USS Princeton (CG-59)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 USS Princeton (CG-59) |
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| Career (USA) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Princeton |
| Namesake: | Battle of Princeton |
| Operator: |  United States Navy |
| Ordered: | 16 December 1983 |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down: | 15 October 1986 |
| Launched: | 2 October 1987 |
| Commissioned: | 11 February 1989 |
| Homeport: | San Diego, California |
| Motto: | Honor and Glory |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2009[update] |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ticonderoga-class cruiser |
| Displacement: | approx. 9,600 tons full load |
| Length: | 567 feet (173 m) |
| Beam: | 55 feet (17 m) |
| Draught: | 33 feet (10 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW) |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (60 km/h) |
| Complement: | 33 officers & 327 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPY-1A/B multi-function radar AN/SPS-49 air search radar AN/SPG-62 fire control radar AN/SPS-55 surface search radar AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar AN/SQQ-89(V)3 Sonar suite, consisting of
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| Armament: | 2 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems 122 × RIM-156 SM-2ER Bock IV, RIM-162 ESSM, BGM-109 Tomahawk, or RUM-139 VL-Asroc 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon missiles 2 × Mark 45 5 in / 54 cal lightweight gun 2 × 25 mm 2–4 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) gun 2 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mk 32 12.75 in (324 mm) triple torpedo tubes |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. |
USS Princeton (CG-59) is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser guided-missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She also is the home of two Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. This warship is named for the Revolutionary War victories over the British by George Washington in and around the town of Princeton, New Jersey.
Princeton was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.
The ship's first commander was Captain Ted Hontz, who took command at the commissioning ceremony on 11 February 1989 in the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. After traveling through the Panama Canal, the Princeton was home-ported at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California.
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[edit] Mine Attack
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On the morning of 18 February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Princeton was patrolling an operating area 28 nautical miles (52 km) off Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf, on the west side of the decoy U.S. Marine and naval invasion forces afloat. Two bottom-mounted influence mines (MANTAs) detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, most likely a sympathetic detonation caused by the first explosion. The blasts cracked the superstructure, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chillwater pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Two crew members were seriously injured, and another sustained minor injuries. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.
At great peril, the Canadian warship HMCS Athabaskan moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged Princeton, which remained on station for 30 hours until she was relieved. The crippled ship, with a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided from the minefield by the minesweeper USS Adroit. Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of Jebel Ali near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender USS Acadia, and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, the Princeton returned to the United States under the ship's own power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.
Princeton was greeted in Long Beach, California, by a throng of Navy family members, City of Long Beach officials, and the Los Angeles Lakers "Laker Girls" cheerleaders.
Captain Hontz turned over command to CAPT J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia.
[edit] Man Overboard Incident
In 2005, the warship was acting as an escort for the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and was featured in the documentary Carrier that aired on PBS-TV, about the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.[1] While in the Persian Gulf on the night of 12 September 2005, or the early morning of September 13, during the filming of the documentary, Seaman Apprentice Robert D. Macrum, 22, of Sugarland, Texas, fell overboard.[2][3] Despite a search lasting over five days, and covering a 360-square-mile (930 km2) area, Seaman Macrum was not found.[4]
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2009) |
While stationed at Long Beach, Princeton was moored at Pier 7 alongside her sister ship USS Antietam and the battleship USS Missouri. In 1990, Princeton and Reuben James had visited the port of Vladivostok together in the Soviet Union.
When the U.S. Naval Base in Long Beach was closed, the home port of the Princeton was moved to the San Diego Naval Base.
Princeton was overhauled from 1999-2000 in San Diego, California.
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
- ^ "Nimitz Highlighted in PBS TV Series and Premiere" - U.S. Navy - (c/o Navy.mil) - 4/23/2008
- ^ "Search and Rescue Operations Underway in Persian Gulf for Missing Princeton Sailor" - U.S. Navy - (c/o Navy.mil) - 9/14/2005
- ^ "DoD Identifies Sailor Lost at Sea" - U.S. Navy - (c/o Navy.mil) - 9/29/2005
- ^ "SAR Ops Conclude in Search for USS Princeton Sailor" - U.S. Navy - (c/o Navy.mil) - 9/19/2005
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Princeton (CG-59) |
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