USS ''Newport News'' (CA–148) was the third and last ship of the of

heavy cruisers The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...

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 was the first fully air-conditioned surface ship and the last active all-gun heavy cruiser in the United States Navy.

Construction and career

''Newport News'' was laid down 1 November 1945, launched on 6 March 1948 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company,

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 ...

, sponsored by Eliza S. Ferguson and commissioned on 29 January 1949, with Captain Roland N. Smoot in command.

1950–1962

In addition to annual deployments to the Mediterranean from 1950 to 1961 for duty with the

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 ...

, she participated in major fleet exercises and midshipman training cruises in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and Western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. On 4 January 1956 she steamed for a tour of duty in the Mediterranean as the flagship of Vice Admiral

Ralph A. Ofstie Ralph Andrew Ofstie (16 November 1897 – 18 November 1956) was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, an escort carrier commander in World War II, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air), and Commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. He was born in E ...

, Commander Sixth Fleet. Vice Admiral Ofstie was relieved on board by Vice Admiral Harry Donald Felt on 12 April in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain. Commander Sixth Fleet transferred his flag to on 21 May at Gibraltar. The ship returned to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

on 29 May 1956. The ship visited the city of

Newport News 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 ...

over the Fourth of July holiday, leaving Norfolk on 2 July and returning on 5 July. During the trip from Norfolk to Newport News, 250 dependents took part in the first dependents' cruise in the ship's history. From 16 July to 24 August, she participated in Midshipman Cruise Charlie as flagship of Commander Cruiser Division TWO. Visits were made at New Orleans, Louisiana, Balboa, Canal Zone, and Guantanamo Bay. While transiting the Panama Canal, Rear Admiral Ira H. Nunn relieved Rear Admiral E. R. McLean, Jr. as Commander Cruiser Division TWO. On 19 September she entered the

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

for overhaul, remaining at Norfolk through December 1956. Commander Cruiser Division TWO transferred to on 20 September and his staff returned aboard on 1 November 1956. USS Newport News (CA-148) transiting Kiel Canal 1962

USS Newport News (CA-148) transiting Kiel Canal 1962

In early September 1957, ''Newport News'' was on station in the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for any contingency during the Syrian crisis. In March 1960, while steaming 75 miles northeast of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, ''Newport News'' was ordered to proceed to

Agadir, Morocco Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...

, to render assistance to the survivors of the 1960 earthquake. She steamed 1,225 miles in 40.5 hours at an average speed of 31 knots, arriving on 3 March to provide medical and material aid. After the assassination of General

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

and the resulting instability in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

, ''Newport News'' was underway on short notice on 4 June 1961, and proceeded to a station in international waters off the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

to await further orders. When the crisis terminated, the ship conducted training exercises off

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

before returning to Norfolk. ''Newport News'' berthing and communications facilities were modified in the winter of 1962 to accommodate Commander

United States Second Fleet The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. The Fleet was established following World War II. In September 2011, Second Fleet was deactivated in view of ...

and his staff. In August 1962, she participated in

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 ...

Exercise RIPTIDE III, and upon the end of the exercise, made a month-long tour of Northern European ports as flagship of the Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic (COMSTRIKFLTLANT), the

role of the Commander of the Second Fleet. Within a month after return to Norfolk, ''Newport News'' was underway on 22 October as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Atlantic Fleet for the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

, with as her

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

escort. The two ships stopped the Soviet vessel ''Labinsk'' and ordered her away from Cuban waters. For the next month, acting as flagship for ComSecondFlt, ''Newport News'' was on station northeast of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. When the Soviet

MRBM A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium-range missile is defined by ...

s were dismantled and removed from Cuba, ''Newport News'' assisted in the missile count. Upon cancellation of the quarantine, she returned to her homeport of Norfolk the day before Thanksgiving.

1963–1974

Operations from 1963 through 1967 consisted primarily of NATO exercises in the North Atlantic, gunnery and amphibious exercises off the Eastern seaboard and Caribbean, and midshipman cruises. When the Dominican Republic crisis of 1965 developed, ''Newport News'' sortied from Norfolk on 29 April for Santo Domingo, where she was flagship for Commander Joint Task Force 122. ''Newport News'' remained on station off Santo Domingo until 7 May 1965 when JTF 122 was dissolved, and command was shifted to the Army ashore in the Dominican Republic. She returned to Norfolk, where in June alterations were made to increase her combat capabilities. On 28 June 1965, Newport News entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virginia for a five-month period of refitting and overhaul.

Shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

was in Guantanamo, Cuba, over Christmas and New Year of 1965. Upon her return from Gitmo, she again became Flagship for Second Fleet, with Vice Admiral Masterson taking command. 1 September 1967, Commander Second Fleet shifted his flag to the light cruiser , and ''Newport News'' departed Norfolk 5 September for a six-month deployment to Southeast Asia. Arriving

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, on the morning of 9 October, she became the flagship of ComCruDesFlot 3. That night, at 2300, she fired her eight-inch guns for the first time in anger against shore targets in

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

as part of

Operation Sea Dragon Operation Sea Dragon was a series of American-led naval operations during the Vietnam War They began in October 1966 to interdict sea lines of communications and supply going south from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, and to destroy land targe ...

. ''Newport News'' spent 50 days patrolling the coast of North Vietnam as part of Operation Sea Dragon – the Navy's effort to destroy waterborne logistics craft, military supply routes and installations in North Vietnam. During this period, the ship conducted 156 strikes with 325 North Vietnamese coastal defense sites taken under fire. According to spotters, ''Newport News'' sank 17 waterborne logistics craft, damaged another 14 and destroyed several enemy bunkers and radar sites, bridges, barges, trucks and roads. The ship was subjected to return fire on several occasions, but each time countered enemy batteries. On 19 December 1967, ''Newport News'' exchanged fire with 20–28 separate shore batteries, simultaneously, off the coast of North Vietnam. During this engagement, over 300 enemy rounds bracketed the cruiser's position, but she suffered no direct hits. This encounter led to forward observers to nickname ''Newport News'' "The Gray Ghost from the East Coast," a moniker she retained throughout her three Vietnam deployments. USS Newport News 1972

Subsequent to the end of Operation Sea Dragon and for the remaining several months of this deployment, ''Newport News'' participated in

Naval Gunfire Support Naval gunfire support (NGFS) (also known as shore bombardment) is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by th ...

operations near the

DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

. In support of Third Marine Division forces on the coastal area, firing around the clock for periods sometimes lasting several weeks. During this deployment, ''Newport News'' expended 59,241 rounds of high-explosive ammunition, while conducting 239 observed and 602 unobserved missions. She came under fire of enemy coastal defense batteries on seventeen separate occasions, hit by

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

but never suffered a direct hit. The cruiser departed Subic Bay on 21 April and arrived at her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 May 1968, 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 ...

. Following an extensive yard overhaul period to prepare her for further combat operations, on 21 November 1968 ''Newport News'' departed Norfolk to commence a second deployment to Vietnam. Combat operations during this tour commenced on 25 December 1968, focused on providing naval gunfire support to the 7th and 9th

ARVN The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. It is estimated to have suffe ...

in Vĩnh Bình Province and the DMZ. ''Newport News'' departed Da Nang on 3 June 1969, via San Francisco and the Panama Canal, to arrive at her homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, in early July. In May 1972, ''Newport News'' returned for her third and final combat tour. Along with the

guided missile cruisers 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 h ...

and , as well as several screening destroyers, the ship took part in a high-speed night bombardment of

Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...

harbor known as

Operation Custom Tailor Operation Custom Tailor was an American cruiser and destroyer strike force that conducted a raid on Haiphong, North Vietnam, in 10 May 1972. It was a history-making strike that involved the most formidable cruiser/destroyer fleet in the Western ...

. In June 1972,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

reporter

Fox Butterfield Fox Butterfield (born 8 July 1939) is an American journalist who spent much of his 30-year career reporting for ''The New York Times''. Butterfield served as ''Times'' bureau chief in Saigon, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Boston and as a corre ...

, who was aboard the ship, detailed its role in

Operation Linebacker Operation Linebacker was the codename of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 air interdiction campaign conducted against North Vietnam from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War. Its purpose was to halt or slow the ...

