USS Lake Champlain | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Ticonderoga class |
Builders | |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by |
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Succeeded by |
|
Cost | ~$1 Billion (1994 for last ship) |
Built | 1980–1994 |
In commission | 1983–present |
Completed | 27 |
Active | 9 |
Lost | 0 |
Retired | 18 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Guided-missile cruiser |
Displacement | Approx. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load |
Length | 567 feet (173 m) |
Beam | 55 feet (16.8 meters) |
Draft | 34 feet (10.2 meters) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h); 3,300 nmi (6,100 km) at 30 kn (56 km/h). |
Complement | 30 officers and 300 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | |
Armament |
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Armor | Limited Kevlar splinter protection in critical areas |
Aircraft carried | 2 × MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS Mk III helicopters. |
The Ticonderoga class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships of the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. It was originally planned as a class of destroyers. However, the increased combat capability offered by the Aegis Combat System and the passive phased array AN/SPY-1 radar, together with the capability of operating as a flagship, were used to justify the change of the classification from DDG (guided-missile destroyer) to CG (guided-missile cruiser) shortly before the keels were laid down for Ticonderoga and Yorktown.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are multi-role warships. Their Mk 41 VLS can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike land targets or anti-aircraft SM-2MR/ERs for defense against aircraft or anti-ship missiles. Their LAMPS III helicopters, RUM-139 ASROCs, and sonar systems allow them to perform anti-submarine missions. Ticonderoga-class ships are designed to be elements of carrier strike groups or amphibious ready groups, as well as perform missions such as interdiction or escort. [1] With upgrades to their AN/SPY-1 systems and their associated missile payloads as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, members of this class have also demonstrated proficiency as mobile anti-ballistic missile and anti-satellite platforms.
Of the 27 completed vessels, nineteen were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and eight by Bath Iron Works (BIW). All but one (Thomas S. Gates) of the ships in the class were originally named for noteworthy events in U.S. military history, although a second (originally named Chancellorsville) was renamed to USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) in March 2023, and at least twelve share their names with World War II-era aircraft carriers. As of October 2024, 9 ships remain active. Due to the high cost of maintenance and age, the entire class is being progressively retired; the last vessels are scheduled for decommissioning in 2027. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will serve as short-term role replacements until the expected commissioning of DDG(X) destroyers in the 2030s. [2] [3]
The Ticonderoga class was originally ordered as guided-missile destroyers, with the designation DDG-47. Under Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt's "high-low mix", the Ticonderogas were intended to be lower-cost platforms for the new Aegis Combat System by mounting the system on a hull based on that of the Spruance-class destroyer. They were to complement the much larger and more capable Strike Cruiser (CSGN) comprising the high end, which were expected to act as flagships. However, with the cancelation of the Strike Cruiser as well as the scaled-down CGN-42 (Virginia-class cruiser hull) alternative, requirements were transferred to the DDG-47. Flagship capabilities were added to the class, and it was eventually re-designated as guided-missile cruisers, CG-47, to reflect these additional capabilities. [4] The Ticonderoga-class cruiser went on to form the high end of the fleet, with the later introduction of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer forming the low end. [5]
