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. Long Beach had six 2500 kW turbine generators and two 1000 kW emergency diesel generators. The major difference was the port visits. Most naval history buffs can tell you that the USSNautilus(SSN-571) was theworlds first operational nuclear-powered submarine, while USSEnterprise(CVN-65) was thefirst nuclear-powered aircraft carrier yet many may wrongly assume that the carrier was also the first United State Navy surface warship to be powered by nuclear energy. Long Beach was laid down 2 December 1957, launched 14 July 1959 and commissioned 9 September 1961 under the command of then-Captain Eugene Parks Wilkinson, who previously served as the first commanding officer of the world's first nuclear-powered vessel, the submarine USSNautilus(SSN-571). The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive shakedown testing of her complex weapons and propulsion systems from 2 October to 16 December 1961. 2 Armored Box Launchers for a total of eight, Two triple 12.75inch torpedo launchers that could fire the, The rear launcher for the Talos was removed and initially replaced with two quadruple mounts for the, Two quadruple armored box launchers were added for the. As one of the experienced electricians assigned, I was on the space turn over crew which consisted of ensuring the spaces met the Navy's specifications (you can read more about this tense process here). My first impression as a crew member was of responsibilities of leadership. $11.66. All Rights Reserved. The missile cruiser had a complement of 1,160 officers and sailors. Please see below for item level images and donated collections containing photographs ofUSS Long Beach (CGN-9). They didn't realize that although recruiting is important, naval reactors were even more influential and filling Chief billets at sea was a high priority! [citation needed], The original weapons suite consisted of:[citation needed], The ship went through several modifications by the time she was decommissioned. 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. Amounts shown in italicized text are for items listed in currency other than Canadian dollars and are approximate conversions to Canadian dollars based upon Bloomberg's conversion Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier Artist Rendering. Long Beach's deployment as the flagship of the Surface Action Group (SAG) alongside the Iowa class battleship USS New Jersey was a very interesting deployment. As before,USSLong Beach(CGN9) spent most of her time on PIRAZ station, guiding the many planes which operated over North Vietnam. He made an announcement on the ship's announcing system which sounded like a slam on Newport News Shipbuilding. Recreational drug usage was high (no pun intended) among the target group for military enlistment, 17-25 year-old males. We were told by some of the repair personnel in Subic that a part of a blade from the sub's screw was found embedded in the Kitty Hawk's bottom. It was going through the drawdown of the post-Vietnam era and there was a severe shortage of leadership personnel at the First and Second Class Petty Officer levels (E6 and E5). For a nuclear-powered warship based in San Diego, this usually meant a trip to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Select from premium Long Beach Naval Station of the highest quality. He was a Talos missile Gunner's Mate and they had a problem with the missile handling system so he was unable to leave the ship before they sailed from Subic. ), a Congressman from California, and commissioned on 9 September 1961. The monolithic superstructure atop her otherwise graceful 721' cruiser hull makes it impossible to confuse Long Beach with any other ship. The ship was originally designed with "all-missile" armament, but was fitted with two 5"/38 caliber gun mounts amidships on the orders of President John F. I was selected for advancement to Chief Petty Officer (E7) during this tour. The force operated in the Mediterranean testing its unique capabilities until 31 July when it sailed under RADM Bernard M. Strean from Gibraltar on an aroundtheworld cruise. Both ships were open for visitors. The first- of-class shipthe first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 yearswill spend several days conducting builders sea trials, a comprehensive test of many of the ships key systems and technologies. It was during this cruise that my orders to Class C School at NTC Great Lakes in Illinois came. When it wound down, one of the locals asked if there were anyone who was sober and could drive a stick shift. 6 October 1980 Begins Comprehensive Overhaul, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Long Beach steamed over 30,000 miles in 58 days at an average speed of 25 knots, without being refueled or resupplied. I was told the base would provide my travel pay. E. P. Wilkinson in command. Long Beach had two pressurized water reactors, two main engines, twin screws and twin rudders. Long Beach was first laid out to be a smaller frigate, but then she was slated for the mounting of a Regulus nuclear cruise missile or later, four launch tubes for the Polaris missile which would occupy the space taken up by the 5"/38 caliber gun mounts and the ASROC system. A. USS Long Beach (CGN 9) (ex-CGN 160, CLGN 160) USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was the first nuclear powered surface warship in the world and the first large combatant in the US Navy with its main battery consisting of guided missiles. During this tour, Long Beach was responsible for directing the downing of one Soviet-made An-2 'Colt' aircraft that was attempting to engage South Vietnamese naval units. 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. USS Long Beach CGN-9 PATCH US NAVY VET STATION CA PIN UP THE ONLY REAL CRUISER. Additionally, Long Beach seemed to have a constant two to three-degree port list. 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 1984 deployment was different than my previous deployments on Long Beach from the start. 8 November 1993 Underway Counter Narcotics Patrol, Caribbean. In the pub, we met some of the locals, including some of the protesters. After completing basic engineering qualifications, I was assigned to the electrical safety shop, ensuring the portable electrical tools were checked for safety prior to issuance. Soon after we noticed the Victor III on the surface, dead in the water. One of the juice machines came out of its mounting and crashed against a bulkhead. This is the first in our series about all things Nuclear. After a few days in port, we returned to sea with the entireKitty Hawk Battlegroup. They both can accomplish the same tasks without a huge difference in performance. 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. I finished the course in just under a week. 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.' One man, in particular, served numerous tours aboardLong Beach throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with the ship acting as a 721 foot-long steel springboard that catapulted him through the ranks and eventually to the position of Force Master Chief for the Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 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USS Long Beach, CGN-9. AHM. I hit my head while working under the conference table, swore and wondered what kind of idiot wanted so many outlets under the table. 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. When I arrived, I requested permission to enter and when I entered, my father was sitting there drinking coffee with the battalion commander. 13 January 1984 10th West Pacific deployment. worlds first operational nuclear-powered submarine, Video: Ukraine Is Blowing Up Russian Tanks and Posting it on Twitter, America Needs to Support Ukraine to Stop World War III, Ron DeSantis Is Finally Striking Back Against Donald Trump, Lauren Boebert Just Declared War on Pete Buttigieg. 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.". I'm sure that the air group's pilots weren't thrilled when Long Beach was on plane guard station (trailing the carrier in case of a mishap). [citation needed], Long Beach served as an escort for the USSMissouri(BB-63) task force, and provided aircraft carrier escort support after the Gulf War of 1991. The first nuclearpower surface warship in history,USSLong Beach(CGN9)was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Norfolk, Va. Photo taken from USS Evans (DE 1023). A few of my shipmates and I went to one of the nearby pubs for an adult beverage. 28 March 1972 Fourth West Pacific deployment. The ship would only go to PSNS for nuclear-related work combined with drydocking. During this time, it was decided the Navy needed more recruits from the Hispanic community. For a complete history ofUSSLong Beach(CGN9) please see its DANFS page. We left Pearl Harbor, once again saluting the Arizona Memorial, in company with Enterprise and the rest of our battle group. Needless to say, with Long Beach in port, no one was seen wearing those shirts! (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt). She was the U.S. Navy's first nuclear-powered surface combatant and was absolutely packed with. The rest of the cruise was fairly uneventful and we were able to return home. We learned operations and maintenance and we also learned how to react during simulated casualty operations. The USS Long Beach followed in 1961 as the first nuclear-powered cruiser with two reactors. I finished boot camp as a company honor man and with scholastic honors. When we left Hawaii we sailed through the 'Bear Box' with EMCON (electronic emissions control) set to see if the Russian Bear reconnaissance planes could find us. 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