They would be replaced by the Ticonderoga (CG) and Arleigh Burke (DDG) classes, designed from the ground up with Aegis. USSLong Beach, which was the third ship to be named after the California city, was laid down in December 1957 and launched in July 1959. It also helped thatLong Beach was homeported in San Diego while the others were based in Alameda, California. Our next port visit after the conclusion of the exercise was Melbourne, Australia. He stated "Newport News Shipbuilding used to have 'commitment to quality' on a rock at the entrance to the shipyard but now that rock is in a museum.. USS Long Beach, CGN-9. She was commissioned on September 9, 1961 under the command of then-Captain Eugene Parks Wilkinson, who had previously served as the first commanding officer for the USS Nautilus. I believe, each one of my supervisors who gave their approval thought that someone above them would disapprove my request. Long Beach steamed over 30,000 miles in 58 days at an average speed of 25 knots, without being refueled or resupplied. Floating battery (circa 1899), NH 97609 Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter, NH 47545 Captain Frederick L. Oliver, USN, NH 67750 USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) 1929-1948, NH 96239 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96241 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96243 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96244 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96251 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, 80-G-44937 Battle of the Komandorsky Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50208 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50209 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50215 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50221 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50236 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50241 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50249 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50251 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-66042 Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942, 80-G-264236 USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) USS Pensacola (CA-24) USS New Orleans (CA-32), 80-G-299017 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, See Related Content for USS Salt Lake City. I believe it was reported by the berthing where the Operations Specialists (formerly called Radarmen) slept. Sept 2002 Removal of superstructure, nuclear fuel removed. Back in Norfolk 23 June 1965, Long Beach resumed training and upkeep prior to her transfer to the Pacific Fleet. Now a Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. 2 December 1957 Keel laid in Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. After that, he served two back-to-back nine-month tours in Da Nang, Vietnam with the Seabees. I finished boot camp as a company honor man and with scholastic honors. In the late 1970s, DARPA proposed to the USN a new warship concept called the "Strike Cruiser" provisionally designated CSGN. [19] In June, 1991, Long Beach took part in Operation Fiery Vigil, evacuating U.S. military personnel from two bases in the Philippines, Clark Air Base and U.S. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. You must remember,Long Beach's crew was entirely male. Needless to say, with Long Beach in port, no one was seen wearing those shirts! Here was the last 'true' cruiser built by the Navy. 28 April 1964 Second deployment to the Mediterranean for "Nuclear Task Force One". Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42/CVA-42), USS George E. Badger (DD-196/AVP-16/AVD-3/APD-33), USS Guadalcanal (AVG-60/ACV-60/CVE-60/CVU-60), USS Lexington (CV-16/CVA-16/CVS-16/CVT-16), NH 94540 Commander John L. Hall, USN Commander Paulus P. Powell, USN, NH 80176 Destroyer Division Fifteen (DESDIV 15), NH 50709 View at Amoy, China taken from Kulangsoo, USS Perch (SS-313/SSP-313/APSS-313/LLPSS-313), 80-G-7861 USS Portland (CA-33) and USS San Francisco (CA-38), NH 107440 USS Thompson USS Davison USS Mervine USS Quick, 80-G-367853 Invasion of Southern France, August 1944, 80-G-368078 General Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Army, USA C-545 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, USA C-548 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, See More USS Quincy (CA-71) Related Content, See More USS Quinnebaug (ID# 1687) Related Content, NH 42543 U.S. Photo taken from USS Evans (DE 1023). As before,USSLong Beach(CGN9) spent most of her time on PIRAZ station, guiding the many planes which operated over North Vietnam. Since she was built as a true cruiser, Long Beach had a flag bridge and quarters to carry an admiral and his staff. This is the story of Master Chief Douglas Healeys Navy journey and the historic and enigmatic ship he kept coming back to. The USS Long Beach, the nation's first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, in Massachusetts Bay on July 26, 1961. A lot of the structural bulkheads were not complete and it was relatively easy to go from one end of the unfinished hull to the other. He got out of the Navy but stayed a drilling reservist. Long Beach was commissioned first, in September 1961, and Enterprise in November of the same year. After three days' port visit, we got underway and held and exercise with the Aussie and Kiwi navies called 'Kangaroo Two.' [citation needed], Long Beach served as an escort for the USSMissouri(BB-63) task force, and provided aircraft carrier escort support after the Gulf War of 1991. After a few days in port, we returned to sea with the entireKitty Hawk Battlegroup. The ship was originally designed with "all-missile" armament, but was