CG-52 onwards were equipped with the Mk 41 vertical launch system. As the Aegis Combat System and the additional cruiser roles added substantial weight to the Spruance-derived hull, the design had limited growth potential in terms of weight and power margin. In the 1980s, a design study known as Cruiser Baseline (CGBL) was created to accommodate the capabilities of CG-52 onto a hull with design and construction techniques matching the DDG-51 (Arleigh Burke-class destroyer) for improved survivability and weight allowances. [6]
Due to Budget Control Act of 2011 requirements to cut the Defense Budget for FY2013 and subsequent years, plans were being considered to decommission some of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers. [7] For the U.S. Defense 2013 Budget Proposal, the U.S. Navy was to decommission seven cruisers early in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. [8]
By October 2012, the U.S. Navy had decided not to retire four of the cruisers early in order to maintain the size of the fleet. Four Ticonderoga-class cruisers, plus 21 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, were scheduled to be equipped for anti-ballistic missile and anti-satellite operations. [9]
In March 2019, the Navy proposed decommissioning the six oldest ships, Bunker Hill, Mobile Bay, Antietam, Leyte Gulf, San Jacinto, and Lake Champlain, in 2021 and 2022, instead of dry-docking them for life-extension maintenance updates as a cost-saving measure. This would not technically be an "early retirement", as the ships would be at their originally planned 35-year life dates, but they would be able to serve longer with the upgrades. The proposal needed the approval of Congress, which is usually hesitant to approve any actions that would reduce the size of the active combat fleet. [10]
In December 2021, the House approved a bill that would allow the Navy to retire only five Ticonderoga-class cruisers versus the Navy's request to retire seven. [11]
In December 2020, the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the following ships were planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve: [12] At this time, the proposed dates were:
Fiscal Year | Total | Affected Vessels |
---|---|---|
2022 | 6 | San Jacinto (CG-56), Monterey (CG-61), Hué City (CG-66), Anzio (CG-68), Vella Gulf (CG-72), Port Royal (CG-73) |
2023 | 2 | Bunker Hill (CG-52), Mobile Bay (CG-53) |
2024 | 2 | Antietam (CG-54), Shiloh (CG-67) |
2025 | 0 | None |
2026 | 1 | Robert Smalls (CG-62) (ex-Chancellorsville) |
In July 2021, the Navy requested to retire seven cruisers in the Fiscal Year 2022, adding Lake Champlain (CG-57) to the six listed above. [13] This request only included the Fiscal Year 2022 inactivations rather than the more common list for the next five years:
Fiscal Year | Total | Affected Vessels |
---|---|---|
2022 | 7 | San Jacinto (CG-56), Lake Champlain (CG-57), Monterey (CG-61), Hué City (CG-66), Anzio (CG-68), Vella Gulf (CG-72), Port Royal (CG-73) |
The final budget passed in December 2021 prohibited the Navy from using any funds "to retire, prepare to retire, inactivate, or place in storage more than 5 guided missile cruisers." [14] The budget did not specify which cruisers could be retired, and the Navy ultimately chose to retire Monterey (CG-61), Hué City (CG-66), Anzio (CG-68), Vella Gulf (CG-72), and Port Royal (CG-73).
In April 2022, the Navy requested to retire all 17 remaining cruisers by the end of Fiscal Year 2027. [15] The schedule was as follows:
Fiscal Year | Total | Affected Vessels |
---|---|---|
2023 | 5 | Bunker Hill (CG-52), Mobile Bay (CG-53), San Jacinto (CG-56), Lake Champlain (CG-57), Vicksburg (CG-69) |
2024 | 3 | Antietam (CG-54), Leyte Gulf (CG-55), Shiloh (CG-67) |
2025 | 3 | Philippine Sea (CG-58), Normandy (CG-60), Lake Erie (CG-70) |
2026 | 3 | Princeton (CG-59), Robert Smalls (CG-62), Cowpens (CG-63) |
2029 | 3 | Gettysburg (CG-64), Chosin (CG-65), Cape St. George (CG-71) |
Both the House and Senate draft budgets explicitly forbid retiring Vicksburg by name, as the ship is nearing the end of a modernization as part of the Phased Modernization Program (also known as the 2-4-6 Program). [16] The House budget prohibits the Navy from using any funds "to retire, prepare to retire, inactivate, or place in storage more than four guided missile cruisers." Until the final budget is passed[ when? ], all retirement requests are pending.
