With the commissioning of the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise, the world’s largest and fastest super-carrier, able to remain at sea as long as she had food for her crew and jet fuel for her birds, the U.S. Navy needed a group of fast escorts able to keep up with this ship and the follow-on 1970s era Nimitz class of CVNs.
In 1961, to match the Enterprise, the Navy had exactly one nuclear-powered cruiser, the huge 721-foot long, 15,500-ton USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and one nuclear-powered destroyer, the 9100-ton USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25). These three ships formed the all-nuclear-powered Task Force 1 and in 1964 circumnavigated the globe without refueling– going around the world in sixty-five days as part of Operation Sea Orbit.
Operation Sea Orbit: On 31 July 1964, USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) (bottom), USS Long Beach (CGN-9) (center) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) (top) formed “Task Force One,” the first nuclear-powered task force, and sailed 26,540 nmi (49,190 km) around the world in 65 days. Accomplished without a single refueling or replenishment, “Operation Sea Orbit” demonstrated the capability of nuclear-powered surface ships.
Well in the meantime one more nuclear destroyer, the 8500-ton (the smallest U.S. Naval nuclear powered surface combatant ever built) USS Truxtun (DLGN-35) commissioned in 1967 and two follow-on nuclear cruisers USS California (CGN-36) and USS South Carolina (CGN-37) were birthed out in the 70s.
This led to one final class of cruisers, the magnificent 11,600-ton Virginias (Virgina, Texas and Missississpi) who were completed by 1980. This, along with the re-designation of Bainbridge and Truxton to cruisers, gave the Navy a grand total of 9 nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers, or one per each nuclear powered carrier in the Navy by December 1995 when their 9th atomic flattop, USS John C Stennis (CVN-74), was commissioned.
The entire Virginia and California classes CGN
The entire Virginia and California classes CGN, part duex. So cool I had to give it to you from two angles.
However, as soon as this parity was achieved, it was gone. Truxton, in fact, had struck on Sept 11, 1995, even before Stennis commissioned, while Long Beach had likewise done so on May Day of that year. Bainbridge lasted a minute longer, being struck and decommissioned on 13 September 1996. The four Virginias, newest of the fleet, were all decommissioned by 1998– tragically less than twenty years old at the time and among the most effective anti-air ships in the world. California and South Carolina went hand in hand down the tunnel in 1999 as sister-ships should, the end of an era.
All were disposed of through recycling although some parts, such as the main mast from the Mississippi, are preserved. I visited the “Big Miss” on her last port call, in Pascagoula, just before she was deactivated in 1996 and her crew were somber. After all, its not often that you scrap an 18-year old battlecruiser.
