USS Antietam (CG-54) earlier this week conducted a “dead-stick” berthing shift from the Penalty Box to Pier M-1 of Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
This is the pier where her Decommissioning Ceremony will be held on Friday. She just wrapped up a 96-day inactivation availability which consisted of a “series of system deactivations to include the ship’s refrigeration, sewage collection, and fire-fighting systems.”
She is still gorgeous
The eighth Tico, Antietam completed construction at Pascagoula in 1987 while The Gipper was still in office and was one of the first vessels to take part in Operation Desert Shield, arriving as the AAW boss with the Indy CVBG. She earned a Navy Unit Commendation and Southwest Asia Service Medal for the operation.
She would return to the Gulf for OIF and go on to earn no less than four Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations in her nearly 40-year career.
Once she is gone, retained for a time as a reserve asset, there will be just nine Ticos left in service– for now.
The final American cruiser is slated to leave the fleet in FY 27.
If no Ticos are preserved as museum ships, it will be a great shame.