In their 2015 budget request, the Navy outlined a plan to operate eleven cruisers, while the other eleven were upgraded to a new standard. The upgraded cruisers would then start replacing the older ships, which would be retired starting in 2019. [17] This would retain one cruiser per aircraft carrier group to host the group's air warfare commander, a role for which the destroyers do not have sufficient facilities. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with the Air and Missile Defense Radar provide enhanced coverage, but putting the radar on standard destroyer hulls does not allow enough room for extra staff and command and control facilities for the air warfare commander. Destroyers can be used tactically for air defense, but they augment cruisers that provide command and control in a carrier group and are primarily used for other missions like defending other fleet units and keeping sea lanes open. Congress opposed the plan on the grounds that it makes it easier for Navy officials to completely retire the ships once out of service. The Navy would have to retire all cruisers from the fleet by 2028 if all are kept in service, while deactivating half and gradually returning them into service could make 11 cruisers last from 2035 to 2045. Replacement of the cruisers was repeatedly delayed by funding due to commitment to the Columbia-class submarine, so work on a new cruiser was expected to begin in the mid-2020s and begin fielding by the mid-2030s. [18]
Due to the large overlap in size and capabilities of its guided missile cruisers and destroyers, the Navy eventually coalesced them into a single class of large multi-mission ships with an emphasis on air and missile defense called Large Surface Combatants (LSC); in 2018, the Navy stated that a future LSC would have capabilities of the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers as a starting baseline while having future growth margins and air defense command and control of the Ticonderoga class. [19] Consequently, the short-term replacement for the first decommissioned cruisers is the Flight III Arleigh Burke class starting in the mid-2020s, while the last of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Flights I and II of the Arleigh Burke class will be replaced by the DDG(X) program in the early 2030s. The program office was established in June 2021, and design work was contracted starting in February 2022. Despite the designation, the DDG(X) is expected to be considerably larger and at least as capable as the Ticonderoga class. [20] [21]
The Ticonderoga-class cruiser's design was based on that of the Spruance-class destroyer. [1] The Ticonderoga class introduced a new generation of guided missile warships based on the Aegis phased array radar that is capable of simultaneously scanning for threats, tracking targets, and guiding missiles to interception. When they were designed, they had the most powerful electronic warfare equipment and the most advanced underwater surveillance system in the U.S. Navy. These ships were one of the first classes of warships to be built in modules, rather than being assembled from the bottom up. [1]
The greater size and equipment on the CG-47-class cruisers increased displacement from 6,900 tons of the DD-963-class destroyers to 9,600 tons of displacement for the heavier cruisers. Aegis cruisers can steam in any ocean and conduct multi-warfare operations anywhere. Some cruisers reported some structural problems in early service after extended periods in extremely heavy seas; they were generally corrected from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Several ships had superstructure cracks, which were repaired. [22]
These ships' superstructures were a modification of that on the Spruance-class destroyers and were required to support two deck-houses (one forward for antennas forward and starboard), and the aft deck-house housed the aft and port antenna arrays. The later Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers are designed from the keel up to carry the SPY-1D radars and have them all clustered together on the forward deckhouse, saving space and weight and simplifying cooling requirements. The radar support equipment is closer together, minimizing cable runs and concentrating support equipment.[ citation needed ]
Operations research was used to study manpower requirements for the Ticonderoga class. It was found that four officers and 44 enlisted sailors could be removed from the ship's complement by removing traditional posts that had been made obsolete. [1] However, manpower savings achieved by eliminating the very manpower-intensive Mk 26 guided missile system and replacing it with the far more capable and versatile Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) were harder to emulate with the Mk 45 127 mm (5") gun systems. The Aegis Cruisers are "double-enders" employing two large-caliber guns, one on each end.
In addition to the added radar capability, the Ticonderoga-class ships built after USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51) included two Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS). The two VLS allow the ship to have 122 missile storage and launching tubes that can carry a wide variety of missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, Standard Missile -2MR/ER and -6 surface-to-air missiles, Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles surface-to-air missiles, and RUM-139 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ASROCs. More importantly, the VLS enables all missiles to be on full standby at any given time, shortening the warship's response time before firing. The original five ships (Ticonderoga, Yorktown, Vincennes, Valley Forge, and Thomas S. Gates) had Mark 26 twin-arm launchers that limited their missile capacity to a total of 88 missiles and could only fire the SM-2MR and RUM-139. After the end of the Cold War, the less capable original five warships were limited to duties close to the home waters of the United States.
