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USS Gettysburg (CG-64)
Encyclopedia
USS Gettysburg (CG-64) is a Ticonderoga-class
guided-missile cruiser
in the United States Navy
. She is named for the Battle of Gettysburg
during the American Civil War
. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine.
With her guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons, she is capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, on the sea, or ashore, and underneath the sea. She also carries two Seahawk LAMPS
multi-purpose helicopters, but mainly for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
She is homeported in Mayport, Florida.
, which was on fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. Achille Lauro eventually sank but the passengers were rescued and transported to Mombasa, Kenya
.
On 13 May 2009, a team of sailors from the ship apprehended 17 pirates off the coast of Yemen as the pirates were attempting to hijack the Egyptian ship Motor Vessel Amira. The ship was filmed in its counter-piracy role and featured on the Spike TV network special U.S. Navy: Pirate Hunters.
Gettysburg completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)
as part of the Carrier Strike Group Two
on 10 February 2011. Gettysburg deployed with an embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70) detachment as part of Carrier Strike Group Two, departing Naval Station Mayport
on 10 May 2011. Gettysburg subsequently participated in NATO naval exercise Saxon Warrior 2011 off the coast of England
under the operational control of Flag Officer Sea Training
(FOST). During this exercise, Gettysburg operated with the new British guided-missile destroyer
.
's novel The Bear and the Dragon
, Gettysburg intercepted a Chinese ICBM just before it detonated over Washington D.C. The cruiser had nearly exhausted her complement of SM-2 missiles, and the second-to-last missile made the dramatic interception over the Beltway
.
Ticonderoga class cruiser
The Ticonderoga class of missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in FY 1978. The class uses phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers...
guided-missile cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She is named for the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine.
With her guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons, she is capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, on the sea, or ashore, and underneath the sea. She also carries two Seahawk LAMPS
Light airborne multi-purpose system
Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System is the United States Navy's program that developed manned helicopters that assist the surface fleet in anti-submarine warfare.*SH-2 Seasprite *SH-60 Seahawk...
multi-purpose helicopters, but mainly for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
She is homeported in Mayport, Florida.
Operation history
On 30 November 1994, Gettysburg — along with — was dispatched to assist the cruise ship Achille LauroMS Achille Lauro
MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as MS Willem Ruys, a passenger liner for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking...
, which was on fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. Achille Lauro eventually sank but the passengers were rescued and transported to Mombasa, Kenya
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
.
On 13 May 2009, a team of sailors from the ship apprehended 17 pirates off the coast of Yemen as the pirates were attempting to hijack the Egyptian ship Motor Vessel Amira. The ship was filmed in its counter-piracy role and featured on the Spike TV network special U.S. Navy: Pirate Hunters.
Gettysburg completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)
Composite Unit Training Exercise
COMPTUEX, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its speciality, COMPTUEX brings ships together to project force as a battle group...
as part of the Carrier Strike Group Two
Carrier Strike Group Two
Carrier Strike Group Two, abbreviated CSG-2 or CARSTRKGRU 2, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned the United States Fleet Forces Command. U.S...
on 10 February 2011. Gettysburg deployed with an embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70) detachment as part of Carrier Strike Group Two, departing Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
on 10 May 2011. Gettysburg subsequently participated in NATO naval exercise Saxon Warrior 2011 off the coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
under the operational control of Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training is a Royal Navy training organisation responsible for ensuring that Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are fit to join the operational fleet. FOST certifies crews and vessels as being sufficiently prepared for any eventuality through rigorous exercises and...
(FOST). During this exercise, Gettysburg operated with the new British guided-missile destroyer
Type 45 destroyer
The United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer is an air defence destroyer programme of the Royal Navy which will replace its Type 42 destroyers. The first ship in the class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009. The ships are now built by BAE Systems Surface Ships...
.
In popular culture
In Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
's novel The Bear and the Dragon
The Bear and the Dragon
The Bear and the Dragon is a political thriller novel by Tom Clancy featuring Jack Ryan. It was published in 2000.-Plot introduction:In the book Jack Ryan is President of the United States. After Russia discovers oil fields rivaling those of the Persian Gulf in Siberia and gold deposits just as...
, Gettysburg intercepted a Chinese ICBM just before it detonated over Washington D.C. The cruiser had nearly exhausted her complement of SM-2 missiles, and the second-to-last missile made the dramatic interception over the Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
.