USS Monterey (CG-61)
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USS ''Monterey'' (CG-61) 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 ...
that served 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 the fourth US Navy vessel named for the
Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers and ...
at
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
,
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
during the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
in 1846.USS ''Monterey'' website: The Battle of Monterey
/ref> She was built at
Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest de ...
in Maine. The ship was decommissioned on 16 September 2022.


Selected service history episodes


1992–1993

In 1992 and 1993, ''Monterey'' was part of
Carrier Group 6 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smal ...
, whose flagship at the time was aircraft carrier . On 10–11 January, ''Monterey'' was underway from
Souda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greece, Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akr ...
, Crete, to
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. From 12 to 19 January, she was in port in Haifa. From 20 to 22 January, she was underway from Haifa, Israel for exercise Noble Dina Seven. On 22–23 January, she was in port in Haifa, Israel for post-exercise debriefs, before leaving for a US Navy/
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Combined Air Defense Exercise. On 29 March, Vice Admiral W. A. Owens, Commander,
United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...
, embarked with a 28-man Army, Navy, and Air Force Staff including Brigadier General James Mathers (Commanding General,
Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...
) at Haifa for the first Joint Task Force Operation at sea in the European Theater, Exercise Juniper Falconry II. From 1–7 April, ''Monterey'' was underway for Juniper Falconry II, with a two-day port visit in Haifa on 3–4 April. From 7–9 April, she visited Haifa again for exercise debriefs and to disembark the Joint Task Force. From 24 to 26 April 1993, ''Monterey'' participated in ASW Proficiency Training as a part of
COMPTUEX 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 ...
, the first major exercise the ''America'' Joint Task Group (JTG) in preparation for MED 3–93. COMPTUEX lasted from 21 April to 14 May and tested the ''America'' JTG in coordinated warfare operations. The exercise was a success and the JTG was certified "ready" for more advanced training. In May and June, ''Monterey'' conducted port visits to
Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...
and
Roosevelt Roads Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US President Franklin D. Rooseve ...
, Puerto Rico. ''Monterey'' visited Nassau from 9–12 May as a wrap-up to COMPTUEX and NSRR from 31 May to 3 June prior to a missile exercise with the
German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
. September 1993 was the first time that ''Monterey'' served as the Adriatic Cruiser in support of United Nations Resolutions in Operations Sharp Guard,
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 ...
, and Provide Promise. After a stint as the Adriatic Cruiser from 6–13 September, she departed for
İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...
, Turkey. After a training anchorage in Izmir from 16 to 22 September, ''Monterey'' prepared for Exercise Dynamic Guard, hosted by the
Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...
. From 22 September to 4 October, she participated in amphibious, anti-air, anti-surface, anti-subsurface, and mine warfare events. She served as the Eagle Control ship for the entire exercise, monitoring the airspace above the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...
for possible territorial airspace violations. Upon completion of Dynamic Guard, ''Monterey'' departed for the Adriatic Sea for carrier escort duty with ''America'' from 6–13 October. While operating in the Adriatic, she participated in numerous Anti-Submarine Warfare exercises with various NATO/
WEU The Western European Union (WEU; french: Union de l'Europe occidentale, UEO; german: Westeuropäische Union, WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 ...
ships and aircraft operating in support of United Nations' resolutions. After detaching from ''America'', ''Monterey'' conducted a brief stop in Augusta Bay while en route to Haifa, Israel, where she conducted a port visit from 17 to 28 October. From 30 October to 5 November, ''Monterey'' participated in SHAREM 106 in the Adriatic Sea. Upon completion of the exercise, she departed for
Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
, Greece. She then conducted a training anchorage from 7–8 November in Volos, Greece in preparation for Exercise Niriis. From 8–13 November, she participated in Exercise Niriis which was hosted by the Greek Navy. She served as the Support Operations Coordinating Authority with submarine during Niriis. Upon completion, ''Monterey'' departed for the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. In the Adriatic, ''Monterey'' operated with NATO/WEU forces in support of United Nations' resolutions. After serving as the Adriatic Cruiser from 15 to 20 November, she departed for
Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...
, Italy, the port city of Rome. The crew spent
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
in Civitavecchia. From 1–16 December 1993, ''Monterey'' served as the Adriatic Cruiser. During this period, she hosted the Engineering Training Group from Staten Island, New York, in preparation for the next year's Operational Propulsion Plant Examination. SECNAV and CINCUSNAVEUR visited from 11 to 12 December and were very impressed with the ship and the crew. In addition, the Commanders of the NATO/WEU ships in the Southern Adriatic, Capt. Bolongaro of the Italian Navy and Commodore Maddison of the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
visited ''Monterey'' on 2 and 15 December respectively. After completing the ship's duties as Adriatic Cruiser, she departed for
Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, France. ''Monterey'' arrived in Toulon on 20 December and remained there throughout the Christmas and New Years holidays. While in port, the ship underwent voyage repairs. Many crewmembers took leave and vacationed nearby with their partners. The rest of the crew were given tours and dinners by French families through the Adopt-A-Sailor program.


