_is_shown_underway.jpg) USSLeyte Gulf on 22 February 2004 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Leyte Gulf |
| Namesake | Battle of Leyte Gulf |
| Ordered | 20 June 1983 |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 18 March 1985 |
| Launched | 20 June 1986 |
| Commissioned | 26 September 1987 |
| Decommissioned | 20 September 2024 |
| Homeport | Norfolk |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Arrayed For Victory |
| Nickname(s) | Double Nickel, America's Battle Cruiser |
| Status | Out of service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ticonderoga-classcruiser |
| Displacement | Approx. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load |
| Length | 565 feet (172 meters) She lost 2 feet after colliding withUSS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) |
| Beam | 55 feet (16.8 meters) |
| Draft | 34 feet (10.2 meters) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
| Complement | 30 officers and 300 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×MH-60R SeahawkLAMPS Mk III helicopters. |
USSLeyte Gulf (CG-55) is aTiconderoga-classguided missile cruiser in theUnited States Navy. She was named in memory of theWorld War IIBattle of Leyte Gulf in thePacific. She is powered by four largegas-turbine engines, and she has a large complement of guided missiles forair defense, attack of surface targetsat sea andashore, andanti-submarine warfare (ASW). In addition, she carries two"Seahawk" LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters, whose primary mission is ASW.
Leyte Gulf waslaid down by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation atPascagoula, Mississippi, on 18 March 1985,launched on 20 June 1986, andcommissioned on 26 September 1987 atPort Everglades, Florida.[1][2]
Leyte Gulf was decommissioned on 20 September 2024 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.[3]
On 14 October 1996,Leyte Gulf collided with theNimitz-classaircraft carrier,USS Theodore Roosevelt while conducting operations off the coast ofNorth Carolina. The incident occurred as the carrier, without prior warning, reversed her engines whileLeyte Gulf was behind her and slammed into the cruiser's bow. There were no personnel casualties or injuries reported,[4] and damage to the Leyte was only $2 million.[5]
In 2002, she won theMarjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet.
In late 1992Leyte Gulf was assigned toCarrier Group 2.[6] In March 2003Leyte Gulf was assigned toCarrier Group Eight.[7]
_under_the_Verrazano_Narrows_Bridge.jpg)
On 15 September 2007, there was a fire aboardLeyte Gulf as she underwent an extensive modernization program inBAE Systems Shipyard inNorfolk, Virginia. Initially the fire received national attention due to the possibility that it was a terrorist incident, however, it was quickly revealed to be an industrial accident. Five shipyard workers were injured in the incident, one seriously, but no naval personnel were involved.[8]
In February 2011,Leyte Gulf was involved in anincident withSomali pirates after they captured the United States flaggedyachtQuest.[9]
The cruiser returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During her deployment, she had participated in operations which had captured 75 Somali pirates and had missile strikes by her carrier strike group against the Libyan government.[10]
In January 2015,Leyte Gulf returned from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The ship served as flagship ofStanding NATO Maritime Group 2 for much of the deployment.[11]
In August 2022Leyte Gulf was again deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.[12] She returned to Norfolk on 9 June 2023.
On 29 January 2024,Leyte Gulf deployed Sunday fromNaval Station Norfolk, Va., to the4th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Caribbean and Central and South America. It will hostHSM-50, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50 andCoast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 and is expected to conduct passing exercises with regional partners and make port visits to counter threats such as illegal drug trafficking.[13] She returned toNaval Station Norfolk on 17 May 2024. This will be her final deployment before decommissioning.[14]
In March 2024, the Navy announced plans to inactivateLeyte Gulf on 20 September 2024.[15]
On March 21, 2024, theLeyte Gulf and the US Coast Guard captured anarco-submarine 150 miles off the coast ofGuyana carrying 5,225 pounds of cocaine.[16]
On September 20, 2024 at Naval Station Norfolk, USSLeyte Gulf (CG-55) was decommissioned with Commanding Officer Commander Brian Harrington and Command Master Chief Michael Jedrykowski presiding.[17]
