I looked around and saw khakis with shiny black shoes and heard I only wanted one at the end of the table where I sit from the admiral in charge of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 (we were the flagship). Long Beach steamed over 30,000 miles in 58 days at an average speed of 25 knots, without being refueled or resupplied. The result was that LST's were unable to beach at this point due . This tour of duty in West Pac ended with her arrival again at Long Beach on 16 November. Afterward, the crew took to ensuring equipment was secured for sea much more seriously. 197x. USS LONG BEACH got underway on nuclear power for the first time on the morning of July 5, 1961. Generally, we couldn't turn it on until we were at least three miles away from an airport for safety reasons. It has . After that, he served two back-to-back nine-month tours in Da Nang, Vietnam with the Seabees. The USS Long Beach was commissioned in 1961 and was the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship and the last true cruiser built by the United States after World War II. Since E division was in charge of the movies for the ship, I went to the local Navy motion picture office to get new movies for the crew to watch. 19 October 1987 Participated in Kuwaiti tanker reflagging and provided anti-aircraft cover during Operation Nimble Archer. We made a brief port call at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with a salute to the USS Arizona Memorial. [3] She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Long Beach, California. After almost every deployment, ships go through what is called an 'inter-deployment maintenance period' due to the complexity of the systems on the ships and the normal wear and tear of use. The task force completed the 30,216 nautical mile voyage in 65 days. The 'billboard' arrays of the AN/SPS-32/33 SCANFAR radar were gone and a new structure was erected over the aft superstructure to support the new AN/SPS-49 radar. My first job on Long Beach was to qualify on the reactor plant. The billboard arrays, and the big superstructure they were mounted on, made the ship a bit top heavy as well. Some of the protesters told me it wasn't anything against us, our ship or America, they were getting well paid to protest and they'd protest their own mom for the right amount. USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. First, there's the high cost of training and keeping the crew. [7] Because of this unusually high quantity of aluminum, she was assigned the voice radio call sign "Alcoa". From that position,Long Beach maintained constant radar surveillance to ensure that the North Vietnamese intruder aircraft couldnt evade identification and attempt to confront U.S. strike aircraft. After the order swap was approved, the sub-qualified sailors at S5G facility gave me a hard time constantly. Our 1978 WESTPAC cruise wasn't greatly different from the one in 1976-1977. After a few days' steaming, we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand. The warship was updated in the late 1970s and later operated as part of the UN task force during Operation Desert Storm. I figured more schooling couldn't hurt so my first choice was motor rewind school (you learned how to rewind motors, Long Beach had that capability) and my second choice was 400 Hz motor-generator maintenance. I arranged with Long Beach's Engineering Officer to report directly toLong Beach and then start my transfer leave in order to start my sea duty counter 30 days earlier. The two five-inch guns were added at the . My first impression as a crew member was of responsibilities of leadership. It was commissioned on September 9, 1961, under Capt. The majority of the cruise was without drama other than the Tu-95 Bear flybys with fighters from Enterprise escorting them off their wingtips. I even got to see Admiral Rickover! 6 October 1980 Begins Comprehensive Overhaul, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Naval Base Subic Bay, during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. If I correctly remember, I was number two or three. Around this time a vacancy opened at the recruiting station in Orange, California. My most prominent memory of Talos is from a missile exercise before our 1978 deployment. The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive. I mistakenly told him I didn't think it was important. That was a major error in judgment to say the least! At 721 feet long, over 17,000 tons displacement and a crew of over 1,100 Sailors and Marines (there was a Marine detachment embarked), she was a truly impressive ship! NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (April 8, 2017) Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Sailors man the rails as the ship departs Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding for builders sea trials off the coast. When it was running it required two 200kW motor-generator sets running