USS South Carolina (CGN-37)
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USS ''South Carolina'' (CGN-37) was the second ship of the of nuclear-powered
guided missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket ...
cruisers 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 ...
. USS ''South Carolina'' and her sister ship, , were equipped with two Mk-13 launchers, fore and aft, for the
RIM-24 Tartar The General Dynamics RIM-24 Tartar was a medium-range naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. The Tartar was the third of the so-called "3 T's", the three primar ...
surface-to-air missiles,
ASROC The RUR-5 ASROC (for "Anti-Submarine Rocket") is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed ...
missiles, and
Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the t ...
missiles. They were equipped with two 5-inch rapid-fire cannons, fore and aft. Unlike the later which had a unique arrangement aft of the superstructure, with a flight deck and a below-decks hangar for two LAMPS helicopters, these two cruisers had only a landing pad aft and basic refuelling equipment. There was also a full suite of anti-submarine warfare equipment. Thus, these ships were designed to face all threats, in the air, on the surface, and underwater. ''South Carolina'' was sometimes referred to by her crewmembers as "The Socar" or "The Mighty Socar".


1970–1979

''South Carolina'' was launched on 1 July 1972 and commissioned as DLGN-37 on 25 January 1975. She was redesignated CGN-37 six months later in the Navy's major type realignment of 30 June 1975. ''South Carolina'' was built at Newport News Shipbuilding Co.,
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 ...
, Virginia. The cruiser's first North Atlantic deployment was to the Battle Group. After ''South Carolina'' participated in Exercise Solid Shield in the Caribbean and completed her first Mediterranean deployment in February 1977. ''South Carolina'' in company with her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
, , and the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
commenced a second Mediterranean deployment in November 1977 and 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 ...
in July 1978. ''South Carolina'' deployed again to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
in January 1979 with the Battle Group.


1980–1989

In 1980, ''South Carolina'' deployed as part of the first Atlantic battle group to spend an entire deployment in the Indian Ocean. After a cruise to the
Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
in November 1981, she was deployed in January 1982 for a six-month deployment with the carrier . In 1985, ''South Carolina'' began a new year by conducting preparatory exercises in the Caribbean. It was deployed to the Mediterranean in March and completed the deployment seven months and 46,500 miles later. ''South Carolina'' spent the majority of the deployment on station off Lebanon, in the wake of the hijacking of
TWA Flight 847 Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demande ...
. The cruiser underwent her second extended maintenance period from October 1985 to June 1986. She departed in July 1986 for a North Atlantic cruise, and made port visits to
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
, Germany and
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. Upon her return to Norfolk, she commenced preparations for overseas deployment and got underway on 30 December 1986 with the ''Nimitz'' Battle Group. During this deployment, ''South Carolina'' returned to her station off Lebanon when British peace emissary
Terry Waite Terence Hardy Waite (born 31 May 1939) is an English humanitarian and author. Waite was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs for the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he ...
was kidnapped in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
. In June 1987, just months after the frigate was struck by Iraqi missiles, ''South Carolina'' was involved in a tense standoff with Libyan jets in the
Gulf of Sidra The Gulf of Sidra ( ar, خليج السدرة, Khalij as-Sidra, also known as the Gulf of Sirte ( ar, خليج سرت, Khalij Surt, is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya, named after the oil port of Sidra or ...
. A major incident was averted by the use of high powered electronic warfare equipment to jam the jet's radars and Libya fired back only with diplomatic protest. She conducted joint exercises, entered the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
where crew members became a member of the ''Order of the Blue Nose'', and had a port visit to
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
, Germany. During this cruise, British
naval historian Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
Eric Grove Eric Grove (1948 - 15 April 2021) was a British naval historian and defence analyst. Biography Grove was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1948. He took an MA in War Studies at King's College London in 1971 and was appointed that year as a civili ...
was an honored guest of the officers and crew. She returned home in October 1988 to make final preparations for deployment. ''South Carolina'' deployed to the Mediterranean in December 1988 with the Battle Group. During this deployment, helicopters from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron NINE (HS-9) teamed up to rescue the fifteen British crew members from four yachts disabled by heavy weather. The crew members' rescue was broadcast on television in France, Italy and the United Kingdom, and reported worldwide in newspapers. The cruiser returned to Norfolk on 30 June 1989, and began a four-month availability at
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 ...
following a one-month Caribbean visit in support of operations with the aircraft carrier .


