Find Long Beach Naval Station stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. One of the division's sailors failed to show up for the duty and the division-leading Petty Officer, an E6, was ordered to take the missing man's place. 14 July 1959 launching; Mrs. Craig Hosmer christened the ship as her sponsor. During the yard period in question, the ship's hull was scraped and repainted and the voltage regulators on the ship's service generators were updated. March 1970 Overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. Long Beach was the first "all-new" cruiser designed and constructed after World War II (all others were completions or conversions of cruisers begun or completed during the war). During her second deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin, Talos missiles fired from the cruiser destroyed two Vietnamese MiG-17s at a range of 70 miles. I had fewer than forty dollars since most of my pay went home to support my wife and son. The missile cruiser had a complement of 1,160 officers and sailors. 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. Equipment wise, it had two twin arm mark 26 missile launchers fed by a rotary magazine but carried fewer Standard Missiles (the new name for the updated Terrier missiles) and it had the unmanned five-inch gun mounts like the Spruance class destroyers had. The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive shakedown testing of her complex weapons and propulsion systems from 2 October to 16 December 1961. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. During her service, Long Beachhad thehighest bridge structureof any warship smaller than an aircraft carrier. [8], Long Beach served in the Atlantic Fleet from her commissioning in 1961 until completing her first refueling in early 1966, when the cruiser was transferred from her home port of Norfolk to Naval Station Long Beach, California. [14], Long Beach received a Combat Action Ribbon for action on 26 April 1972,[16] a few days after the Battle of ng Hi. It was an interesting time to be a recruiter. 12, 2022) Sailors aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) assemble on the flight deck and form a human 100 to commemorate the centennial of the aircraft carrier. A quick example was the Command Master Chief when I reported back to Long Beach was a nuclear-trained Machinist Mate. [ 1] O USS Long Beach foi desenvolvido logo aps a Segunda Guerra Mundial, construdo no incio da propulso nuclear. 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. This meant I wore the Chief's uniform for eleven months before getting the pay of a Chief. I explained I wanted to try Aussie cuisine and then they took me to an out of the way diner and the food was great but not much different from home. We had an impromptu exercise with a Soviet Kynda class cruiser when they took up plane guard during my first deployment. . They were both unique designs, each a kind of 'one-off' which generally doesn't do well for ship designs. When the lighting shop needed a leading Petty Officer, the E Division Leading Petty Officer looked to the senior Second Class Petty Officers, but none wanted the position. This is the first in our series about all things Nuclear. Around this time, Long Beach was identified as being suitable for conversion to accommodate the newly developed Aegis combat system, as part of the plans for a force of nuclear-powered Aegis cruisers, but that plan was not implemented. It has changed quite a bit over the years. I was one of the first Electrician's Mates to qualify at S5G. This didn't necessarily please the zone supervisor, but he couldn't say much as we were exceeding our goal each month. Construction of nuclear-powered surface ships is only done at Newport News Shipyard and the maintenance is only done at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and the Portsmouth Naval shipyard, in addition to Newport News Shipbuilding. The Aussies still had their carrier, HMAS Melbourne, but even during the photo op, she wasn't allowed too close to either the Enterprise or us because of her collision with the USS Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam War. Instead of receiving a third nuclear refueling and proposed upgrade, USSLong Beach was deactivated on May 1, 1995, after more than 33 years of operational service. My friend knew a periscope when he saw one because he'd been on the USS Seadragon previously but was transferred off because of kidney stones which disqualified him from further sub duty. Editor's note: Stay tuned for part two of our USS Long Beach-Doug Healey series where we dive intoNuclear Cruiser and Battleship surface action group operations during the twilight of the Cold War, Desert Storm, the retirement of America's nuclear-powered surface combatant fleet, life of a Command Master Chief, the Navy today, and so much more! $12.84. [12], Long Beach was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Naval Station Norfolk. [8], Returning to Norfolk, Virginia 7 February 1962, Long Beach, trained off the east coast and in the Caribbean. For a complete history ofUSSLong Beach(CGN9) please see its DANFS page. After almost every deployment, ships go through what is called an 'inter-deployment maintenance period' due to the complexity of the systems on the ships and the normal wear and tear of use. A comparison with the Ticonderoga class. Whenever Long Beach would make a turn, it would lean in the direction of the turn first and then lean a lot in the opposite direction. Our next port visit after the conclusion of the exercise was Melbourne, Australia. At