. "Along with 64 other aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and supply ships of the Seventh Fleet—the biggest armada organized since World War II, Navy officers say—the Newport News is part of Operation Linebacker, the Nixon Administration's air and naval campaign to prevent North Vietnamese supplies from getting to South Vietnam." On 27 August 1972, ''Newport News'', , and made a night raid into Haiphong Harbor shelling the port area from a distance of . After leaving the harbor two

Vietnam People's Navy The Vietnam People's Navy (VPN; vi, Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam), or the Naval Service (), also known as the Vietnamese People's Navy or simply Vietnam/Vietnamese Navy (), is the naval branch of the Vietnam People's Army and is responsi ...

torpedo boats engaged the ships southeast of Haiphong with one sunk by the ''Newport News'' and the other set on fire by the ''Rowan'' and then sunk by a Navy

A-7 A7, A.7, A 7, A07 or A-7 may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * A7, the A dominant seventh chord used in many rock songs, see dominant seventh chord * A (musical note) * ''A7'' (mixtape), by SCH, 2015 * Avenged Sevenfold, a hard rock/meta ...

jet. At 1 a.m. on 1 October 1972, while in action off the Demilitarized Zone, ''Newport News'' sustained an in-bore explosion in her center 8-inch gun of number two turret. A defective auxiliary detonating fuze caused the projectile to detonate almost immediately upon firing. A total of 20 sailors were killed and another 36 suffered serious injuries from toxic gas inhalation. The barrel proper was blown forward from the gun. After making its way to

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

in the Philippines, the ship was out of commission for several weeks as its damaged gun was removed and its port plated over. The explosion had caused extensive damage to the center gun mount. It was proposed to replace the damaged mount with one from sister ships ''Des Moines'' (CA-134) or ''Salem'' (CA-139), both of which had been decommissioned, but this was rejected as being too expensive. As a result, the damage was not repaired and the turret was simply closed off for the remainder of the ship's career. USS Newport News (CA-148) being scrapped in 1993

USS Newport News (CA-148) being scrapped in 1993

Operations near Vietnam resumed 21 October and continued until December 1972 when the ship was recalled to Norfolk. During 1973 and 1974 the ship undertook training cruises and visited many ports around the world before being recalled for decommissioning. While there was some interest in retaining her "big-gun" capability in the fleet, a survey to determine further service indicated the ship was beyond economical refitting. ;Modifications ''Newport News'' underwent several refits which changed her appearance and increased her capabilities. During the mid-1950s her forward bridge was enclosed on both levels with roofs and glass windows creating a navigation bridge above, and a flag bridge below. Later in the 1950s more capable radars for navigation and gunnery were fitted. The biggest change for her came in 1962 when a large deckhouse was added midships which gave her enhanced flagship accommodation and office spaces. This would result in her becoming the United States Second Fleet flagship for most of the rest of her career, save for her gunfire support stints during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Decommissioning

''Newport News'' was decommissioned on 27 June 1975 during the

Ford Administration Gerald Ford's tenure as the 38th president of the United States began on August 9, 1974, upon the resignation of Richard Nixon from office, and ended on January 20, 1977, a period of days. Ford, a Republican from Michigan, had served as vice ...

and stricken 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 31 July 1978 during the

Carter Administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the 39th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. A Democrat from Georgia, Carter took office after defeating incumbent Republican President ...

. She spent her later years as a member of the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

's Mothball Fleet and was sold for scrap in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Louisiana, on 25 February 1993 during the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

. The

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

, in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

contains her bell and other items dedicated to ''Newport News'' and her crew. In the

Hampton Roads Naval Museum The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is one of ten Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It celebrates the long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is co-located with Nauticus in downt ...

's The Ten Thousand-Day War at Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam, 1950–1975 section of the museum, a large model of Newport News in her Vietnam configuration is displayed.

