USS Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls transits the Indian Ocean in 2023
History
United States
Name	Robert Smalls
Namesake	Battle of Chancellorsville Robert Smalls
Ordered	26 November 1984
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	24 June 1987
Launched	15 July 1988
Commissioned	4 November 1989
Maiden voyage	March 1991
Renamed	from Chancellorsville to Robert Smalls, 1 March 2023 [1]
Homeport	Yokosuka
Identification	MMSI number: 368776000 Call sign: NCVL Hull number: CG-62
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Ticonderoga-class cruiser
Displacement	Approx. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load
Length	567 feet (173 m)
Beam	55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draught	34 feet (10.2 meters)
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines 2 × controllable-reversible pitch propellers 2 × rudders
Speed	32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement	30 officers and 300 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPY-1A/B multi-function radar AN/SPS-49 air search radar (Removed on some ships) AN/SPG-62 fire control radar AN/SPS-73 surface search radar AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar AN/SQQ-89(V)1/3 - A(V)15 Sonar suite, consisting of: AN/SQS-53B/C/D active sonar AN/SQR-19 TACTAS, AN/SQR-19B ITASS, & MFTA passive sonar AN/SQQ-28 light airborne multi-purpose system
Armament	2 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems containing 122 × mix of: RIM-66M-5 Standard SM-2MR Block IIIB RIM-156A SM-2ER Block IV RIM-161 SM-3 RIM-162A ESSM RIM-174A Standard ERAM BGM-109 Tomahawk RUM-139A VL-ASROC 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon missiles 2 × 5 in (127 mm)/62 caliber Mark 45 Mod 4 lightweight gun 2 × Mk 38 25 mm Machine Gun Systems 2–4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) cal. machine gun 2 × Phalanx CIWS Block 1B 2 × Mk 32 12.75 in (324 mm) triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried	2 × MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS Mk III helicopters.

USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser built during the Cold War for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1989, the warship was originally named USS Chancellorsville for the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. In March 2023, she was renamed for Robert Smalls, a former slave who freed himself and others by commandeering a Confederate transport ship.

Until 30 December 2011, the ship was operationally part of Carrier Strike Group Seven. In 2010 she was administratively under the command of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific. ^[2] She was assigned to Carrier Strike Group Five and is deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. ^[3]

Robert Smalls is equipped with guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons, with anti-air, anti-surface and anti-subsurface capabilities. She also carries two MH-60R Seahawk Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopters, focused on anti-submarine warfare.

Ship renaming

The crest of USS Chancellorsville, which included an inverted wreath that commemorated the death of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 created a new Naming Commission to examine names across the US armed forces that honor the Confederate States of America, the group of states that attempted to break away from the US during the American Civil War. ^{[4] [5] [6]} Chancellorsville was explicitly named in early news reports about the commission due to its clear association with the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, ^[7] which included a portrait of generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in the cruiser's wardroom. ^[5] The painting was removed in 2016. ^[8] The commission's report noted that Chancellorsville's crest also included an inverted wreath that commemorated the death of Jackson during the Battle of Chancellorsville. ^[9]

In September 2022, the Naming Commission recommended that the US Navy rename two shore installations, USNS Maury (T-AGS-66) (named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, who chose to fight for the Confederates), and Chancellorsville. The choice of what to rename them to was left to the Secretary of the Navy. ^[5] As part of its report, the Commission judged that the ship celebrated the Confederacy. ^[9]

On 27 February 2023, the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that the US Navy would rename Chancellorsville after Robert Smalls, a slave who commandeered the Confederate ship CSS Planter in 1862. ^{[9] [10] [11]} The name change was made effective on 1 March 2023. ^[1] The Navy held a ceremony to mark the change that was designed to not disrupt the ship's activities. ^[12]

History

Chancellorsville sailors pose in 2004 above the gold "Battle E" that shows the ship earned the Navy's prestigious Battle Effectiveness Award for five consecutive years.

The ship, named Chancellorsville, was commissioned at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 4 November 1989.

1990s

She first deployed in March 1991, to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.

Chancellorsville was next deployed from February to August 1993, to the Persian Gulf as part of the Nimitz Battle Group. On 26 June 1993, Chancellorsville launched strikes on the Iraqi Intelligence Center in Baghdad with nine Tomahawk missiles in retaliation for the aborted assassination attempt on former President Bush. She deployed again to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf from April to October 1995.