in parallel to provide the 400Hz power the radar demanded. USS Long Beach, CGN-9. The unions shut down the town for a protest because of our arrival. He got out of the Navy but stayed a drilling reservist. After a few days of this, the Soviets left our group. [citation needed], After overhaul and installation of new equipment at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Long Beach again trained in the Caribbean, and then sailed 6 August 1963 to join the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean for peacekeeping operations. While there, we noticed the Navy Exchange had t-shirts for sale calling USS Reeves (CG-24) 'the only real cruiser in town.' Long Beach was also planned to have the Regulus cruise missile but that program was dropped also. 7 November 1966 First West Pacific deployment. Vietnam War: View of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship during Family Day at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. [citation needed], The original weapons suite consisted of:[citation needed], The ship went through several modifications by the time she was decommissioned. The area around my recruiting station did not have a significant number of Hispanic residents, however, the school district was very good and we were able to get a good number of applicants for the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion program so our lack of Hispanic recruits was usually overlooked. In the end, Long Beach seemed to be designed around the reactor plants, the SPS-32/33 (SCANFAR) radar and the Terrier and Talos missiles. [citation needed]. (U.S. Navy photo by Matt Hildreth courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released). A few of my shipmates and I went to one of the nearby pubs for an adult beverage. 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. The state of Arkansas also helped sponsor a commissioning party for the ship's crew. [8] At commissioning, the ship was reported to have cost $320million ($2.9billion today),[9] which was over budget from earlier estimates of $250million. 8 April 1992 Comprehensive overhaul, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This article includes a list of ships with the same or similar names. She was launched 14 July 1959, sponsored by Mrs. Marian Swanson-Hosmer, the wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer (USNR, Ret. 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. Since he'd been a qualified diving officer on his sub, I believed him. I believe this learning process helped me greatly in my career. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt). [ 1] O USS Long Beach foi desenvolvido logo aps a Segunda Guerra Mundial, construdo no incio da propulso nuclear. While they refueled, Truxtun would take up the safety position returning the favor they had provided during Enterprise's flight ops. Oct 2012 - Auctioned off and sold for scrapping, 1 September 1987 2 September 1987 Persian Gulf, 20 September 1987 26 September 1987 Persian Gulf, 29 September 1987 28 October 1987 Persian Gulf, 30 October 1987 29 November 1987 Persian Gulf, 17 January 1990 31 January 1990 Persian Gulf, This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 02:04. The only ones who advanced in the first increment were those with many years of Naval service and since I only had seven years of service I was in the last increment. Picture Information. She sailed 28 February 1966 for her new home port and namesake, Long Beach, California, and arrived 15 March 1966. In May 1964,Long Beachjoined the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USSEnterprise and the guided-missile frigateUSSBainbridge(DLGN-25) to form theall-nuclear-poweredTask Force 1, the first such battle force group of its kind in the history of naval operations. 4 April 1978 Eighth West Pacific deployment. Soon after we noticed the Victor III on the surface, dead in the water. New tool New box New box New box New box New box Rebox Rebox New box. He died while on active duty during this tour. I graduated from high school in San Diego in June 1972 and attended Mesa Community College for a while, but wasn't ready. However, her displacement of 11,000 tons equaled that of WWII cruisers. [citation needed], A deactivation ceremony occurred on 2 July 1994 at Norfolk Naval Station, and the ship was then towed over to Newport News Shipbuilding where her entire superstructure was removed and her reactors were defueled. After about a year as Recruiter-In-Charge, I heard from my detailer that he needed nuclear-trained chiefs back at sea. Kennedy. Darryl Baker: 04010957: 272k: USS Long Beach (CGN 9) following an underway replenishment with the USS Niagara Falls (AFS 3) off the coast of Vietnam in 1969. 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. 