USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51) was a flight-I that was used by the United States Navy. The warship was named after Thomas S. Gates, Secretary of Defense in the last years of the Eisenhower Administration (1959–1961).

In a break from normal naming conventions for the Ticonderoga-class cruisers, the Thomas S. Gates was originally the only vessel of the class to be named after a person; all of the other cruisers are named after notable events in American military history until 2023, when USS Chancellorsville was renamed .

Construction

Thomas S. Gates was laid down 31 August 1984, at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, and sponsored by Anne Gates, widow of the ship's namesake. She was launched on 14 December 1985, purchased on 22 June 1987, and commissioned on 22 August 1987, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

thumb|Thomas S. Gates and Kauffman visit Sevastopol, August 1989|left

This ship's maiden deployment took place from 31 May 1989 to 10 November 1989. After transiting to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the battle group formed around the aircraft carrier , Thomas S. Gates in-chopped to the Sixth Fleet on 10 June 1989; she participated in Operation National Week (10–19 June 1989), conducting turnover with the guided missile cruiser at Augusta Bay, Sicily (15 June).

After visiting Palma, Majorca (20–27 June) and Toulon, France (30 June – 15 July), where she underwent an Intermediate Maintenance Availability (IMAV), Thomas S. Gates transited to the eastern Mediterranean (15–21 July); following a port visit to İzmir, Turkey (21–23 July), Thomas S. Gates participated in Exercise Demon Jazz 89 (24–29 July). She then visited Istanbul, Turkey (31 July – 2 August), where she embarked VADM Paul Ilg, Deputy Commander in Chief U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, and then stood into the Black Sea (3–4 August). Accompanied by the guided missile frigate , Thomas S. Gates visited Sevastopol, USSR, from 4–8 August, and then returned to Istanbul, where she disembarked VADM Ilg (9–10 August).

Owing to the crisis in Lebanon, which had dictated that the fleet flagship, guided missile cruiser , not carry out her scheduled visit to Sevastopol, Thomas S. Gates subsequently operated in support of Coral Sea and battle groups off Beirut.

Returning to Toulon, Thomas S. Gates there underwent a period of maintenance (7–13 September). After taking part in NATO Exercise Display Determination 89 (14 September- 3 October) in concert with units of the French and Turkish Navies, she conducted a period of escort operations (3–11 October) as she transited to the western Mediterranean. She then underwent a period of maintenance in Marseille, France (11–22 October) before she participated in Exercise National Week (24–31 October), during which she conducted turnover with her relief, the cruiser at Pollensa Bay, Majorca (29 October). Out-chopping to Commander, 2d Fleet, on 31 October 1989, Thomas S. Gates then conducted her return transit to Norfolk (31 October-10 November 1989).

Desert Shield and Desert Storm

From 15 August 1990 to 28 March 1991, Thomas S. Gates deployed in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

With only five days of intensive preparations, she deployed as an element of the battle group under RADM Riley D. Mixson, formed around the aircraft carrier to participate in Operation Desert Shield. The group exercised at sea from 16–21 August, then began its voyage toward the Mediterranean Sea (22 August), transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on 30 August to become Task Force (TF) 60. On 1 September, the ship experienced a gas turbine casualty while transiting the western Mediterranean that compelled her to put into Augusta Bay, Sicily, for an engine changeout (3–11 September), after which time she rejoined TF-60 (13 September) off Port Said, Egypt.

thumb|Thomas S. Gates in the [[Great Bitter Lake, September 1990.|left]]Thomas S. Gates began her maiden transit of the Suez Canal (14 September), leading the battle group on its passage through that historic waterway. Becoming part of Task Group (TG) 150.5 (15 September) upon entering the Red Sea, the guided missile cruiser rode "shotgun" for John F. Kennedy and operated as anti-air warfare commander (16 September – 14 October) before being detached from the carrier on 15 October. With a USCG detachment embarked, Thomas S. Gates transited the Straits of Tiran, at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, and conducted maritime interdiction operations to enforce United Nations-enforced sanctions against the ingress of Iraqi goods (15–19 October); the boarding operations conducted during this time "putting to good use skills developed in February in the Caribbean Sea…"

On 21 March 2004, Thomas S. Gates rendezvoused with cruise ship Celebrity Summit, of Royal Caribbean International Cruise Lines, in the central Caribbean. The cruiser's embarked USCG Enforcement Detachment boarding team, with the cooperation of the cruise ship's captain and security force, apprehended Jose Miguel Battle, Jr. the suspected leader of The Corporation, an organized crime outfit.

Fate

Due to Hurricane Katrina, her last deployment was cut short. The crew was given leave to take care of their families and other personal business. The Navy decommissioned Thomas S. Gates on 15 December 2005, As of July 2014, NAVSEA planned to place ex-Thomas S. Gates and ex-Ticonderoga up for bid to scrappers via the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). DLA awarded a contract to scrap ex-Thomas S. Gates to ESCO Marine, 15 December 2014. She was towed to New Orleans, LA., for scrapping in July 2017.

The Naval Vessel Register lists the ships decommissioning and strike date as 16 December 2006. DANFS lists the decommissioning date as 15 December 2005. The Times-Union of Jacksonville, Florida noted that "USS Gates" (sic) was to decommission today, 14 December 2005.

Awards

  • 1 Joint Meritorious Unit Award