fitted with two 5"/38 caliber gun mounts amidships on the orders of President John F. Those of us who had been on Long Beach called Arkansas a 'cruiser with a forged birth certificate' since most of the official plans and manuals referred to the ship as a DLGN (nuclear powered guided missile destroyer), not a CGN (nuclear powered guided missile cruiser). For the longest time, the ship's rumor mill had it that if Long Beach rolled to greater than 45 degrees to either port or starboard, the ship would capsize. When I arrived, I requested permission to enter and when I entered, my father was sitting there drinking coffee with the battalion commander. Long Beach was laid down 2 December 1957, launched 14 July 1959 and commissioned 9 September 1961 under the command of then-Captain Eugene Parks Wilkinson, who previously served as the first commanding officer of the world's first nuclear-powered vessel, the submarine USSNautilus(SSN-571). A fire was started in the dump area. The majority of the complicated work would be accomplished by the shipyard workers but the ship's crew would have maintenance to accomplish as well. She was the only ship of her class. She was reclassified CG (N)160 in early 1957, but was again reclassified as CG (N)9 on 1 July 1957. Long Beach received a Navy Unit Commendation for the actions. Letters could take a couple of weeks to travel between the ship and home. After we launched the missile, a fin fell off and the missile pulled a three-G turn and came back at the ship! After a few days' steaming, we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand. USS Long Beach Navy Westpac Cruise Book depicts life during the 1969-1970 Westpac mission. I was also aware that Long Beach had well over 60 Chiefs, Senior Chiefs and Master Chiefs in the mess and with my father gone, I needed someone I could learn about being a Chief from. USS Bainbridge DLGN-25/CGN-25 U S Navy Jacket Patch. In July of 2012, the hull of the Long Beach was sold for recycling as prescribed for nuclear-powered vessels by Code 350 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. In 1987, we were deployed to the Arabian Gulf area during the Iraq-Iran War. The cruiser returned to Long Beach, California, in July 1967. It was going through the drawdown of the post-Vietnam era and there was a severe shortage of leadership personnel at the First and Second Class Petty Officer levels (E6 and E5). A classmate received orders toUSS Long Beach and wanted to go to New England so we asked our advisers to see if we could swap our orders. During the yard period in question, the ship's hull was scraped and repainted and the voltage regulators on the ship's service generators were updated. On the way out, he pulled out a list of places that were 'off limits' from his pocket and crossed off the place we'd just left and announced: "now we know why that place is on the list!. [4] Long Beach was the last cruiser built with a World War II-era cruiser hull style,[5][6] as later new-build cruisers were built with different hull forms, such as the converted frigates Leahy(DLG-16), Bainbridge(DLGN-25), Belknap(DLG-26), Truxtun(DLGN-35), and the California and Virginia classes, or the Ticonderoga-class cruiser that was built on a Spruance-class destroyer hull. At the time the Navy had only two promotion cycles for advancement to Chief (due to a budget crunch), first and last increments. The ship received multiple reffits including the replacement of the 5in guns per Tomahawks and Harpoon launchers. Consequently, she was redesigned and expanded to a . He made an announcement on the ship's announcing system which sounded like a slam on Newport News Shipbuilding. Every time I set foot on a ship, the memories of shipboard life and the unique routine that goes along with it come back to me. On September 9, 1961, the ship was commissioned at the Boston Navy Shipyard, From January to October 1985, the TOMAHAWK cruise missile system was installed onboard at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, replacing the previously removed TALOS system. Considering Arkansas and Long Beach each had essentially the same role in a battle group, I've always felt Long Beach was more capable. Please see below for item level images and donated collections containing photographs ofUSS Long Beach (CGN-9). USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy and the world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant. Anyway, once we were briefed on the protests (we were told not to challenge them), we were allowed to go ashore (in our uniforms for one day at least!). All Rights Reserved. After a certain number of deployment cycles, the ship would go to a maintenance facility for extensive upkeep and or repair. Peter is also aContributing Writerfor Forbes. worlds first operational nuclear-powered submarine, Video: Ukraine Is Blowing Up Russian Tanks and Posting it on Twitter, America Needs to Support Ukraine to Stop World War III, Ron DeSantis Is Finally Striking Back Against Donald Trump, Lauren Boebert Just Declared War on Pete Buttigieg. [ 1] O USS Long Beach foi desenvolvido logo aps a Segunda Guerra Mundial, construdo no incio da propulso nuclear. Photos taken at her commissioning and for some time thereafter, show that the taller, narrower AN/SPS-33 panels were not installed on the superstructure until a later date. The SAM capabilities were also upgraded to allow using the Standard missile. There were two other prototypes at the site, an A1W (the USS Enterprise prototype) and an S1W (the USS Nautilus prototype). Long Beach's deployment as the flagship of the Surface Action Group (SAG) alongside the Iowa class battleship USS New Jersey was a very interesting deployment. 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