USS Hué City (CG-66)
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USS ''Hué City'' (CG-66) is a
guided missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of Propulsion, self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a targ ...
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 operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
serving in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. She was ordered 16 April 1987, and laid down 20 February 1989, at Ingalls Shipbuilding,
Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...
. ''Hué City'' was in active service from 14 September 1991 to 23 September 2022. She is named for the
Battle of Huế The Battle of Huế (31 January 1968 – 2 March 1968), was a major battle in the Tết Offensive launched by North Vietnam and the Việt Cộng during the Vietnam War. Initially losing control of most of Huế and its surroundings, the c ...
, fought in the city during the
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...
of 1968 by the
1st Marine Regiment The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...
(composed of 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and attached units) during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. The three battalion commanders were the honored guests at her 1991 commissioning. ''Hué City'' is the only U.S. Navy ship named after a battle in the Vietnam War, although it had been planned to name LHA-5 as USS ''Khe Sanh'' after the
Battle of Khe Sanh The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base ( ...
, but that ship was commissioned in 1976 as . As the only U.S. warship named for a battle that took place during the Vietnam War, ''Hué City'' had the opportunity to reach out to the veterans of the battle for which she is named. She frequently held memorials commemorating the Battle of Huế.


Ship history


1990s

''Hué City'' sailed on 11 March 1993, for her maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the Carrier battle group (CVBG). Principally operating in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, ''Hué City'' developed the air picture and transmitted it to command centers afloat and shore. ''Hué City'' also monitored the safety of United Nations relief flights to
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
, ensuring
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
aircraft did not violate no-fly zones. While conducting training near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in April 1994, ''Hué City'' was directed to serve as Destroyer Squadron 22 flagship in support of sanctions against
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
. ''Hué City'' sailed for her second deployment 22 March 1995, with the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' CVBG. ''Hué City'' took station in the Red Sea, where she provided air coverage to the Combat Air Patrol enforcing the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq. ''Hué City'' sailed for the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
on 24 May 1996, to participate in operations involving forty-eight ships from thirteen nations. The operations focused on tracking air, surface, and subsurface targets in a multinational task force. ''Hué City'' deployed on 29 April 1997, to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the CVBG. ''Hué City'' operated in the Adriatic Sea, overseeing all air activity in support of naval operations. In 1999, ''Hué City'' sailed for counter-drug operations in the Caribbean Sea. Later that year, ''Hué City'' participated in Baltic Operations, a multinational exercise consisting of fifty-three vessels from twelve nations.


2000s

''Hué City'' conducted multinational exercises in South America while acting as flagship in UNITAS 2000 Caribbean phase. On 26 June 2000, ''Hué City'' sailed to New York City, as the reviewing ship for President Clinton and his family, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and COMCRUDESGRU 12 in the International Naval Review 2000. As part of the CVBG, and in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, ''Hué City'' set sail in support of defense and humanitarian efforts off the coast of New York. Ships and aircraft of the ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG commenced use of the Vieques Island inner range beginning 24 September 2001, in conjunction with their Composite Unit Training Exercises (COMPUTEX). The exercise, which began the week prior, also utilized the northern and southern
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
operating areas, and involved complex battle group training events, naval surface fire-support training and air-to-ground bombing. ''Hué City'' then took part in Underway No. 10, one in a series of tests leading to the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Operation Evaluation (OPEVAL) scheduled for Spring 2001. The CEC system provides the capability to cooperatively engage targets by a warship using data from other CEC-equipped ships, aircraft, and land-based sensors, even in an electronic-jamming environment. It also provides a common, consistent and highly accurate air picture, allowing battle group defenses to act as one seamless system. The test, off
Wallops Island Wallops Island is a island in Accomack County, Virginia, part of the Virginia Barrier Islands that stretch along the eastern seaboard of the United States. It is just south of Chincoteague Island, a popular tourist destination. Wallops Isla ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, simulated missile firings from some of the Navy's most technically advanced ships against unmanned drones. As part of the ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG, ''Hué City'' took part Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1, with Phase I of the exercise running from January 19 through 26, 2002 and Phase II running 7–14 February 2002. In March 2002, ''Hué City'' was part of ''John F. Kennedy'' CVBG at it relieved the ''Theodore Roosevelt'' CVBG, in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
. In May 2002, during a three-day Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) exercise off the coast of Djibouti, Africa, ''Hué City'' fired hundreds of 5-inch rounds in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise 2002 (MEUEX '02) more than 60 targets that included tanks, bunkers, and various military vehicles. ''Hué City'' joined the
Amphibious Ready Group An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines (and occasionally U.S. Army soldiers), in total abo ...
(ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to conduct this first of its kind exercise in this little-known region of northeast Africa.


2010s

Prior to 2014, she successfully completed consecutive deployments to the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
and North Arabian Sea. On 14 April 2014, Monday evening, a fire broke out at just after 6:20 p.m. local time while ''Hué City'' was steaming about 200 nautical miles northeast of
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
. The crew fought and defeated a major fire in one of the main engineering spaces without suffering any injuries. The ship's executive officer was relieved by the head of Carrier Strike Group 8 in June 2014 for "failing to ensure his crew properly stowed hazardous materials" which subsequently caught fire. According to the investigation report, bales of rags caught fire after they had been improperly stored in an exhaust uptake trunk. The fire caused over $23 million in damage and required over 9 months of repairs. It also caused ''Hué City'' to miss the planned deployment to Europe.


2020s

In December 2020 the U.S. 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. On 23 September 2022, the Navy held a decommissioning ceremony for ''Hué City'' 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 Ham ...
.


Awards

''Hué City'' has received the following awards: *
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 ...
, as part of TG 20.15 from 8 May 2000 to 14 May 2001 *
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 ...
, as part of TF 60 from 1 April 2002 to 30 September 2002 *
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 ...
, as part of COMCARSTRKGRU 8 from 1 October 2011 to 3 July 2013 *
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 ...
for a number of periods relating to Bosnia from March to July 1993, June to September 1995 and June to August 1997. *
Navy E Ribbon A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
, 13 awards. 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.


References

* *


External links

* (archived March 2015) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hue City (CG-66) Ticonderoga-class cruisers Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1990 ships Cruisers of the United States