28 April 1964 Second deployment to the Mediterranean for "Nuclear Task Force One". In the course of the voyage, numerous foreign dignitaries visited the ship during visits off both coasts of Africa and inport calls at Karachi, Pakistan, Melbourne, Australia, Wellington, New Zealand and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was there before the reactors were placed in the ship. A 423 foot section of the hull (propulsion block) remain at PSNS as of May 2018. . This was an evolution of the California and Virginia class, most importantly . I asked what billets were available and was told they were on California, Texas, Arkansas and Long Beach. 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.. The decision was made to decommission her in 1994. Task Force 1 left Gibraltar on July 31, sailed down the Atlantic Ocean and then around Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and then to the Pacific Ocean before rounding Cape Horn. She returned to Norfolk 20 December for coastal and Caribbean operations through 28 April 1964 when she sailed for the Mediterranean again to join aircraft carrier USSEnterprise(CVN-65) and guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, in the formation of the first all nuclearpowered task group on 13 May. It's often a time when system updates and advancements are applied, as well. TheLong Beach I returned to wasn't greatly different from the ship I'd left before. We didn't go to New Zealand and our port visit in Australia was the city of Perth in the western part of the country. 13 January 1984 10th West Pacific deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Christopher Delano). Arkansas had a bit less than one-half the number of Long Beach's crew. Due to cuts in the defense budget after the 1991 Gulf War, as well as the higher operating costs and number of crew required compared to conventionally powered ships, the decision was made to decommission all nuclear cruisers from the Navy as their reactor cores ran down. This, I believe was caused at least in part by a shortage of Machinist Mates who would have normally been responsible for keeping track of the shaft bearings. We hadn't yet learned to formalize the mentoring process in the Navy. The USS Long Beach (CGN 9) and the USS Intrepid (CVS 11) at Subic Bay in June 1967. [citation needed], Long Beach was originally ordered as CLGN-160. As one of a couple of 400 Hz maintenance techs onboard, it helped me advance in rate also. Epilog. I remember him serving on USS Bigelow, a Forrest Sherman class destroyer homeported in Mayport, Florida from 1960 to 1965, then at the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia from 1965 to 1967. USS Long Beach/Aegis (CGN-9) AAW Refit for FY77-78-79 con,cept artist. Another unique thing is thatLong Beach had an elevator that went from the main deck up to the 010 level (main bridge). LONG BEACH was first assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. The ship was an absolute modern marvel of her time. A fire was started in the dump area. This is the story of Master Chief Douglas Healeys Navy journey and the historic and enigmatic ship he kept coming back to. The breakdown was caused by a watchstander's failure to check the shaft alley hourly as required. Unfortunately, when I reached the one year of sea duty point, the program requirements had changed and a full sea tour was required (four years in my case). Long Beach left San Diego in September of 1976 on what was my first Western Pacific cruise (WESTPAC). NavalShips: USS Long Beach CGN-9Episode 2 of NavalShips(VERSION2)USS Long Beach (CGN-9), the Nuclear Cruiser. Just as Kitty Hawk started to move away from Wabash, they passed a canex (cancel the exercise) call over ship-to-ship communications followed by "I think we (theKitty Hawk) hit something.". Long Beach was originally designed without any guns and rumor has it that during sea trials someone asked one of the NAVSEA representatives what the ship would do if a patrol boat came up and shot at them and it was decided to install the five-inch guns. $11.66. Needless to say, with Long Beach in port, no one was seen wearing those shirts! On 13 July 2012, Long Beach was sold at auction,[6] for recycling, as prescribed for nuclear-powered vessels by Code 350, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. As of May 2018, the inactivated ship's hull and reactor compartments largely remained in long-term storage there. She deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and served numerous times in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. The monolithic superstructure atop her otherwise graceful 721' cruiser hull makes it impossible to confuse Long Beach with any other ship. She had scored exceptionally high on the ASVAB (military entrance exam) and would have been eligible for almost any position if all were open to women, such as the nuclear propulsion field which was closed to women at that time. The powerplant enabled the warship to reach a speed of 30 knots, while her range was virtually unlimited. [8], The summer of 1966 was spent in training and orienting midshipmen in the tactics and operations involved in the modern nuclear Navy. Consequently, she was redesigned and expanded to a . As before,USSLong Beach(CGN9) spent most of her time on PIRAZ station, guiding the many planes which operated over North Vietnam. At the time the Navy had only two promotion cycles for advancement to Chief (due to a budget crunch), first and last increments. $8.99 + $0.87 shipping. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Gone too was the Talos missile launcher and all of the equipment that supported it. We went into one dive bar and didn't stay long. 15 September 1976 Seventh West Pacific deployment. Additionally, the ship provided support for an on-board Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter unit. At Nuclear Power Prototype Training, I was assigned to the S5G reactor prototype (designed as the USS Narwhal's power plant) where we learned the 'hands-on' operation of a naval nuclear reactor. Kitty Hawk went alongside theUSS Wabash for an underway replenishment (UNREP). 11 August 1969 Third West Pacific deployment. This caused a small problem for one female I had sent for processing. USS Long Beach (AK-9) was a cargo steamship that was built in England in 1892 as Yarrowdale, passed through a succession of British, Greek and German owners, and was seized by the United States in 1917. Short amateur documentary on the historic naval. After this work was completed in the winter of 1995 the hull was towed through the Panama Canal to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Ele foi o nico navio de sua classe. 1961. Since she was built as a true cruiser, Long Beach had a flag bridge and quarters to carry an admiral and his staff. The watch in Damage Control Central claimed he saw 47 degrees on the clinometer. After a period of leave and upkeep in the fall,USSLong Beach(CGN9)sailed 7 November from Long Beach for the Far East. There were also two forward launchers for the Terrier and Talos surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and those were also later replaced by the longer-range Standard missile. Find Long Beach Naval Station stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. For a complete history ofUSSLong Beach(CGN9) please see its DANFS page. The missile cruiser had a complement of 1,160 officers and sailors. 6 May 1994 Change of homeport to Norfolk, Virginia. We were to launch one for some other ships to shoot at but the missiles were quite old at that point. There was a line of well over a block to visit Long Beach and one could walk right up and go on the Melbourne. After we launched the missile, a fin fell off and the missile pulled a three-G turn and came back at the ship! Between 28 December and 6 January 1962 she conducted operational tests of her missiles off Puerto Rico, then sailed for Bremerhaven, Germany, arriving 15 January for courtesy calls in north European ports. In the late 1970s, DARPA proposed to the USN a new warship concept called the "Strike Cruiser" provisionally designated CSGN. We wound up a few miles away from the town at a party. She deployed to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, then circumnavigating the world with the nuclear powered USS ENTERPRISE and USS BAINBRIDGE in Operation Sea Orbit. We actually had to get permission to send a female applicant to the processing station. The USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was a Long Beach-class cruiser laid down on December 2, 1957, and launched on July 14, 1959. Fortunately for me, my wife had a sister who lived near the base and was able to pick me up. We made more port visits that. The reactor plants were similar between Enterprise and 'The Beach' but there were enough differences that they were considered separate designs. The newer model takes less to operate but in my opinion, the older model is more stylish. Long Beach was originally considered for the installation of sea-launched ICBMs, but the boomers (SSBNs) worked out and have owned the sea-based nuclear ballistic missile deterrent mission ever since. The SAM capabilities were also upgraded to allow using the Standard missile. It was interesting driving from the right-hand side of the car and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road! Taken from the Niagara Falls by William P. Jones, M.D. In 1976, when we were returning to San Diego from Bremerton, our Division Training Petty Officer came around asking what schools anyone wanted to attend. So this is the story of a ship, but also of the journey of a man that built his reputation largely on the deck plates of that vessel during one of the most interesting times in the U.S. Navy's history. Following Vietnam, he was on the pre-commissioning crew of USS Gray (DE-1054), then director of Storekeeper Class C School at Naval Training Center (NTC) San Diego. The HMAS Melbourne was pier side in the port. USS Bainbridge DLGN-25/CGN-25 