Nuclear Power School we learned about the theory of reactor design and operation as well as learning about radiation and rudimentary chemistry. [18] 9 January 1980, Long Beach returned to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to undergo a mid-life conversion, during which time the SCANFAR system, consisting of the AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 radars, was removed from the forward superstructure and enhanced flagship facilities were installed, along with modern radars like the AN/SPS-48. I was an Electrician's Mate-1 (E6) at the time, part of PCU (Pre-commissioning Unit) for USS. One of the swells hit the ship just right and it heeled over to starboard for what seemed like a long time. Being a member of the initial crew of any ship is a great experience as you will get to know the ship better than any future crew members can. Habitability wise, Arkansas was superior to Long Beach. The majority of the complicated work would be accomplished by the shipyard workers but the ship's crew would have maintenance to accomplish as well. Generally, we couldn't turn it on until we were at least three miles away from an airport for safety reasons. After flight ops, the battle group went up to 30 knots and after a couple of days, the Soviets had a replenishment ship come out and refuel the Kynda. I was one of the most junior Second Class Petty Officers but I asked if I could take the position and I was appointed as the leading Petty Officer in charge of the 115-volt distribution outside of the propulsion plant with 13 sailors reporting to me in addition to standing my watches in the engineering plant. [17] In 1975 the ship changed home ports to Naval Base San Diego, California. I finished boot camp as a company honor man and with scholastic honors. My first impression as a crew member was of responsibilities of leadership. This involved completing basic engineering qualifications, damage control qualifications and my electrical watch station qualifications, both as a roving electrician and for monitoring the ship's electrical distribution system. National Security. USS LONG BEACH got underway on nuclear power for the first time on the morning of July 5, 1961. Nuclear power had been deemed too expensive to use on surface ships smaller than aircraft carriers in view of defense budget cutbacks after the end of the Cold War. It was an interesting time as we did a lot of system testing that is only performed during the acceptance of the ship by the Navy. Photo taken from USS Evans (DE 1023). A lot of the other locals told us they were just enjoying the unplanned holiday. On 4 June 1965 she sailed for the Global Strategy Conference at the Naval War College, Newport, where Vice Admiral Kleber S. Masterson, Commander Second Fleet broke his flag on the ship. ), a Congressman from California, and commissioned on 9 September 1961. So, I looked at what my best options were for receiving an education and training. Some of the protesters told me it wasn't anything against us, our ship or America, they were getting well paid to protest and they'd protest their own mom for the right amount. She was the first nuclear-powered surface warship in the world, the first cruiser since the end of WWII designed and built new from the keel up, and was the first US Navy ship equipped with guided missiles as the main armament. Three ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Long Beach, after the city of Long Beach, California: .mw-parser-output .dmbox{display:flex;align-items:center;clear:both;margin:0.9em 1em;border-top:1px solid #ccc;border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;padding:0.25em 0.35em;font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .dmbox>*{flex-shrink:0;margin:0 0.25em}.mw-parser-output .dmbox-body{flex-grow:1;flex-shrink:1;padding:0.1em 0}.mw-parser-output .dmbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}. 1968. . They were not fond of the Navy's policy on nuclear arms on its vessels, which officially was 'we can neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons on our ships.' The USS Long Beach is a former battleship belonging to the U.S. Navy. 1988. One of the juice machines came out of its mounting and crashed against a bulkhead. It could stop on the 02 level (flag spaces), 03 level (CO's in-port cabin) and the 04 level as well (flag bridge & flag plot, a mini CIC). There were also two forward launchers for the Terrier and Talos surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and those were also later replaced by the longer-range Standard missile. former . [3] She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Long Beach, California. The decision was made to decommission her in 1994. The warship also provided facilities for an onboard search-and-rescue helicopter. It was believed the Victor III was rolled through 360 degrees by the Hawk right after it struck her! However, her displacement of 11,000 tons equaled that of WWII cruisers. As before,USSLong Beach(CGN9) spent most of her time on PIRAZ station, guiding the many planes which operated over North Vietnam. USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. [7] Because of this unusually high quantity of aluminum, she was assigned the voice radio call sign "Alcoa". We wound up a few miles away from the town at a party. USS Long Beach 1961 Revell Model Ship Kit Unbuilt H-424:169 Made in USA Pre-Owned $74.99 Buy It Now +$7.95 shipping Benefits charity Sponsored Vintage Revell USS Long Beach Atomic Cruiser Model Kit #05053 1/500 Brand New (1) $50.00 Buy It Now +$12.55 shipping Sponsored