A standard VLS loadout for a Ticonderoga cruiser as of 2018 is 12 SM-6s, 3 SM-2ERs, 56 SM-2MRs, 12 RIM-162 ESSMs, 10 SM-3s, 32 Tomahawks, and 6 RUM-139s. In addition, Ticonderogas carry 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles in standalone launchers at the fantail of the ships. [23]
Originally, the U.S. Navy had intended to replace its fleet of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers with cruisers produced as part of the CG(X) missile cruiser program; however, severe budget cuts from the 21st-century surface combatant program coupled with the increasing cost of the Zumwalt-class destroyer program resulted in the CG(X) program being canceled. The Ticonderoga-class cruisers were instead to be replaced by Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. [24]
All five of the twin-arm (Mk-26) cruisers have been decommissioned. In 2003, the newer 22 of the 27 ships (CG-52 to CG-73) in the class were upgraded to keep them combat-relevant, giving the ships a service life of 35 years. In the years leading up to their decommissioning, the five twin-arm ships had been assigned primarily home-waters duties, acting as command ships for destroyer squadrons assigned to the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic areas.
As of July 2013, two cruisers have completed hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) upgrades, and eight cruisers have had combat systems upgrades. These include an upgrade of the Aegis computational system with new computers and equipment cabinets, the SPQ-9B radar system upgrade introducing an increased capability over only gunfire control, optical fiber data communications and software upgrades, and modifications to the vertical launching system allowing two 8-cell modules to fire the RIM-162 ESSM. The most recent upgrade packages include SM-6 and Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air (NIFC-CA) capability. Another upgrade is improving the SQQ-89A(V)15 sonar with a multi-function towed array. Hull, sonar, radar, electrical, computer, and weapons systems upgrades can cost up to $250 million per ship. [25] [26]
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USS Vincennes (CG-49) achieved notoriety in 1988 when, amid a running gun battle with Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats, she shot down Iran Air Flight 655, resulting in 290 civilian deaths. [27] [28] The commanding officer of USS Vincennes, William C. Rogers III, believed the airliner to be an Iranian Air Force F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on an attack vector, based on misreported radar returns. The investigation report recommended that the Aegis large screen display be changed to allow the display of altitude information on plots and that stress factors on personnel using Aegis be studied. [29]
On 14 February 2008, the United States Department of Defense announced that USS Lake Erie (CG-70) would attempt to hit the dead satellite USA-193 over the North Pacific Ocean just before it would burn up on reentry. [30] [31] On 20 February 2008, at approximately 22:30 EST (21 February, 03:30 UTC), an SM-3 was fired from Lake Erie, which struck the satellite. The military intended that the missile's kinetic energy would rupture the hydrazine fuel tank allowing the toxic fuel to be consumed during re-entry. [32] The Department of Defense confirmed that the missile had directly hit the fuel tank. [33]
As part of the federal budget, the Navy had originally requested to decommission seven cruisers in the fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022), releasing a schedule of when these ships would be retired, (note that as opposed to calendar years, fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September). When Congress passed the final budget, they limited that number of retired cruisers to five. Concerns of lawmakers included the number of ships available in the battle force, how fast retired ships could be replaced with new ones, and overall costs. The budget did not specify which ships were to be retired but did specify certain ships that could not be retired due to factors such as expenditures on recent modernization programs. [34] [35]
The table below includes the proposed retirements from the latest budget request for FY 2023. [34] The retirements for the next fiscal year are proposed by the Navy, and they are not official until approved by Congress. Those for the next four years are proposed only and must be requested in that year's budget request. Until the final budget is passed, all retirement requests are pending. In November, 2024, three of the class scheduled for decommissioning into 2027; Gettysburg, Chosin, and Cape St. George, will now remain in service into 2029. [36] [37]
Name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Homeport | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark 26 twin-arm missile launcher variant | |||||||||
Ticonderoga | CG-47 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 21 January 1980 | 25 April 1981 | 22 January 1983 | 30 September 2004 | 21 years, 252 days | Scrapped 2022 | |
Yorktown | CG-48 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 19 October 1981 | 17 January 1983 | 4 July 1984 | 10 December 2004 | 20 years, 159 days | Scrapped 2024 | |
