (CG-49) is a U.S. Navy Ticonderoga class AEGIS guided missile cruiser. In 1988, the ship shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 civilian passengers on board, including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.
The ship was launched 14 April 1984 and sponsored by Marilyn Quayle, wife of Indiana Senator Dan Quayle. The Vincennes was named for the Battle of Vincennes during the Revolutionary War, while the previous Vincennes heavy cruiser and Vincennes light cruiser were named for the city of Vincennes, Indiana. She was commissioned at Pascagoula 6 July 1985, Captain George N. Gee in command. The ship normally carries guided missiles, rapid-fire cannons, and two Seahawk LAMPS helicopters for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, personnel transfers, and other purposes.
As of 2008, the Vincennes is mothballed and slated for scrapping.
Contents |
History
1980s
The Vincennes was the first of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers to enter the Pacific Fleet. Upon commissioning in 1985, Vincennes helped test the SM-2 Block II surface-to-air missile. In May 1986, Vincennes participated in the multinational exercise RIMPAC 86, coordinating the anti-aircraft warfare efforts of two aircraft carriers and more than 40 ships from five nations.
The Vincennes was deployed in August 1986 to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, a first for a Tico cruiser. The ship served as anti-air warfare commander with the Carl Vinson and New Jersey battle groups, operated with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy, and steamed more than 46,000 miles (74,000 km) in waters from the Bering Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Persian Gulf
During the Iran and Iraq war the United States took active measures in the Persian Gulf to protect shipping, mainly oil tankers, that were being threatened by both countries.
On 14 April 1988, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) hit a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. Six days later, Vincennes was re-deployed from Fleet Exercise 88-1, sent back to San Diego, California and told to prepare for a six-month deployment. The reason for the haste: Navy leaders decided that they needed an Aegis ship to protect the exit of the damaged Roberts through the Strait of Hormuz. One month later, the cruiser entered the Persian Gulf, and in early July, stood guard in the Strait as the damaged frigate was borne out on the Mighty Servant 2 heavy-lift ship. The ship made 14 Hormuz transits during its Earnest Will operations.
Civilian airliner shot down
On 3 July 1988, Vincennes, under the command of Captain Will Rogers III, shot down an Iran Air Airbus A300 airliner over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 aboard. According to the American government, the crew mistakenly identified the Iranian Airbus as an attacking F-14 Tomcat fighter. However, the Iranian government has maintained that the Vincennes knowingly shot down a civilian aircraft.[1]
1990s
In February 1990, Vincennes was deployed on a third six-month tour of the western Pacific and Indian oceans, with SH-60 helicopters from HSL-45 Det 13. The ship coordinated all battle group air events and served as the command-and-control flagship during Harpoon-Ex-90. In July 1990, Vincennes returned home after steaming nearly 100,000 miles (160,000 km).
In August 1991, Vincennes departed for a fourth western Pacific deployment. Steaming with Independence, Vincennes performed duties as the anti-air warfare commander for Battle Group Delta until detaching to participate as the United States representative in MERCUBEX 91, a joint United States and Singaporean exercise. Over the next three months, Vincennes participated in the bilateral exercise Valiant Blitz with the South Korean Navy, the bilateral exercise Annualex 03G with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and ASWEX 92-1K with the South Korean Navy before reaching Hong Kong to act as the U.S. representative for the Navy Days ceremonies. Vincennes returned from deployment on 21 December 1991.
In June 1994, Vincennes departed on a fifth western Pacific deployment with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group. Vincennes performed duties as anti-air warfare commander for the battle group. During deployment, Vincennes conducted an anti-submarine exercise, PASSEX 94-2, with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the bilateral exercise MERCUB 94-2, a joint U.S. and Singaporean Navy exercise of the Malaysian peninsula, the bilateral exercise Keen Edge, with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and Tandem Thrust, a larger-scale joint exercise which Vincennes participated as the area air defense coordinator for the entire joint operating area. Vincennes returned from this deployment on 22 December 1994.
In August 1997, Vincennes changed homeport from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan, then steamed to the South Pacific and took part in Exercise Valiant Usher 98-1 with the Belleau Wood amphibious ready group and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer Perth. The combined exercise took place near Townsend Island, Australia.