1998

During
Carrier Group Seven Carrier Strike Group Seven (CSG-7 or CARSTRKGRU 7) was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group active from October 2004 until 30 December 2011. The strike group's antecendants included two previous aircraft carrier formations, Carrier Division Seven an ...
's deployment in 1998, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 42 (HSL-42), Detachment 2 deployed two
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 ...
on board the ''Monterey''.


2000

On 2 February 2000, ''Monterey'' stopped Russian tanker ''Volga-Neft''-147. The tanker was suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil in violation of UN sanctions, as it had left the Iraqi port of
Shatt al-Arab The Shatt al-Arab ( ar, شط العرب, lit=River of the Arabs; fa, اروندرود, Arvand Rud, lit=Swift River) is a river of some in length that is formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the town of al-Qurnah in ...
. The boarding operation was conducted by
SEAL Team Two The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
and no shots were fired as the tanker crew was cooperative. The tanker was subsequently diverted into Oman where she was confirmed to be carrying Iraqi oil illegally. After the illegal cargo was unloaded, the crew and tanker were free to leave.


2003

In March 2003, the ship was assigned to
Carrier Group 6 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smal ...
.


2009

On 4 March 2009, ''Monterey'' assisted in the first
German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
arrest of pirates (9 in all) off the coast of the
Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
. ''Monterey'' dispatched helicopters in the attack of an Antiguan ship, MV ''Courier''.


2011

In March 2011, ''Monterey'' was sent to the Mediterranean as the first part of the planned European anti-ballistic missile defense shield. In June 2011, ''Monterey'' arrived in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
to participate in multinational military exercises, "Sea Breeze 2011", cosponsored by the US and
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, whose theme is antipiracy operations, leading to protests from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.


2017

In October 2017, ''Monterey'' was sent on an unscheduled deployment to the
5th fleet The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headq ...
.


2018

On 14 April 2018, ''Monterey'' launched thirty
Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Europ ...
missiles from a position in the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
as part of a
bombing campaign A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanic ...
in retaliation for the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons against people in Douma.


2020

In December 2020 the US Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2022.


2021

In May 2021, ''Monterey'' intercepted a stateless
dhow Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spor ...
in the
North Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
and seized an illegal shipment of thousands of small arms, including Type 56 rifles,
PKM machine gun The PK (russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as ''Pulemyot Kalashnikova'', or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge. Designed in the Sov ...
s, Russian-made
anti-tank guided missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...
s,
rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...
s, and
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
s.


2022

On 16 September 2022, ''Monterey'' was decommissioned during a ceremony at
Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...
.


Awards

*
Battenberg Cup The Battenberg Cup is an award given annually as a symbol of operational excellence to the best ship or submarine in the United States Navy Atlantic Fleet. The cup was originally awarded as a trophy to the winner of cutter or longboat rowing c ...
– (2018) *
Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
– (Aug 1995-Feb 1996, Sep 2008-Apr 2009) * Navy
Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...
– (Dec 1991-Jun 1992, Jan 1999-Sep 2001, Jan 2006-Oct 2007) * Battle "E" – (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2018)U.S. Navy: Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E", Story ID NNS070219-04
19 February 2007
*
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
(SECNAV)
Energy Conservation Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...
Award (Large ship category) – (2016)


Coat of arms


Shield

The central shield represents AEGIS. the impenetrable defensive shield of the Greek god "Zeus." Over this appears the Surface Warfare Logo, symbolizing the three dimensional (Air, Surface, and Subsurface) threat. The AEGIS elongated octagon covers this symbol. This octagon is familiar to all who view the modern warship's sophisticated radar array. Centered on the octagon, a dark blue anchor characterizing seapower, strength, and Navy tradition. The gold star depicts battle stars earned by the aircraft carrier previously named Monterey. The principal colors, red and gold, establish bravery and excellence as traits honored aboard CG-61.


Crest

Pictured is General Zachary Taylor in his typical battle pose, leg slung over the saddle atop his famous white stallion "Old Whitie," before the heavily defended Independence Hill, the turning point in the Battle of Monterey. In the background, Black Fort, another massive stone work protecting the city.


Motto

The motto "Rough in battle and ready in peace" comes from the nickname of
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
, "Old Rough and Ready," which he earned in battle against the
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
s in Florida, and later used as a campaign slogan for his election to the office of President of the United States.


Seal

The coat of arms is emblazoned upon a white oval enclosed by a blue collar edged on the outside with gold rope and inscribed with the words USS MONTEREY above and CG61 below in gold letters.


See also

*
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 ...


Notes


External links


US Navy: USS ''Monterey'' website



USS ''Monterey'' US Navy Story archive


{{DEFAULTSORT:Monterey (CG-61) 1988 ships Cold War cruisers of the United States Cruisers of the United States Ships built in Bath, Maine Ticonderoga-class cruisers