USS Gettysburg (CG-64) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.

Construction

The third Gettysburg (CG-64) was laid down on 17 August 1988, at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works; launched on 22 July 1989; sponsored by Julie Nixon Eisenhower, wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower II, grandson of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and son-in-law of former President Richard M. Nixon; and commissioned on 22 June 1991.

Operation history

left|thumb|USS Gettysburg on her maiden voyage, 16 October 1992

October 1992 – April 1993, maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in support of the carrier battle group; along with sister ship .

On 30 November 1994, Gettysburg and guided missile frigate were dispatched to assist the cruise ship , which was on fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. Achille Lauro eventually sank but the passengers were rescued and transported to Djibouti, Djibouti.

On 13 October 1996, she bumped into Iranian corvette in the northern Persian Gulf; however, neither of the ships suffered serious damage.

Gettysburg took part in Operation Desert Fox, 16–20 December 1998.

In March 2003, the ship was assigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Twelve.thumb|280x280px|USS Gettysburg (CG 64) in 2004|leftGettysburg with a Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 Detachment 5 and a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) embarked, sailed from Naval Station Mayport, on a two-part counter narcotics deployment to the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, 11 October–23 December 2005 and 1 January–4 April 2006. She visited Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, 21–25 October, passed through the Panama Canal, 3–4 November, and provided air surveillance and evacuation support for a visit by President George W. Bush to Panama. In addition, the ship visited Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Panama, 18–22 November and 5–6 and 16–18 December. Gettysburg intercepted three narcotics smuggling vessels, of cocaine, and 17 smugglers before the New Year. She came about on 17 December, and intercepted her third suspect, a vessel carrying more than of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific, on 22 December.

left|thumb|USS Gettysburg underway in high seas, 22 May 2011

Gettysburg completed her Composite Unit Training Exercise as part of Carrier Strike Group Two on 10 February 2011. Gettysburg deployed with an embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70) detachment as part of Carrier Strike Group Two, departing Naval Station Mayport on 10 May 2011. Gettysburg subsequently participated in NATO naval exercise Exercise Saxon Warrior off the coast of England, under the operational control of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). During this exercise, Gettysburg operated with the new British guided-missile destroyer .

In May 2015, Gettysburgs homeport was changed from NAVSTA Mayport to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

Gettysburg entered into the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on 30 September 2015. She was drydocked and underwent extensive modernization and material repairs including an upgrade of her radar and AEGIS weapon system. She went underway again for the first time in nearly nine years on 28 February 2023.

Gettysburg was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to successfully navigate the SLEP program at an estimated cost of over $200 million.thumb|USS Gettysburg underway, 14 October 2024On 23 September, 2024, Gettysburg departed Norfolk, VA in support of the deployment of Carrier Strike Group 8.

On 22 December 2024, Gettysburg shot down an F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11) and flying off the during the Red Sea crisis. USCENTCOM stated that both the pilot and weapon systems officer ejected and were recovered safely shortly after, with only one receiving minor injuries after an initial assessment. The Gettysburg also fired on a second F/A-18 and missed by ~100 feet. The missile missed thanks to the pilot performing evasive maneuvers.

Awards

  • Combat Action Ribbon (December 2023 – May 2025)
  • Navy Unit Commendation
  • Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
  • Battle "E" - (2013, 2014, 2023)
  • Battenberg Cup – (2013)
  • Kinsley Award from the Gettysburg Foundation - (2022)

In Tom Clancy's novel The Bear and the Dragon, Gettysburg, with President Jack Ryan onboard, successfully defended Washington, D.C. against an incoming ICBM launched by the People's Republic of China using the Aegis missile system she carries.

Notes

  • Command web site
  • USS Gettysburg webpage