Following a Fifth Fleet deployment to the North Persian Gulf in 1995, Chancellorsville was awarded the Spokane Trophy in 1996. The Spokane Trophy is awarded by Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet to the surface combatant ship considered to be the most proficient in overall combat systems readiness and warfare operations.

Chancellorsville deployed to the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific in support of joint counter-narcotics operations in November 1997. During this deployment, she rescued the crew of an Ecuadorian fishing vessel which had been adrift for ten days. Upon her return home, Chancellorsville underwent her first major nine-month overhaul in San Diego, California.

On 7 July 1998, Chancellorsville changed homeport from San Diego, to Yokosuka, Japan, joining Task Force 70/Battle Force Seventh Fleet, and probably, Carrier Group Five. After arriving in Yokosuka, Chancellorsville participated in multinational operations in the Sea of Japan, including the International Fleet Review. Chancellorsville took part in exercises with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group in the spring of 1999.

On 6 April 1999, Chancellorsville deployed to the Persian Gulf in company with Kitty Hawk and Curtis Wilbur in support of Operation Southern Watch, and returned to Yokosuka on 5 January 2000. In May 2000, Chancellorsville participated in exercises with the Thai and Singaporean navies.

2000s

Following a visit to Qingdao, China, in August 2000, Chancellorsville took part in ANNUALEX 12G, a joint U.S.-Japanese naval exercise. In November, Chancellorsville fired guns and SM-2 missiles as part of MISSILEX 01-1. In March through June 2001, she visited Singapore, Thailand, Saipan and Sydney, Australia, as part of an extended Spring Cruise. Chancellorsville then entered dry dock for an upkeep period in the fall. In September 2001, Chancellorsville deployed with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, operating in the theater for several months. Chancellorsville paid her first visit to Vladivostok, Russia, in July 2002, celebrating Independence Day in Russia along with Fort McHenry. In March 2003, the ship was assigned to Carrier Group Five. ^[13] On 22 October 2003, Chancellorsville played host in Guam to two warships of the People's Republic of China, which made the first-ever visit of the Chinese navy to Guam. By May 2004, she was back in the Southwest Asian region, where she lent aid to a disabled Indonesian fishing boat.

On 19 July 2004, Chancellorsville departed Yokosuka to participate in Exercise Summer Pulse 2004 and Joint Air and Sea Exercises (JASEX) 2004, with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group. Summer Pulse was the Navy's first implementation of the new Fleet Response Plan (FRP). She returned to homeport 7 September. Chancellorsville entered a nine-week dry dock availability in February 2005. Following the maintenance period, she immediately returned to sea to participate in the exercises Talisman Saber 2005, the third annual Orange Crush and the Joint Air and Sea Exercise (JASEX) 2005. She returned to Yokosuka in August. ANNUALEX 2005 commenced in November with Chancellorsville participating, along with other U.S. and Japanese assets. The exercise saw a total of 61 naval vessels, including two U.S. submarines, 10 U.S. Navy ships and 49 Japanese ships. Chancellorsville visited Hong Kong at the end of November and returned to Yokosuka 12 December. Chancellorsville swapped with Shiloh based in San Diego. Chancellorsville's homeport was changed to San Diego, with Shiloh moving to Yokosuka. The crews remained in their respective locations.

In winter of 2006, Chancellorsville deployed again into the Western Pacific, visiting Singapore and Pattaya, Thailand, in February. In April, she joined forces of the Republic of Korea for Reception, Staging, Onward-movement, & Integration and Foal Eagle 2006 (RSOI/Foal Eagle 06), exercises utilizing more than 70 U.S. and Korean ships. Chancellorsville returned to Yokosuka in August in preparation for a hull swap with Shiloh. Chancellorsville was scheduled to return to San Diego, in October 2006, making it her homeport once again.

2010s

Chancellorsville transits alongside the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan for a fueling at sea. (2011)

In March 2011, in company with the carrier Ronald Reagan, Chancellorsville was deployed off northeastern Honshu, Japan, to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. ^[14] During that time, helicopter crews from Ronald Reagan were exposed to leaking radiation from the nuclear accidents and ships from the carrier strike group were moved to avoid being downwind from the facility. ^[15]

During the latter half of 2012, Chancellorsville underwent equipment upgrades as part of the Aegis Modernization effort ACB-12. In January 2013, the ship spent five days ^[16] under way off the coast of California to perform a series of tests of the updated ACB-12 equipment and software.