Gallery

File:USS Newport News (CA-148) under construction in January 1947.jpg, USS ''Newport News'' under construction in January 1947. File:HUP of HU-2 taking off from USS Newport News (CA-148) 1955.jpg, HUP of HU-2 takes off from USS ''Newport News'' in 1955. File:KD2R drone on USS Newport News (CA-148) 1960.jpg, KD2R Drone on USS ''Newport News'' in 1960. File:Target drones on USS Newport News (CA-148) 1960.jpg, Target Drones aboard USS ''Newport News'' in 1960. File:USS Newport News (CA-148) and Enterprise (CVAN-65) in 1962.jpg, USS Newport News alongside USS ''Enterprise'' (CVAN-65) In 1962. File:HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) and USS Newport news (CA-148) at Halifax c1962.jpg, USS ''Newport News'' and HMCS ''Bonaventure'' (CVL-22) at Halifax in 1962. File:USS Newport News (CA-148) at the Norfolk Navy Yard in 1965.jpg, USS Newport News at

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

in 1965. File:Westland Whirlwind on USS Newport News (CA-148) in 1966.jpg,

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...

on USS ''Newport News'' in 1966. File:USS Newport News (CA-148) firing on targets in Vietnam at night, circa in 1967.jpg, USS Newport News firing on North Vietnamese positions at night in 1967. File:USS Newport News (CA-148) firing on North Vietnamese positions, circa in May 1972 (USN 1151899).jpg, USS ''Newport News'' firing on

ese positions during the

in May 1972. File:USS Newport News (CA-148) on the Hudson River 1974.jpg, USS ''Newport News'' on

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

in 1974. File:USS Newport News (CA 148), USS Springfield (CLG 7) and USS Northampton (CC 1) await disposal.jpg, USS Newport News, USS ''Springfield'' (CG-7) and USS ''Northampton'' (CC-1) await disposal at

in October 1978.

Awards

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or sur ...

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 ...

with star in lieu of 2nd award *

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 ...

Navy E Ribbon The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The service ribbon replaced th ...

Navy Occupation Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the U.S. durin ...

with "Europe" clasp *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

with star *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. A ...

with three

campaign stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

* On 4 July weekend 1968, ''Newport News'' was awarded its first

, presented to Captain Snyder by Rear Admiral John Wadleigh on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy "for Exceptionally meritorious service from 2OCT67 to 26APR68 while engaged in operations against enemy aggressor forces in the waters contiguous to the hostile coastline of both North and South Vietnam." * The ship was awarded the "Top Gun" award for support of the allied forces during the 1969 deployment. * In 1969, ''Newport News'' was awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for performance during operations against hostile enemy forces during the ship's second deployment to Vietnam during 1968 and 1969. *''Newport News'' received the Battle Efficiency "E" for CIC/Operations for Fiscal Year 1972. The occasion marked the 24th commissioning anniversary of ''Newport News''. COMSECONDFLT VADM Finneran was guest speaker at the ceremony. (Twenty-nine January is the official anniversary of ''Newport News''.) *On 13 July 1973 ''Newport News'' was awarded its second Navy Unit Commendation, presented to Capt Kelly by VADM Finneran on behalf of

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 ...

John W. Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 200 ...

at a ceremony which was also attended by Capt Zartman, who had been Commanding Officer for the 1972 Vietnam deployment, during which the award was earned.

Museum and Memorial Foundation

In June 2000, three sailors from the USS ''Newport News'' visited the USS ''Salem'', the sister ship of the ''News'' which is preserved as a museum ship. Discussions began on providing the USS ''Newport News'' shipmates space to set up a display and museum of the ''News''. In July 2000, an agreement was reached between the USS Salem Museum and the USS Newport News Museum and Memorial Foundation. Donations of items, memorabilia, audio/visual material, and more began to flow in. Between 2000 and 2002, multiple work parties were held to get the museum displays organized, installed, and arranged. In 2001, the USS Newport News Museum and Memorial Foundation were able to secure a mooring bit that was preserved from the ''News'', as well as the memorial plaque honoring the fallen shipmates who perished in the October 1972 turret explosion. In 2002, the foundation also secured the ship's bell from the Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. Also in 2002, the Foundation organized a working party to restore Turret 2 on the USS ''Salem'' and dedicated it to the ''Newport News'' sailors who perished in the explosion. Decades of congealed hydraulic fluid was removed, brass polished, and paint applied.

References

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

USS Newport News Home Page
website dedicated to USS ''Newport News'' (CA-148)
USS Newport News ships store
USS Newport News (CA-148) ships store.
Model of USS Newport News at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum – dvidshub.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newport News (Ca-148) Des Moines-class cruisers Ships built in Newport News, Virginia 1948 ships Cold War cruisers of the United States Vietnam War cruisers of the United States