VINTAGE Revell 1968 USS LONG BEACH INSTRUCTIONS ONLY Pre-Owned $13.00 Buy It Now Long Beach was originally designed without any guns and rumor has it that during sea trials someone asked one of the NAVSEA representatives what the ship would do if a patrol boat came up and shot at them and it was decided to install the five-inch guns. 7 June 1975 Change of homeport to San Diego, Ca. The major benefit to a nuclear-powered surface combatant, as opposed to a conventionally powered one, is the ability to stay on station for long periods without refueling. The warship was updated in the late 1970s and later operated as part of the UN task force during Operation Desert Storm. Around this time a vacancy opened at the recruiting station in Orange, California. It was the first record use of naval SAMs in combat conditions. I hit my head while working under the conference table, swore and wondered what kind of idiot wanted so many outlets under the table. On 13 July 2012, Long Beach was sold at auction,[6] for recycling, as prescribed for nuclear-powered vessels by Code 350, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. As of May 2018, the inactivated ship's hull and reactor compartments largely remained in long-term storage there. We made a brief port call at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with a salute to the USS Arizona Memorial. Otherwise, the remainder of the weapon systems were unchanged outwardly. As a side note, with an enlisted crew of about 1,000, there was only seating for about 300 sailors in the enlisted mess decks at one time. On the other hand, the ship didn't pitch much (move up and down bow to stern). Both ships were open for visitors. We anchored in the harbor after dodging a few protest boats. After this work was completed in the winter of 1995 the hull was towed through the Panama Canal to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The USS McClusky at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on September 6, 2008. It was during this cruise that my orders to Class C School at NTC Great Lakes in Illinois came. Now a Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. The result was that LST's were unable to beach at this point due . At Nuclear Power Prototype Training, I was assigned to the S5G reactor prototype (designed as the USS Narwhal's power plant) where we learned the 'hands-on' operation of a naval nuclear reactor. The reactor plants were similar between Enterprise and 'The Beach' but there were enough differences that they were considered separate designs. The final weapons suite consisted of:[citation needed], The 5"/38 guns and the ASROC were retained, and several 12.7mm (50-cal) were installed as needed. A lot of the structural bulkheads were not complete and it was relatively easy to go from one end of the unfinished hull to the other. We had the Commander of the Joint Task Force Middle East embarked. The newer model takes less to operate but in my opinion, the older model is more stylish. In 1968, the ship was redeployed to the Gulf of Tonkin, shooting down a MiG 21 jet fighter near Vinh, with a RIM-8 Talos missile on 23 May 1968,[13][14] at a range of 65 miles (105km). USS Long Beach (AK-9) was a cargo steamship that was built in England in 1892 as Yarrowdale, passed through a succession of British, Greek and German owners, and was seized by the United States in 1917. 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. There's also the dealing with the nuclear material generated. At the end of Class A school, I was advanced to EM3 (E4). It was a different ceremony than what's conducted today, not better or worse, just different. Revell. My regret was that my father had died from a heart attack while I was on the Arkansas and wasn't there to witness my 'pinning.' 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. For the longest time, the ship's rumor mill had it that if Long Beach rolled to greater than 45 degrees to either port or starboard, the ship would capsize. I asked what billets were available and was told they were on California, Texas, Arkansas and Long Beach. USS Long Beach, CGN-9. She was reclassified CGN-160 in early 1957, but was again reclassified as CGN-9 on 1 July 1957. One of my friends who was supposed to transfer around the same time as me, but was unable to get off the ship. The first nuclearpower surface warship in history,USSLong Beach(CGN9)was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Norfolk, Va. She looked like no other ship the world had ever seen before and she definitely had her quirks. Now, the Navy is sending the ship off for scrap. Free shipping. Those of us who had been on Long Beach called Arkansas a 'cruiser with a forged birth certificate' since most of the official plans and manuals referred to the ship as a DLGN (nuclear powered guided missile destroyer), not a CGN (nuclear powered guided missile cruiser). List of ships with the same or similar names, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Long_Beach&oldid=1052106706, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 October 2021, at 12:35. USSLong Beach(CGN9) was originally ordered as CLG (N)160. Guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach USS Long Beach (CGN-9) US Navy (1794-now) CGN-9. They allegedly could hear the bearing screeching. This operation, Sea Orbit, reminiscent of the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 19071909, demonstrated the strategic mobility of U.S. naval nuclearpowered surface forces independent of normal fleet logistic support. 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