Vincennes | CG-49 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 19 October 1982 | 14 January 1984 | 6 July 1985 | 29 June 2005 | 19 years, 358 days | Scrapped 2011 | |
Valley Forge | CG-50 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 14 April 1983 | 23 June 1984 | 18 January 1986 | 30 August 2004 | 18 years, 225 days | Sunk as target 2006 | |
Thomas S. Gates | CG-51 | Bath Iron Works | 31 August 1984 | 14 December 1985 | 22 August 1987 | 16 December 2005 | 18 years, 116 days | Scrapped 2017 | |
Mark 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) Variant | |||||||||
Bunker Hill | CG-52 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 11 January 1984 | 11 March 1985 | 20 September 1986 | 22 September 2023 [38] | 37 years, 2 days | Bremerton, WA (formerly San Diego) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Mobile Bay | CG-53 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 6 June 1984 | 22 August 1985 | 21 February 1987 | 10 August 2023 [39] | 36 years, 179 days | Bremerton, WA (formerly San Diego) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Antietam | CG-54 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 15 November 1984 | 14 February 1986 | 6 June 1987 | 27 September 2024 [40] | 37 years, 113 days | Pearl Harbor, HI | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Leyte Gulf | CG-55 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 18 March 1985 | 20 June 1986 | 26 September 1987 | 20 September 2024 [41] | 36 years, 360 days | Norfolk, VA | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
San Jacinto | CG-56 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 24 July 1985 | 14 November 1986 | 23 January 1988 | 15 September 2023 [42] | 35 years, 235 days | Philadelphia, PA (formerly Norfolk) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Lake Champlain | CG-57 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 3 March 1986 | 3 April 1987 | 12 August 1988 | 1 September 2023 [43] | 35 years, 20 days | Bremerton, WA (formerly San Diego) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Philippine Sea | CG-58 | Bath Iron Works | 8 April 1986 | 12 July 1987 | 18 March 1989 | Proposed 2025 [34] | Norfolk, VA | In active service | |
Princeton | CG-59 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 15 October 1986 | 2 October 1987 | 11 February 1989 | Proposed 2026 [34] | San Diego, CA | In active service | |
Normandy | CG-60 | Bath Iron Works | 7 April 1987 | 19 March 1988 | 9 December 1989 | Proposed 2025 [34] | Norfolk, VA | In active service | |
Monterey | CG-61 | Bath Iron Works | 19 August 1987 | 23 October 1988 | 16 June 1990 | 16 September 2022 [44] | 32 years, 92 days | Philadelphia, PA (formerly Norfolk) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Robert Smalls | CG-62 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 24 June 1987 | 15 July 1988 | 4 November 1989 | Proposed 2026 [34] | Yokosuka, Japan | In active service, former USS Chancellorsville [45] | |
Cowpens | CG-63 | Bath Iron Works | 23 December 1987 | 11 March 1989 | 9 March 1991 | 27 August 2024 [46] | 33 years, 171 days | Pearl Harbor, HI | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Gettysburg | CG-64 | Bath Iron Works | 17 August 1988 | 22 July 1989 | 22 June 1991 | Proposed 2029 [34] | Norfolk, VA | In active service | |
Chosin | CG-65 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 22 July 1988 | 1 September 1989 | 12 January 1991 | Proposed 2029 [34] | San Diego, CA | In active service | |
Hué City | CG-66 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 20 February 1989 | 1 June 1990 | 14 September 1991 | 23 September 2022 [47] | 31 years, 9 days | Philadelphia, PA (formerly Norfolk) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Shiloh | CG-67 | Bath Iron Works | 1 August 1989 | 8 September 1990 | 18 July 1992 | Requested 2024 [34] | Pearl Harbor, HI | In active service | |
Anzio | CG-68 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 21 August 1989 | 2 November 1990 | 2 May 1992 | 22 September 2022 [48] | 30 years, 143 days | Philadelphia, PA (formerly Norfolk) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Vicksburg | CG-69 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 30 May 1990 | 2 August 1991 | 14 November 1992 | 28 June 2024 [49] [46] | 31 years, 227 days | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Lake Erie | CG-70 | Bath Iron Works | 6 March 1990 | 13 July 1991 | 10 May 1993 | Proposed 2025 [34] | San Diego, CA | In active service | |
Cape St. George | CG-71 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 19 November 1990 | 10 January 1992 | 12 June 1993 | Proposed 2029 [34] | San Diego, CA | In active service | |
Vella Gulf | CG-72 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 22 April 1991 | 13 June 1992 | 18 September 1993 | 4 August 2022 [50] | 28 years, 320 days | Philadelphia, PA (formerly Norfolk) | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Port Royal | CG-73 | Ingalls Shipbuilding | 18 October 1991 | 20 November 1992 | 9 July 1994 | 29 September 2022 [51] | 28 years, 82 days | Pearl Harbor, HI | Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet |
