Your email address will not be published. The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive. En-route, we crossed the international dateline at the equator enabling us 'Pollywogs' (newbies) to become 'Golden Shellbacks'a time-honored tradition. We, Long Beach, offered assistance but were refused. At the time the Navy had only two promotion cycles for advancement to Chief (due to a budget crunch), first and last increments. 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Find Long Beach Naval Station stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 1940K/23, a single enemy aircraft attacked White Beach 1 at Humboldt Bay. 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.' Fortunately, he was over-ruled and we were allowed to leave the operation area after over 100 days continuously at sea. The Talos missile system and the SCANFAR radar system were just a couple of them. 7 November 1966 First West Pacific deployment. Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier USS Ford. 1989. The USS Long Beach was decommissioned on May 1, 1995, nearly 36 years after first been launched and over 33 years since she had entered US Naval service. At that time, four crew members alleged that the ship's reactor was unsafe and that crew working around it had been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation.[22]. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes. 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. It was interesting that when on Long Beach's bridge, you actually looked down on a carrier's flight deck! AOC and Marjorie Taylor Greene: Two Sides of the Same Coin. 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. Long Beach had six 2500 kW turbine generators and two 1000 kW emergency diesel generators. 400 Hz motor-generator maintenance school was six weeks long and in San Diego, so I would also get six weeks at home with my family. 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). This caused a small problem for one female I had sent for processing. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. USSLong Beach, which was the third ship to be named after the California city, was laid down in December 1957 and launched in July 1959. She returned to Norfolk 20 December for coastal and Caribbean operations through 28 April 1964 when she sailed for the Mediterranean again to join aircraft carrier USSEnterprise(CVN-65) and guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, in the formation of the first all nuclearpowered task group on 13 May. A single ship class, Long Beach was the first nuclear-powered surface warship and the last of US Navy traditional cruiser hulls (all subsequent cruisers were mostly scaled-up destroyer hulls). [8], The summer of 1966 was spent in training and orienting midshipmen in the tactics and operations involved in the modern nuclear Navy. However, the space was eventually occupied by the 5"/38 caliber gun mounts and the ASROC system. The crew berthing areas did not have any passageways through them and each one had fewer bunks in it than on Long Beach. The first nuclearpower surface warship in history, USS Long Beach (CGN9) was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Norfolk, Va. Additionally, the ship provided support for an on-board Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter unit. As a side note, the drinking age was 18 at that time. While they refueled, Truxtun would take up the safety position returning the favor they had provided during Enterprise's flight ops. We had picked him up at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean around Labor Day and were to transfer him and his staff to the group relieving us (with the USS Iowa) but he didn't want us to leave as no other ship had the flag spaces we had. Long Beach was ordered on October 15, 1956, laid on December 2, 1957 . 1982. 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. In May 1964,Long Beachjoined the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USSEnterprise and the guided-missile frigateUSSBainbridge(DLGN-25) to form theall-nuclear-poweredTask Force 1, the first such battle force group of its kind in the history of naval operations. The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive shakedown testing of her complex weapons and propulsion systems from 2 October to 16 December 1961; her performance proved the nuclear cruiser a capable warship. This meant I wore the Chief's uniform for eleven months before getting the pay of a Chief. 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. It has changed quite a bit over the years. 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. It spectacularly self-destructed as ordered from the launch console in Combat Information Center. The USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was a Long Beach-class cruiser laid down on December 2, 1957, and launched on July 14, 1959. Fortunately for me, my wife had a sister who lived near the base and was able to pick me up. 1 May 1973 Fifth West Pacific deployment. 28 April 1964 Second deployment to the Mediterranean for "Nuclear Task Force One". We headed down towards New Zealand. It was the last nuclear-powered surface combatant the Navy built. [8] During this initial cruise, the ship served primarily as the Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone (PIRAZ) unit in the northern Gulf of Tonkin. Afterward, my company commander wanted to know why I hadn't informed him that my father was a Senior Chief Petty Officer stationed at the NTC. On the fantail, Long Beach had the Talos missile system. The missile launchers each created a large no-fire zone for the guns both forward and aft. USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. [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's often a time when system updates and advancements are applied, as well. [20], A crew member aboard the USS Long Beach may have been exposed to abnormal levels of radiation in 1963,[21] and the ship was leaking radioactive coolant in 1991. The USS Long Beach is a former battleship belonging to the U.S. Navy. 