In November 2013, while testing combat weapons systems off the coast of Point Mugu, California, a BQM-74E unmanned drone being used in the exercise failed to respond to commands to turn away from the ship and collided with Chancellorsville. Since it was a tracking exercise and not a live fire exercise, the crew did not engage the drone with the Phalanx CIWS. ^[17] Two sailors received treatment for minor burns and the ship suffered some damage and returned to San Diego for assessment. ^{[18] [19]} The damage later proved to be more severe than initially assessed. Citing Navy sources, the U.S. Naval Institute reported that repairs to the ship would cost $30 million and take six months to complete. ^[20]

A photo released by the USN showing a near collision between Chancellorsville (right) and the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov (2019)

On 7 June 2019 Chancellorsville came close to a collision with the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov. Each side blamed the other for the near collision. ^[21] Russian sources stated that the incident occurred in the southeast of the East China Sea while US sources named the location as in the Philippine Sea. ^[21] According to retired US Navy captain Carl Schuster, the Russian ship's wake shows that it "didn't adhere to either the rules of the road or the incidents at sea agreement." ^[22] United States Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Clayton Doss said the Russian destroyer came within 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) of Chancellorsville, "putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk." ^[23] The Russian Navy released a statement claiming that Chancellorsville had "suddenly changed its course and crossed the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer's course some 50 meters away from the ship." ^[24] According to the same statement, this caused Admiral Vinogradov to take an "emergency maneuver" in order to avoid a collision with the American ship. In November 2019 and again on 15 February 2020, the ship transited the Taiwan Strait. ^[25]

2020s

During the 2020 George Floyd protests, the name of the ship came into question because it honors a victory of the Confederate Army fighting against the United States for southern independence and in defense of slavery. ^[26] 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 ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2026. ^[27]

USS Robert Smalls arrives for a port visit in Da Nang, Vietnam. (2023)

In May 2022, Chancellorsville was homeported out of Yokosuka, Japan. She was as part of Carrier Strike Group 5 led by the carrier Ronald Reagan. ^[28] On 28 August 2022, Chancellorsville along with sister ship Antietam conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait. This was the first such transit to occur since the 2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. ^[29]

The ship was officially renamed Robert Smalls on 1 March 2023. ^[1] Robert Smalls deployed with the Ronald Reagan carrier strike group in May 2023. ^[30] Robert Smalls made a port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam in June 2023. ^[31] Robert Smalls participated in exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 in July 2023. ^[32]

Ship's crest

A scroll Vert doubled Tenné (Natural) lined and inscribed “FREEDOM THROUGH COURAGE"

USS Robert Smalls CG-62 was given a crest in November 2023. The Shield: The dark blue shield depicts the early morning of 13 May 1862, when former slave, and later politician, Robert Smalls commandeered a Confederate ship, the CSS Planter, and gained freedom by sailing it into a Union fort located in the Beaufort–Port Royal–Hilton Head, South Carolina area. The white wavy fess represents a sea foam path to freedom. The ship's helm symbolizes the CSS Planter and highlights Smalls' expertise and background as an enslaved helmsman. The golden eight-pointed star at the center of the wheel commemorates Smalls' military career as the first African American to become a Union captain of the same ship he sailed. The Crest: The rising sun characterizes Smalls' victory in escaping slavery and starting a new life as a free man. The five prominent sunrays portray the five terms that Smalls served in the House of Representatives. The palm branches allude to Robert Smalls' home state of South Carolina. ^[33]

Awards and decorations

• Navy E Ribbon - (1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
• Spokane Trophy Award (1996, 2016)

			Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (4)			Battle Effectiveness Award with E device (7)			National Defense Service Medal (2)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal			Southwest Asia Service Medal			Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal			Sea Service Ribbon (12)			Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Source: [34]

