USS ''Mississippi'' (CGN-40), a
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
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Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
-powered guided-missile
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
, was the fourth ship of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
named in honor of
the 20th state admitted to
the Union. Her keel was laid down by the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy ...
at
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
, on 22 February 1975. She was launched on 31 July 1976. The ship was commissioned on 5 August 1978 by
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
, then serving as the 39th president of the United States. Early deployment included escorting the carrier . She also was deployed in 1989 as a response to the capture and subsequent murder of
U.S. Marine Corps Colonel
William R. Higgins
William Richard Higgins (January 15, 1945 – July 31, 1989) was a United States Marine Corps colonel who was captured in Lebanon in 1988 while serving on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission. He was held hostage, tortured and eventuall ...
by terrorists.
Ship history
![USS Mississippi (CGN-40) at sea in 1978](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/USS_Mississippi_%28CGN-40%29_at_sea_in_1978.jpg)
''Mississippi'' (DLGN 40) was laid down on 22 February 1975 at Newport News, Virginia, by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.; reclassified as a guided missile cruiser and designated CGN 40 on 30 June 1975; launched on 31 July 1976; sponsored by Miss. Janet H. Finch, daughter of Governor
Charles C. Finch of Mississippi; and, in ceremonies attended by President James E.
immyCarter, Jr., Secretary of Defense
Harold Brown, and Senator
John C. Stennis of Mississippi, was commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, on 5 August 1978.
[Evans, Mark L]
"USS Mississippi-IV"
''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (''DANFS'') is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy.
When the writing project was developed the parameters for this series were designed to ...
''. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
''Mississippi'' conducted her shakedown cruise to Caribbean and South American waters (8 January–13 February 1979), then made her first deployment—to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean – (3 August 1981 – 12 February 1982) during a confrontation between the United States and Libya. She operated as part of the screen for aircraft carriers and during the
Gulf of Sidra incident. ''Mississippi'' fired three
RIM-66B Standard SM-1 surface-to-air missiles during a live-fire exercise.
While ''Mississippi'' steamed with ''Nimitz'' and guided missile cruiser off the coast of Lebanon, she received a distress call from Greek cargo vessel ''Andalusia'', at 00:30 on 3 December 1982). Crew 11, a
Lockheed P-3C Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. , vectored ''Mississippi'' to ''Andalusia'' and the cruiser rescued all 19 crewmembers. Two
Sikorsky Sea King
The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engi ...
s from
HS-9 operating from ''Nimitz'' transferred survivors from ''Mississippi'' to the carrier. ''Mississippis chief engineer and damage control assistant inspected ''Andalusia'' but determined that her damage precluded salvage, and the ship sank at 08:24, 1,200 yards off the port bow of the cruiser in 195 fathoms (36°1'N, 12°19'2"E).
On 1 August 1989 Arab terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon, kidnapped and hanged Lt. Col.
William R. Higgins
William Richard Higgins (January 15, 1945 – July 31, 1989) was a United States Marine Corps colonel who was captured in Lebanon in 1988 while serving on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission. He was held hostage, tortured and eventuall ...
, USMC, a member of the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, and threatened to murder additional hostages they held. The carrier departed early from a visit to Singapore and made for the Arabian Sea, and steamed from Alexandria, Egypt, to the Eastern Mediterranean as a show of force. ''Mississippi'' had deployed as part of the Sixth Fleet's Med 3–89 Battle Force and was visiting Haifa, Israel, when the crisis began. She emergency sortied and operated as the battle group's Composite Warfare Coordinator for anti-surface warfare off the Lebanese littoral throughout the remainder of the month. had originally been scheduled to participate in Pacific Exercise-89, but sailed to fill a carrier commitment in the Indian Ocean, where she operated until mid-October.
![USS Mississippi (CGN-40) port bow entering port](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/USS_Mississippi_%28CGN-40%29_port_bow_entering_port.jpg)
''Mississippi'' deployed with the Battle Group to the Mediterranean for
Operations Desert Shield/Storm (16 August 1990 – 28 March 1991). She escorted the carrier , which broke with her conventionally fueled battle group upon exiting the Suez Canal. These two ships travelled at flank speed the length of the Red Sea and through the
Bab-el-Mandeb
The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: , , ) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Name
The strait derives its name from the dangers attendin ...
into the
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
arriving on (15 January). The importance of that day and break-neck speed to arrive on it was due to uncertainty about Yemen's position on the war, getting the carrier beyond shore batteries and short range patrol boats in the narrow straights was a priority before hostilities could commence on (16 January). ''Mississippi'' then waited off the coast of Yemen to escort the engine room troubled through the Bab-el-Mandeb (18 January) and out beyond the Gulf of Aden. As an ammunition ship, ''Nitro'' was needed for battleship shore battery and amphibious landing support. Once escort duty was complete ''Mississippi'' made flank speed to her launch position in the northern Red Sea. ''Mississippi'' fired three
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations.