Name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Homeport | Status |
Status | Count |
---|---|
Active, in commission | 9 |
Decommissioned, sent to Reserve Fleet | 13 |
Decommissioned, to be disposed | 0 |
Disposed of by scrapping or sunk | 5 |
Total | 27 |
The Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer centered around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke, an American destroyer officer in World War II and later Chief of Naval Operations. With an overall length of 505 to 509.5 feet, displacement ranging from 8,300 to 9,700 tons, and weaponry including over 90 missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are larger and more heavily armed than many previous classes of guided-missile cruisers.
The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system, which uses computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. It was developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin.
A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a primary gun armament or a small number of anti-aircraft missiles sufficient only for point-defense are designated DD. Nations vary in their use of destroyer D designation in their hull pennant numbering, either prefixing or dropping it altogether.
USS Ticonderoga (DDG/CG-47), nicknamed "Tico", was a guided missile cruiser built for the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the Ticonderoga class and the first U.S. Navy combatant to incorporate the Aegis combat system. Originally ordered as a guided-missile destroyer, she was redesignated as a cruiser after capabilities from the cancelled Strike cruiser program were implemented into the ship's design. The new AEGIS system allowed Ticonderoga to track and engage many aerial targets more effectively than any previous U.S. Navy warship.
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN (1901–1996), is the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works company at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988; launched on 16 September 1989; and commissioned on 4 July 1991.
The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace the many World War II–built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the United States Navy during the 1970s and 1980s. It was named in honor of U.S. Navy Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, who successfully led major naval battles in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II such as the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
The Charles F. Adams class is a ship class of 29 guided-missile destroyers (DDG) built between 1958 and 1967. Twenty-three were built for the United States Navy, three for the Royal Australian Navy, and three for the West German Bundesmarine. The design of these ships was based on that of Forrest Sherman-class destroyers, but the Charles F. Adams class were the first class designed to serve as guided-missile destroyers. 19 feet (5.8 m) of length was added to the center of the design of the Forrest Sherman class to carry the ASROC launcher. The Charles F. Adams-class were the last steam turbine-powered destroyers built for the U.S. Navy. Starting with the succeeding Spruance-class, all U.S. Navy destroyers have been powered by gas turbines. Some of the U.S. Charles F. Adams class served during the blockade of Cuba in 1962 and during the Vietnam War; those of the Royal Australian Navy served during the Vietnam War and Gulf War.
USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) is the third Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy and the first ship of the class homeported on the west coast. She is the fifth ship named after American Revolutionary War naval captain John Paul Jones and the second to carry his first name. She was built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 9 of Carrier Strike Group 11, which is headed by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68).
The Virginia class were four nuclear-powered, guided-missile cruisers that served in the United States Navy until the mid-to-late 1990s. The double-ended cruisers were commissioned between 1976 and 1980. They were the final class of nuclear-powered cruisers completed and the last ships ordered as Destroyer Leaders under the pre-1975 classification system.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer is a class of three United States Navy guided-missile destroyers designed as multi-mission stealth ships with a focus on land attack. The class was designed with a primary role of naval gunfire support and secondary roles of surface warfare and anti-aircraft warfare. The class design emerged from the DD-21 "land attack destroyer" program as "DD(X)" and was intended to take the role of battleships in meeting a congressional mandate for naval fire support. The ship is designed around its two Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), turrets with 920 round magazines, and unique Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) ammunition. LRLAP procurement was canceled, rendering the guns unusable, so the Navy re-purposed the ships for surface warfare. Starting in 2023, the Navy will remove the AGS from the ships and replace them with hypersonic missiles.