Notes

1. "USS Robert Smalls (CG-62)". nvr.navy.mil. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
2. "Pacific Theater Surface Ships (by Homeport)". Our Ships and Commands. Commander Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 2010. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
3. Ensign Plunkett, Kyle (12 June 2017). "Chancellorsville Wins Prestigious Spokane Trophy". America's Navy. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
4. Schmall, Emily (11 March 2023). "Stripping Confederate Ties, the U.S. Navy Renames Two Vessels". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
5. "UPDATED: Commission Recommends Renaming Two Navy Ships with Confederate Ties". USNI News. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
6. Inhofe, James M. (7 August 2020). "S.4049 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
7. Kheel, Rebecca (8 January 2021). "Pentagon appoints commissioners to scrub Confederate base names". The Hill. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
8. "UPDATED: Commission Recommends Renaming Two Navy Ships with Confederate Ties". USNI News. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
9. "USS Chancellorsville to be Renamed After Former Slave Who Captured Confederate Ship". usni.org. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
10. "US Navy Renamed Warships After Black Sailor". The Union Journal. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
11. "SECNAV Renames Ticonderoga-class Guided Missile Cruiser USS Chancellorsville after Robert Smalls". 27 February 2023.
12. Schmall, Emily (11 March 2023). "Stripping Confederate Ties, the U.S. Navy Renames Two Vessels". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
13. Toppan, Andrew. "World Navies Today: US Navy Aircraft Carriers & Surface Combatants". Haze Gray & Underway. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
14. Rabiroff, John (17 March 2011). "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas". Stars and Stripes (US). Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
15. Stewart, Joshua (14 March 2011). "Navy ships off Japan move to avoid radiation". Military Times . Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
16. "Chancellorsville Back at Sea". America's Navy. 18 January 2013. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
17. "Document: Investigation into USS Chancellorsville Drone Strike". USNI News. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
18. "Two Sailors Injured When Drone Malfunctions, Crashes into USS Chancellorsville". WTKR NewsChannel 3. 17 November 2013.
19. "Drone Collides with Navy Cruiser". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
20. "Six Months of Repairs to Drone-Struck Ship Will Cost $30 million". USNI News. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
21. "Russian and US warships almost collide in East China Sea". BBC News . 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
22. Brad Lendon, Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen. "US and Russian warships nearly collide in the Pacific". CNN. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
23. "7th Fleet Statement on Unsafe Maneuver by Russian Destroyer". navy.mil. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
24. "Video shows Russian destroyer nearly colliding with U.S. warship". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
25. Ben Werner (16 February 2020). "Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Chancellorsville Transits Taiwan Strait". USNI News . Retrieved 23 February 2020.
26. Grisales, Claudia; Ewing, Philip (11 June 2020). "Congress Heads Toward Clash With Trump Over Removal Of Confederate Symbols". NPR. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
27. "Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels" (PDF). Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. 9 December 2020. p. 17. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
28. "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022". USNI News. United States Naval Institute. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
29. "Taiwan: Two US Navy warships transit through strait amid tensions". Deutsche Welle . 28 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
30. Wilson, Alex (23 May 2023). "USS Ronald Reagan departs Yokosuka for what may be its final patrol before carrier swap". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
31. "USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group visits Vietnam". DVIDS. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
32. Satam, Parth (28 July 2023). "US Navy's Only Forward-Deployed Aircraft Carrier, Ronald Reagan, 'Flexes Muscle' At Talisman Sabre 2023". Latest Asian, Middle-East, EurAsian, Indian News. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
33. "U.S. Navy / U.S. Navy Heraldry / Ship Seals / USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) / Seal". The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
34. Yarnall, Paul R. (creator); Bateman, Tom (maintainer) (29 May 2019). "NavSource Online: Cruiser Photo Archive USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62)". NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 20 July 2019.

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register , which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

• Plunkett, Ensign Kyle (6 April 2017). "Chancellorsville Earns 2016 Battle 'E'" (Press release). FLEACT, Yokosuka Public Affairs. Retrieved 20 July 2019.

Further reading

• Lawrence, Quil (12 April 2023). "A Navy ship named for a Confederate victory now honors a Black Union hero". NPR. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
• Ziezulewicz, Geoff (18 August 2017). "Meet the Navy ships named in honor of the Confederacy". Navy Times. Retrieved 12 April 2023.

External links

• Official USS Robert Smalls website
• USS Chancellorsville information site
• • USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) command histories – Naval History & Heritage Command
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