U S Navy Jacket Patch. Nimitz is the first in its class and the oldest commissioned aircraft carrier afloat., carrying with it a legacy of innovation, evolution and dominance. In a lot of aspects, the difference between the two is not unlike the difference between a 1960 family sedan and a 1979 model from the same manufacturer. The travel office at Subic had a flight booked for me out of Clark Air Base and transportation to the air base. [18] 9 January 1980, Long Beach returned to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to undergo a mid-life conversion, during which time the SCANFAR system, consisting of the AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 radars, was removed from the forward superstructure and enhanced flagship facilities were installed, along with modern radars like the AN/SPS-48. The cruiser returned to Long Beach, California, in July 1967. Eugene P. Wilkinson's command with the hull number CGN-9 and served in the U.S. Navy for 34 years until it was decommissioned on May 1, 1995. We pointed out to the Cheng that having an 'Atomic Weapons Officer' seemed counter that message. The Talos missiles, which could be nuclear armed, were about the size of a telephone pole and would 'sit' on the launch rail building up thrust before taking off. The Standard SM-2ER missiles and the associated modern electronics replaced the obsolete Terrier system. [18] On 19 October 1987, she participated in Kuwaiti tanker reflagging and provided anti-aircraft cover during Operation Nimble Archer. CREATIVE. A comparison with the Ticonderoga class. Since there were more in the mess, I felt I had a greater likelihood of finding good and less good examples to model from. So I had prepared her to accept an engineering position such as HT (hull maintenance technician) which I'd been told was wide open for women. This meant I wore the Chief's uniform for eleven months before getting the pay of a Chief. Commissioned in 1961, the USS Long Beach was the world's first nuclear powered cruiser. The crew berthing areas did not have any passageways through them and each one had fewer bunks in it than on Long Beach. She was the U.S. Navy's first nuclear-powered surface combatant and was absolutely packed with the latest and greatest gear America had to offer when she was commissioned into service on September 9th, 1961. Still having fond memories of the Long Beach, it was an easy choice for me to return to sea duty on her and this time as a Chief. USS Long Beach, which was the third ship to be named after the California city, was laid down in December 1957 and launched in July 1959. This was long before the internet and email. The USS Long Beach, the nation's first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, in Massachusetts Bay on July 26, 1961. During this time, it was decided the Navy needed more recruits from the Hispanic community. We learned operations and maintenance and we also learned how to react during simulated casualty operations. One of the reasons Long Beach was a single-ship class was because she was an experimental platform for these radars, which were precursors to the AN/SPY-1 phased array systems later installed on Aegis equipped Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. ), a Congressman from California, and commissioned on 9 September 1961. There's also the dealing with the nuclear material generated. At some point, Bainbridge required some maintenance and during my first tour on Long Beach, Truxtun had replaced Bainbridge as the third ship of the 'nuclear trio.' 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!. USSLong Beach(CGN9)arrived back at the west coast on 4 July where, after a welldeserved period of rest, she resumed the exercises and operations which would keep her well prepared for her return to Vietnam the following year. 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Powered cruiser kitty Hawk went alongside theUSS Wabash for an on-board Search and Rescue ( SAR ) unit... In 1961, the sub-qualified sailors at S5G facility gave me a hard time.... For sea much more seriously in parallel to provide the 400Hz power the radar demanded as a cruiser... Fin fell off and the associated modern electronics replaced the obsolete Terrier system he 47. Bit top heavy as well power for the ship Comprehensive Overhaul, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 65. It than on Long Beach, California me greatly in my career the HMAS was. The wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer ( USNR, Ret Enterprise escorting them off their wingtips,! Member was of responsibilities of leadership there was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the ship 's crew,... Dealing with the nuclear material generated the town at a party up and go on Melbourne! At Auckland, New Zealand of WWII cruisers steamed over 30,000 miles in 58 days at an average of. 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