USS Leyte Gulf

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For ships with similar names, see USS Leyte.

USS Leyte Gulf on 22 February 2004
History
United States
NameLeyte Gulf
NamesakeBattle of Leyte Gulf
Ordered20 June 1983
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down18 March 1985
Launched20 June 1986
Commissioned26 September 1987
HomeportNorfolk
Identification
MottoArrayed For Victory
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeTiconderoga-class cruiser
DisplacementApprox. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load
Length565 feet (172 meters) She lost 2 feet after colliding with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
Beam55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft34 feet (10.2 meters)
Propulsion
Speed32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement30 officers and 300 enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS Mk III helicopters.

USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) is a

"Seahawk" LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters
, whose primary mission is ASW.

Leyte Gulf was

launched on 20 June 1986, and commissioned on 26 September 1987 at Port Everglades, Florida.[1][2]

History

On 14 October 1996, Leyte Gulf collided with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt while conducting operations off the coast of North Carolina. The incident occurred as the carrier, without prior warning, reversed her engines while Leyte Gulf was behind her and slammed into the cruiser's bow. There were no personnel casualties or injuries reported,[3] and damage to the Leyte was only $2 million.[4]

In 2002, she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet.

In late 1992 Leyte Gulf was assigned to

Carrier Group Eight.[6]

USS Leyte Gulf steams under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during the parade of ships on the opening day of New York Fleet Week 2008.

On 15 September 2007, there was a fire aboard Leyte Gulf as she underwent an extensive modernization program in

BAE Systems Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the fire received national attention due to the possibility that it was a terrorist incident, however, it was quickly revealed to be an industrial accident. Five shipyard workers were injured in the incident, one seriously, but no naval personnel were involved.[7]

In February 2011, Leyte Gulf was involved in an

Somali pirates after they captured the United States flagged yacht Quest.[8]

U.S. sailors from USS Leyte Gulf's Vessel Board Search and Seizure Team return to their ship

The cruiser returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During her deployment, she had participated in operations which had captured 75 Somali pirates and had missile strikes by her carrier strike group against the Libyan government.[9]

In January 2015, Leyte Gulf returned from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The ship served as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 for much of the deployment.[10]

In August 2022 Leyte Gulf was again deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.[11] She returned to Norfolk on 09 June 2023.

On 29 January 2024, Leyte Gulf deployed Sunday from

Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 and is expected to conduct passing exercises with regional partners and make port visits to counter threats such as illegal drug trafficking. [12]

In March 2024, the Navy announced plans to inactivate Leyte Gulf on 27 September 2024.[13]

See also

  • Carrier Strike Group Two

References

  1. ^ "USS LEYTE GULF (CG 55)". NVR. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ "USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) history". U.S. Carriers. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ "USS Leyte Gulf at DCHM". Naval Sea Systems Command DC Museum. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  4. ^ "Navy Officers Reprimanded for Role in Ships Collision".
  5. ISBN 1-55750-675-2
    .
  6. ^ Toppan, Andrew (10 March 2003). "World Navies Today: US Navy Aircraft Carriers & Surface Combatants". hazegray.org. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Fire on Navy cruiser in shipyard sends five to hospital". WAVY10 News, Hampton Roads. Retrieved 16 September 2007. [dead link]
  8. ^ "Four American hostages killed by Somali pirates". NBC News. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  9. Newport News Daily Press
    .
  10. ^ "USS Leyte Gulf Returns to Home Port". US Navy News Service NNS150107-04. 7 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Carrier USS George H.W. Bush Joins Truman Strike Group in Mediterranean, Two Guided-Missile Subs in 6th Fleet". USNI News. 25 August 2022.
  12. ^ McElhiney, Brian (29 January 2024). "USS Leyte Gulf deploys to Caribbean, South America". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ VADM J. E. Pitts (11 March 2024). "NAVADMIN 050/24 FY24 PROJECTED SHIP INACTIVATION SCHEDULE (UPDATED COPY)". MyNavyHR. Retrieved 2 April 2024.

Further reading

External links

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