1990–1998

''South Carolina'' departed 5 January 1990 for Limited Team Training in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The cruiser again set sail for the Caribbean on 12 March 1990 for law enforcement operations returning on 13 April 1990 having acted as Coast Guard, COMCARIBRON
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 ...
and making two drug interdictions. ''South Carolina'' returned to the Caribbean in July for counter narcotics operations, where she served as flagship for Commander, Joint Task Group 4 and COMCARIBRON. ''South Carolina'' departed 1 October 1990 for operations with the Battle Group. Following a solo trans-Atlantic crossing, she transited the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
for the first time in her history. During
Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, she served as flagship for COMDESRON 24, the Maritime Interdiction Force Commander in the northern
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 ...
. ''South Carolina'' conducted twenty-seven boardings during Maritime Interdiction Force operations. Admiral Frank Kelso, Chief of Naval Operations, visited ''South Carolina'' on station 7 November 1990. Upon completion of Maritime Interdiction Force operations, ''South Carolina'' was selected as the first nuclear-powered warship to visit the
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
, Saudi Arabia. In January 1991 ''South Carolina'' participated in operations in the Central Mediterranean with the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' and Battle Groups. The ship sortied early from
Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
, in Italy 17 January 1991 at the start of
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
. ''South Carolina'' acted as an Anti-Air Warfare Commander for the Mediterranean, protecting operation Silver Cloud air corridors and the approaches to the Suez Canal. ''South Carolina'' acted as on-scene commander and supervised the recovery of four survivors and 29 bodies from the sinking merchant ship ''Continental Lotus''. ''South Carolina'' returned to homeport on 28 March 1991. The cruiser entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a Combat System New Threat Upgrade and refueling of both reactors and left the shipyard 30 March 1994 with a new lease on life. Following nuclear refueling, she participated in ''Operation Able Vigil Forces'' to assist in the rescue and transport of thousands of Cuban migrants; its crew members were awarded the
Coast Guard Unit Commendation The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that di ...
. ''South Carolina'''s first post-refueling deployment was to the
Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait ( es, Estrecho de Florida) is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between th ...
during October and November 1994 to rescue Cuban refugees who were fleeing their homeland in hopes of reaching the United States. ''South Carolina'' commenced workups in the spring in preparations for her next major deployment. In the fall of 1995, she started her eleventh deployment. This cruise saw service off the coast of the former republics of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
in support of Operations Deny Flight, Sharp Guard, and Decisive Endeavor, which was part of the overall NATO
Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...
. ''South Carolina'' acted as "Red Crown" and Air Warfare Commander in the Adriatic Sea, earning the
NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium. Ba ...
,
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 ...
, and
Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who e ...
s. ''South Carolina'' returned to homeport in the spring of 1996. ''South Carolina'' completed all unit work-up phases and began fleet operations with the Battle Group in the spring of 1997. From April to June 1997 ''South Carolina'' conducted a COMPTUEX with the ''George Washington'' Battle Group coordinating and acting as Air Warfare Commander for the largest and most successful surface-to-air missile exercise in the Atlantic fleet. In August 1997, ''South Carolina'' participated in Fleetex and completed all preparations for deployment. In October 1997, the cruiser began its final Mediterranean cruise visiting thirteen ports of call from
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 to
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Italy and
Rota, Spain The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...
. She served as the Sixth Fleet Air Warfare Commander and participated in three major NATO exercises. The ship returned to homeport Norfolk in April 1998. Just weeks after returning from the Mediterranean, ''South Carolina'' returned to sea for six weeks of Counter
Narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...
operations in the South Western Caribbean. The ship conducted its final port visit in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
between 10 and 14 August 1998. ''South Carolina'' was deactivated on 4 September 1998 The last of the crew left in July 1999, with the exception of a small contingent to escort her through the Panama Canal and to
Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...
where she entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted u ...
on 1 October 1999. She was 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 30 July 1999, and on 28 March 2000 ceased to exist.


Decommissioning and memorial

Her scrapping was completed by 2007. In June 2009 her bow, which is long, wide and high, was placed as part of the Puget Sound Memorial Plaza. By April 2010, her nuclear reactor compartments had arrived, by barge via the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
, to the
Hanford Site The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. The site has been known by many names, including SiteW a ...
(Hanford Nuclear Reservation) for long term storage. The reactor compartment is the 122nd to be received by Hanford from ex-US Navy ships and submarines.


Unit awards

Based on the Navy Awards site, USS ''South Carolina'' (CGN-37) and the vessel's crew members have received the following awards for the specified dates of services (listed in order of precedence of the award):


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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:South Carolina (Cgn-37) California-class cruisers Ships built in Newport News, Virginia 1972 ships Cold War cruisers of the United States Nuclear ships of the United States Navy