USS Princeton (CG-59)
Encyclopedia
USS Princeton (CG-59) is a guided missile
cruiser
serving in the United States Navy
. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She also is the home of two Seahawk LAMPS III
helicopters. This warship is named for the Revolutionary War
victories over the British by George Washington
in and around the town of Princeton, New Jersey
.
Princeton was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.
in Pascagoula, Mississippi
. After traveling through the Panama Canal
, the Princeton was home-ported at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard
, California.
since before World War II. She sailed with the . Before the visit was completed, the crew received word that their Pacific cruise was canceled. They returned to Long Beach and joined the Battle Group preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf
.
_hull_crack.jpg)
On the morning of 18 February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Princeton was patrolling an operating area 28 nautical miles (51.9 km) off Failaka Island
in the Persian Gulf
, on the west side of the decoy U.S. Marine and naval invasion forces afloat. Two Italian
-made MN103 Manta bottom-mounted influence mines
detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, most likely a sympathetic detonation
caused by the first explosion. The blasts cracked the superstructure
, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Two crew members were seriously injured, and another sustained minor injuries. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.
At great peril, the Canadian warship moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged Princeton, which remained on station for 30 hours until she was relieved. The crippled ship, with a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided from the minefield by the minesweeper . Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of Jebel Ali
near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender , and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, the Princeton returned to the United States under the ship's own power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon
.
Princeton was greeted in Long Beach, California
, by a throng of Navy family members, City of Long Beach officials, and the Los Angeles Lakers
"Laker Girls" cheerleaders.
Captain Hontz turned over command to Captain J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia
.
While stationed at Long Beach, Princeton was moored at Pier 7 alongside her sister ship and the battleship .
When the U.S. Naval Base in Long Beach was closed, the home port of the Princeton was moved to the San Diego Naval Base.
Princeton was overhauled from 1999-2000 in San Diego, California
.
and was featured in the documentary Carrier
that aired on PBS-TV, about the aircraft carrier . While in the Persian Gulf
on the night of 12 September 2005, or the early morning of September 13, during the filming of the documentary, Seaman Apprentice Robert D. Macrum, 22, of Sugar Land, Texas
, fell overboard. Despite a search lasting over five days, and covering a 360 square miles (932.4 km²) area, Seaman Macrum was not found.
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....
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...
serving 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...
. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She also is the home of two Seahawk LAMPS III
SH-60 Seahawk
The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant airframe modification is a hinged tail to reduce its footprint aboard ships.The...
helicopters. This warship is named for the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
victories over the British by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in and around the town of Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
.
Princeton was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.
Operational History
The ship's first commander was Captain Ted Hontz, who took command at the commissioning ceremony on 11 February 1989 in the Ingalls shipyardIngalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
in Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
. After traveling through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, the Princeton was home-ported at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
, California.
Vladivostok Port Visit
In 1990, the Princeton served as the flagship for the first US Navy visit to the Soviet Union's Pacific port of VladivostokVladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
since before World War II. She sailed with the . Before the visit was completed, the crew received word that their Pacific cruise was canceled. They returned to Long Beach and joined the Battle Group preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
.
Mine Attack
Failaka Island
Failaka Island is an island that belongs to Kuwait in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name 'Failaka' is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek φυλάκιο - fylakio "outpost"....
in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, on the west side of the decoy U.S. Marine and naval invasion forces afloat. Two Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-made MN103 Manta bottom-mounted influence mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, most likely a sympathetic detonation
Sympathetic detonation
A sympathetic detonation , also called flash over, is a detonation, usually unintended, of an explosive charge by a nearby explosion. Sympathetic detonation is caused by a shock wave, or impact of primary or secondary blast fragments.The initiating explosive is called donor explosive, the initiated...
caused by the first explosion. The blasts cracked the superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Two crew members were seriously injured, and another sustained minor injuries. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.
At great peril, the Canadian warship moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged Princeton, which remained on station for 30 hours until she was relieved. The crippled ship, with a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided from the minefield by the minesweeper . Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali is a port town, located 35 kilometres southwest of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates . The village has a thriving expatriate community with over 300 residents. The area is also home to "5,500 companies from 120 countries"....
near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender , and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, the Princeton returned to the United States under the ship's own power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon
Combat Action Ribbon
The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or...
.
Princeton was greeted in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, by a throng of Navy family members, City of Long Beach officials, and the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
"Laker Girls" cheerleaders.
Captain Hontz turned over command to Captain J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
.
While stationed at Long Beach, Princeton was moored at Pier 7 alongside her sister ship and the battleship .
When the U.S. Naval Base in Long Beach was closed, the home port of the Princeton was moved to the San Diego Naval Base.
Princeton was overhauled from 1999-2000 in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Man Overboard Incident
In 2005, the warship was acting as an escort for the Nimitz Carrier Strike GroupCarrier Strike Group Eleven
Carrier Strike Group Eleven, abbreviated CSG-11 or CARSTRKGRU 11, is one of six U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. U.S...
and was featured in the documentary Carrier
Carrier (documentary)
Carrier is an Emmy Award-winning 10-hour documentary television series about a six-month deployment of a United States Navy aircraft carrier in 2005 from the United States to the Middle East and back...
that aired on PBS-TV, about the aircraft carrier . While in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
on the night of 12 September 2005, or the early morning of September 13, during the filming of the documentary, Seaman Apprentice Robert D. Macrum, 22, of Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
, fell overboard. Despite a search lasting over five days, and covering a 360 square miles (932.4 km²) area, Seaman Macrum was not found.