Vincennes also took part in the U.S. Seventh Fleet's Fleet Battle Experiment Delta (FBE-D) from 24 October to 2 November 1998, in conjunction with exercise Foal Eagle, a regularly scheduled exercise that simulates the defense of the Republic of Korea. Sponsored by the Navy Warfare Development Command, FBE-D was the fourth in a series of experiments that tested new combat systems and procedures at sea.
2000s
On 12 August 2000, Vincennes completed Sharem 134, a bilateral exercise with several Japanese ships and other U.S. participants. The exercise included a week of undersea warfare training and data collection in the South China Sea. The ship tested its submarine detection, sonar range testing, and sonobuoy employment and developed new submarine prosecution procedures. The final Sharem events included a "freeplay", which allowed the cruiser to detect and prosecute other submarines, combining many of the tactics and systems tested during Sharem.
In mid-November 2000, the cruiser fired missile batteries at remote-controlled aerial drones provided by Fleet Activities Okinawa during MISSILEX 01-1.
On 23 March 2001, Vincennes, as part of the Kitty Hawk Battle Group, cruised into Changi Naval Base, the first time a U.S. carrier had moored pierside in Singapore. The Vincennes took part in a 23 August-27, 2001, military training exercise called Multi-Sail, which was designed to provide U.S. and Japanese forces interoperability training in multiple warfare areas.
The Vincennes departed from Yokosuka on 17 September 2001, to conduct operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and the ship returned on 18 December 2001 after more than three months at sea.
Decommissioning
The Vincennes was decommissioned on 29 June 2005 at San Diego and stricken the same date. She is presently mothballed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Naval Base Kitsap, which is located in Bremerton, Washington. As of 2008 she is slated for scrapping in the next five years along with her sisters Thomas S. Gates and Yorktown.[1]
Awards
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The Vincennes has been awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Battle Efficiency "E" three times, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four stars.
Commanding Officers
- Captain George N. Gee - 6 July 1985 - 11 April 1987
- Captain Will C. Rogers III - 11 April 1987 – 27 May 1989
- Captain Robert B. Lynch - 27 May 1989 – 26 April 1991
- Captain Thomas C. J. McGinlay - 26 April 1991 – 27 March 1993
- Captain Charles R. Burchell - 27 March 1993 – 6 January 1995
- Captain Craig H. Murray - 27 March 1993 – 21 March 1997
- Commander Alan G. Maiorano - 21 March 1997 – 23 October 1998
- Commander Samuel Perez, Jr. - 23 October 1998 – 17 April 2000
- Commander Robert A. Shafer - 17 April 2000 – 12 April 2002
- Commander Steven A. Lott - 12 April 2002 – 4 February 2004
- Commander Mark J. Englebert - 4 February 2004 – 1 July 2005[2]
In fiction
- In the Tom Clancy novel Red Storm Rising, Vincennes is one of three missile cruisers sent to protect U.S. forces fighting to liberate Iceland from Soviet occupation. When Soviet aircraft fire anti-ship missiles at U.S. amphibious assault ships, Vincennes unleashes anti-missile missiles at the incoming "vampires".
References
- ^ Butterfield, Fox Iran Falls Short in Drive at U.N. To Condemn U.S. in Airbus Case.New York Times15 July 1988. Retrieved 2008-01-10
- ^ Book: Vincennes (Guided missile cruiser: CG-49)USS Vincennes (CG 49) Freedom's Fortress: Decommissioning Ceremony 29 June 2005.Government publication. National government publication. OCLC Number: 71425192. Retrieved 2009-09-09
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
Further reading
- Rogers, Will and Sharon Rogers (1992). Storm Center: The USS Vincennes and Iran Air Flight 655 : A Personal Account of Tragedy and Terrorism. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-727-9.
- Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-970-3.
- Hennessy, M. Shawn (2009). Freedom's Fortress: Vincennes' History of Service to the United States. Seattle: MS Hennessy Publishing. ISBN 0-615-29191-0.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Vincennes (CG-49) |
- Naval Vessel Register CG-49
- WebArchive.org - Archive of Official ship's history page from 2005
- Nayvsite.de - USS Vincennes page
- NavSource.org - CG-49
- dod.mil - Investigation Report for the downing of Iran Air 655
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