USS Gettysburg (CG-64)
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USS ''Gettysburg'' (CG-64) is a ''Ticonderoga''-class 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 ...
in 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 ...
. She is named for the
Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.


Construction

The third ''Gettysburg'' (CG-64) was laid down on 17 August 1988, at
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
, Maine, by Bath Iron Works; launched on 22 July 1989; sponsored by Julie Nixon Eisenhower, wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower II, grandson of former President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
and son-in-law of former President
Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...
; and commissioned on 22 June 1991,
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
John M. Langknecht in command.


Operation history

October 1992 - April 1993, maiden deployment to Mediterranean Sea in support of the carrier battle group; along with sister ship . On 30 November 1994, ''Gettysburg'' and
guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
were dispatched to assist the cruise ship , which was on fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. ''Achille Lauro'' eventually sank but the passengers were rescued and transported to
Mombasa, Kenya Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. On 13 October 1996, she bumped into Iranian corvette in the northern
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
, however neither of the ships suffered serious damage ''Gettysburg'' took part in
Operation Desert Fox The 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 16 to 19 December 1998, by the United States and the United Kingdom. On 16 December 1998, President of the United States Bill ...
, 16–20 December 1998. In March 2003, the ship was assigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Twelve. ''Gettysburg'', Captain Philip C. Davidson in command, and with a
Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...
of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 Detachment 5 and a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) embarked, sailed from
Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admi ...
, on a two-part counter narcotics deployment to the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, 11 October–23 December 2005 and 1 January–4 April 2006. She visited
Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
,
Netherlands Antilles nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...
, 21–25 October, passed through 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 ...
, 3–4 November, and provided air surveillance and evacuation support for a visit by President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
to Panama. In addition, the ship visited Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Panama, 18–22 November and 5–6 and 16–18 December. ''Gettysburg'' intercepted three narcotics smuggling vessels, of cocaine, and 17 smugglers before the New Year. She came about on 17 December, and intercepted her third suspect, a vessel carrying more than of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific, on 22 December. The ship, with HSL-46 Detachment 5 and Coast Guard LEDET 409 embarked, intercepted MV ''Perseus V'' on 12 January 2006. The boarding team discovered a hidden compartment containing of cocaine and detained 11 suspected smugglers. The boarders then placed a custody crew on board, which delivered the boat to host nation authorities more than away four days later. On 7 February ''Gettysburg'', with LEDET 404 embarked, carried out a covert, nighttime surveillance and pre-dawn interception of fishing boat ''Divi'', which analysts suspected of smuggling up to of cocaine. The suspects sighted ''Gettysburg'', set fire to their vessel, and abandoned ship in a skiff. The cruiser deployed two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to battle the blaze, but the intense, fuel-fed flames overwhelmed ''Divi'' and she sank. The boarders observed more than 150 bales of cocaine on the smuggler’s deck, but only retrieved less than . The Americans took the eight crewmen into custody. ''Gettysburg'' patrolled an area about west of the Galapagos Islands when a Lockheed P-3C Orion directed her to query fishing boat ''William'', on 24 February 2006. The Orion aggressively monitored the suspected vessel, preventing her from rendezvousing with a go-fast. ''Gettysburg'' meanwhile launched ''Cutlass 467'', her Seahawk, which guided the ship toward ''William'', but the suspects attempted to scuttle their boat. ''Gettysburg''s rescue and assistance teams and LEDET 404 saved ''William'', enabling her boarding team to recovery of cocaine and apprehend the eight smugglers. An Orion located a stealthy go-fast steaming westerly courses through a known drug-trafficking area on 11 March. ''Gettysburg'' closed and under cover of darkness, deployed LEDET 404 and a security team on board a RHIB, which boarded the suspected vessel, seizing of cocaine, of heroin, and detaining five smugglers. In addition, she sailed through the Panama Canal twice, 30–31 January and 15–16 March, and visited
Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...
, 20–21 January, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, 16–19 February and 4-5 and 15–16 March, Curaçao, 23–26 March, and
Port Everglades Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2019, Port Eve ...