The Kidd-class destroyers were a series of four guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) based on the Spruance class. In contrast to their predecessor's focus on anti-submarine warfare, the Kidds were designed as more advanced multipurpose ships with the addition of considerably enhanced anti-aircraft capabilities. Originally ordered for the former Imperial Iranian Navy, the contracts were canceled when the 1979 Iranian Revolution began, and the ships were completed for the United States Navy. They were decommissioned in 1999 and sold to Taiwan, where they have served in the Republic of China Navy as the Kee Lung class since 2005.
The CG(X) program, also known as the Next Generation Cruiser program, was a United States Navy research program to develop a replacement vessel for its 22 Ticonderoga-class cruisers. Original plans were for 18–19 ships, based on the 14,500 ton Zumwalt-class destroyer with additional ballistic missile defense and area air defense for a carrier group. These vessels were to enter service beginning in 2017. The program was ended in 2010 with its mission to be fulfilled by the successor to the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The Sejong the Great-class destroyers, also known as KDX-III, are three guided-missile destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).
New Threat Upgrade (NTU) was a United States Navy program to improve and modernize the capability of existing cruisers and destroyers equipped with Terrier and Tartar anti-aircraft systems, keeping them in service longer.
AN/SPQ-9A is a United States Navy multi-purpose surface search and fire control radar used with the Mk-86 gun fire-control system. It is a two dimensional surface-search radar, meaning it provides only range and bearing but not elevation. It is intended primarily to detect and track targets at sea level, on the surface of the water for either gun fire engagement or navigation. It can however, also detect and track low altitude air targets.
The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships. The RIM-67 Standard (SM-1ER/SM-2ER) is an extended range version of this missile with a solid rocket booster stage.
The RIM-67 Standard ER (SM-1ER/SM-2ER) is an extended range surface-to-air missile (SAM) with a secondary anti-ship capability, originally developed for the United States Navy (USN). The RIM-67 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-8 Talos, a 1950s system deployed on a variety of USN ships, and eventually replaced the RIM-2 Terrier as well, since it was of a similar size and fitted existing Terrier launchers and magazines. The RIM-66 Standard MR was essentially the same missile without the booster stage, designed to replace the RIM-24 Tartar. The RIM-66/67 series thus became the US Navy's universal SAM system, hence the designation "Standard Missile".
The AN/SPY-1 is a United States Navy passive electronically scanned array (PESA) 3D radar system manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and is a key component of the Aegis Combat System. The system is computer controlled and uses four complementary antennas to provide 360-degree coverage. The system was first installed in 1973 on USS Norton Sound and entered active service in 1983 as the SPY-1A on USS Ticonderoga. The -1A was installed on ships up to CG-58, with the -1B upgrade first installed on USS Princeton in 1986. The upgraded -1B(V) was retrofitted to existing ships from CG-59 up to the last, USS Port Royal.
The Mark 41 vertical launching system is a shipborne missile canister launching system which provides a rapid-fire launch capability against hostile threats. The vertical launching system (VLS) concept was derived from work on the Aegis Combat System.
The DDG(X) or Next-Generation Guided-Missile Destroyer program of the United States Navy aims to develop a class of surface combatants to succeed 22 Flight II Ticonderoga-class cruisers and 28 Flight I/II Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The program is the culmination of the Large Surface Combatant (LSC) initiative that followed the cancellation of CG(X) and curtailing of the procurement of the Zumwalt-class destroyers. The ships will become the principal large surface combatants of the U.S. Navy. Compared to their predecessors, they will incorporate more powerful sensors and have more room and weight margin for growth.
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