Under contract f ...
Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) at Iraqi strategic and military targets (25 January 1991) and two more the following day. One Tomahawk failed after launch and landed in the sea after a short erratic flight. The ship then operated as the local anti-air warfare screen commander for the Red Sea Battle Force (27 January – 24 February).
Following the Haitian Army's overthrow of President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...
(September 1991), a succession of governments led to sectarian violence. The UN authorized force to restore order and the U.S. initiated
Operations Support Democracy and Uphold/Restore Democracy—Uphold Democracy for a peaceful entry into Haiti, and "Restore Democracy" in the event of resistance. ''Mississippi'' enforced the embargoes imposed upon Haiti as part of "Support Democracy" (14 July – 3 August). The deteriorating situation then (12 September 1994) prompted the dispatch of a multinational force that included the carriers ''America'' and —about 1,800 soldiers of the Army's
XVIII Airborne Corps
The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...
embarked on board ''Dwight D. Eisenhower''. The Haitians agreed to allow the Americans to land peacefully, and (31 March 1995) the U.S. transferred peacekeeping functions to international forces. The crisis marked the first deployment operationally of Army helicopters on board a carrier in lieu of most of an air wing.
NATO and the UN carried out Operations:
Provide Promise to provide humanitarian relief for people displaced by the fighting in former Yugoslavia (2 July 1992 – 9 January 1996);
Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...
to monitor the air space over Bosnia-Herzegovina to prevent the warring parties from using their air strength (12 April 1993 – 21 December 1995); and
Sharp Guard to enforce the arms embargo against the combatants (15 June 1993 – 2 October 1996). ''Mississippi'' served as Red Crown—coordinating air operations—in the Maverick Operating Area in the Adriatic Sea (2–18 April, 14–21 May, 11–21 June, 30 June – 9 July, 22–27 July, and 22 August–6 September 1995). In addition, the cruiser intercepted Polish vessel ''Dajti'', and her boarding team boarded and inspected the Eastern European ship as a possible smuggler (7 April).
Two Cuban
Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29UB Fulcrums shot down two
Cessna 337 Skymaster
The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, ...
s flown by the "Brothers to the Rescue," a non-profit organization opposed to the Cuban government of
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
, over contested international waters (24 February 1996). ''Mississippi'' led a surface action group that included guided missile cruiser and guided missile frigate during Operations Sentinel Lifeguard, Standoff IV, and Escort 1–96 in the Straits of Florida in response to the Cubans' downing the Skymasters (25–28 February and 1–7 March). In addition, the group escorted a civilian flotilla that laid a wreath on the water where the victims fell.
Decommissioning
By 1995 it was determined her nuclear reactors would need to be refueled, but cuts in the Navy budget ruled out the refueling overhaul the ship would need to continue in service. After serving just 18 years in commissioned service, USS ''Mississippi'' (CGN-40) was deactivated on 6 September 1996 at Norfolk and was decommissioned and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
on 28 July 1997. The ship was prepared and then towed from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bremerton, Washington, via the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
from March 1998 to May 1998. The
MSC fleet tug executed the initial tow until ex-''Mississippi'' was moored at Rodman Naval Station,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
. The Pacific tow was completed by to the Naval Sea Systems Command Inactive Ships Onsite Maintenance Office, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington.
ex-''Mississippi'' entered the
Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program around October 2004 and recycling was completed 30 November 2007.
In 2003, the ship's main mast was installed at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census. ...
.
USS Mississippi Mast Raised At Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
WLOX, 5 May 2003.
Gallery
File:USS Mississippi (CGN-40) fires a tomahawk during Desert Storm.jpg, A BGM-109 Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile (TLAM) is launched toward a target in Iraq from the port side Mark 143 Armored Box Launcher (ABL) on the stern of the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS ''Mississippi'' (CGN-40) during Operation Desert Storm.
File:CGN-40-2.jpeg, Topside stripped off
File:CGN-40-1.jpeg, ex-''Mississippi'' under tow
File:CGN-40-3.jpeg, Under tow behind USNS ''Mohawk''
See also
*Nuclear powered cruisers of the United States Navy __NOTOC__
In the early 1960s, the United States Navy was the world's first to have nuclear-powered cruisers as part of its fleet. The first such ship was . Commissioned in late summer 1961, she was the world's first nuclear-powered surface combat ...
References
External links
DANFS – USS Mississippi-IV
*
USS Mississippi CGN-40 Official Crew Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mississippi (CGN-40)
Virginia-class cruisers
Ships built in Newport News, Virginia
1976 ships
Cold War cruisers of the United States
Nuclear ships of the United States Navy