, Florida, 29 March-1 April. During this second voyage she seized or interdicted four suspected smuggling vessels and more than of cocaine with a street value of $1.7 billion, detaining 34 suspected smugglers. Additionally, she issued return-to-port orders to two
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n-flagged vessels capable of providing logistics support to narcotics traffickers. Working with other agencies and Orions during the two deployments, ''Gettysburg'' proved instrumental in the seizure of seven vessels, 45 smugglers, and 750 bales totaling more than of cocaine and heroin valued at $1.95 billion. Amphibious assault ship , which operated as the afloat staging base for Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, coordinated the apprehension of six pirates in 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 ...
on 20 March 2009. A skiff containing the suspects pursued
Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
-flagged MV ''Bison Express'', which sent a distress call. ''Gettysburg''s embarked SH-60B from HSL-46 spotted the pirates throwing objects overboard, and a visit, board, search, and seizure team from the cruiser seized the suspects, who were then transferred to ''Boxer'' for questioning. CTF-151,
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
Caner Bener, in command, defeated a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden on 13 May 2009. ''Gettysburg'' and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n helicopter destroyer responded to a distress call from
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian-flagged MV ''Amira'' when pirates attacked her south of
Al Mukalla Mukalla ( ar, ٱلْمُكَلَّا, ') is a seaport and the capital city of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut Governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the South Arabia, southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden, on the shor ...
, Yemen. A Seahawk from HSL-46 Detachment 9, embarked on board ''Gettysburg'', located a dhow suspected of serving as a “mother ship” for pirates. A visit, board, search, and seizure team and Coast Guard LEDET 409 from the cruiser discovered a variety of weapons on board the dhow and detained her 17 crewmembers. ''Gettysburg'' rescued another ship during her busy deployment when a Seahawk from the cruiser responded to
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
i MV ''Alaseb'' and her 11 passengers, adrift in the Gulf of Aden on 26 May. The helo guided ''Gettysburg'' to the area, which towed ''Alaseb'' to a rendezvous with the
Yemen Coast Guard The Yemeni Coast Guard is the coast guard service of Yemen and was founded in 2003. It has constabulary and navigation role in Yemen's ports and regional waters, as the country has of coastline. Since the start of the Yemeni civil war in 2015, t ...
for repairs. The 13 May 2009, incident with MV ''Amira'' was filmed and featured on the Spike TV network special ''U.S. Navy: Pirate Hunters''. ''Gettysburg'' completed her
Composite Unit Training Exercise COMPTUEX, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
as part of
Carrier Strike Group Two } Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2 or COMCARSTRKGRU 2) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group, tracing its history originally to 1931. The aircraft carrier is the strike group's current flagship. As of Aug 2020, other units assigned to Carrier Strik ...
on 10 February 2011. ''Gettysburg'' deployed with an embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70) detachment as part of Carrier Strike Group Two, departing
Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admi ...
on 10 May 2011. ''Gettysburg'' subsequently participated in NATO naval exercise Exercise Saxon Warrior off the coast of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, under the operational control of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). During this exercise, ''Gettysburg'' operated with the new British guided-missile destroyer . In May 2015, ''Gettysburgs homeport was changed from NAVSTA Mayport to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Gettysburg entered into the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on September 30, 2015. She was drydocked and underwent extensive modernization and material repairs including an upgrade of her radar and AEGIS weapon system. She went underway again for the first time in nearly nine years on February 28, 2023. Gettysburg is the only cruiser to successfully navigate the SLEP program to date at an estimated cost of over $200 million.


In popular culture

In
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
's novel ''
The Bear and the Dragon ''The Bear and the Dragon'' is a techno-thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 21, 2000. A direct sequel to '' Executive Orders'' (1996), President Jack Ryan deals with a war between Russia and China, referred respectively ...
'', ''Gettysburg'' with President Jack Ryan onboard, successfully defended
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
against an incoming
ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
launched by the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
using the Aegis missile system she carries.


Notes


External links

*
Command web site


{{DEFAULTSORT:Gettysburg (CG-64) Ticonderoga-class cruisers Ships built in Bath, Maine 1989 ships Cruisers of the United States Maritime incidents in 1996