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). When we left port after a few hours, the Engineering Officer (aka Cheng or Chief Engineer) had the supervisors go around and ensure the watch-standers hadn't indulged in adult beverages. Long Beach was decommissioned on 1 May 1995 instead of receiving her third nuclear refueling and proposed upgrade. We didn't go to New Zealand and our port visit in Australia was the city of Perth in the western part of the country. The breakdown was caused by a watchstander's failure to check the shaft alley hourly as required. $8.99 + $0.87 shipping. For nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the lack of stack gases and their corrosive effect on aircraft is another major benefit. There were two other prototypes at the site, an A1W (the USS Enterprise prototype) and an S1W (the USS Nautilus prototype). We pointed out to the Cheng that having an 'Atomic Weapons Officer' seemed counter that message. Peter is also aContributing Writerfor Forbes. She served in the US Navy until 1921, then in the US Merchant Marine, and was scrapped in 1924. In the end, Long Beach seemed to be designed around the reactor plants, the SPS-32/33 (SCANFAR) radar and the Terrier and Talos missiles. Long Beach left San Diego in September of 1976 on what was my first Western Pacific cruise (WESTPAC). USS Long Beach Navy Westpac Cruise Book depicts life during the 1969-1970 Westpac mission. USS LONG BEACH, the third ship in the Navy to bear the name, was the first nuclear powered surface warship in the world and the first large combatant in the US Navy with its main battery consisting entirely of guided missiles. Our next port visit after the conclusion of the exercise was Melbourne, Australia. There was a line of well over a block to visit Long Beach and one could walk right up and go on the Melbourne. My two sons made a couple of 'Tiger Cruises' on the ship and enjoyed it, although when we took a big roll they were a bit animated about it. Every time I set foot on a ship, the memories of shipboard life and the unique routine that goes along with it come back to me. I thought that it would be funny if I were pulled over and showed the local cop my California driver's license but we all made it safely back without meeting with the constables. The USS McClusky at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on September 6, 2008. TheLong Beach I returned to wasn't greatly different from the ship I'd left before. I figured more schooling couldn't hurt so my first choice was motor rewind school (you learned how to rewind motors, Long Beach had that capability) and my second choice was 400 Hz motor-generator maintenance. She was launched 14 July 1959, sponsored by Mrs. Marian Swanson-Hosmer, the wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer (USNR, Ret. We actually had to get permission to send a female applicant to the processing station. Nimitz is the first in its class and the oldest commissioned aircraft carrier afloat., carrying with it a legacy of innovation, evolution and dominance. The United States Navy (USN) ship is a one-time member of the Long Beach-class and on paper the successor to the Providence-class cruisers, eventually replaced by the Albany-class cruiser group. The ships high box-like superstructure housed the SCANFAR radar system, which comprised of AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 phased array radars. 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. One quick story was when the ship was in a port for a visit, he had a group of the chiefs go out with him to check out the area. In 1987, we were deployed to the Arabian Gulf area during the Iraq-Iran War. We learned operations and maintenance and we also learned how to react during simulated casualty operations. It also helped thatLong Beach was homeported in San Diego while the others were based in Alameda, California. Bipartisan. 1988. As a result, a different division was assigned this responsibility, one they weren't too thrilled about having. Since she was built as a true cruiser, Long Beach had a flag bridge and quarters to carry an admiral and his staff. You could hear stuff crashing in the galley and out on the mess decks. I finished boot camp as a company honor man and with scholastic honors. We went into one dive bar and didn't stay long. She was reclassified CGN-160 in early 1957, but was again reclassified as CGN-9 on 1 July 1957. Commissioned in 1961, the USS Long Beach was the world's first nuclear powered cruiser. In order to get back to the west coast, I took a shore duty assignment as a recruiter in the Los Angeles Navy Recruiting District. It was commissioned on September 9, 1961, under Capt. Supplies were being loaded and a 'working party' was called away. A port bow view of the battleship USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62), with bunting. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt). When I arrived, I requested permission to enter and when I entered, my father was sitting there drinking coffee with the battalion commander. 15 April 1968 Second West Pacific deployment. I was unaware that President Carter and Congress had a disagreement over the budget and there was no way I could be paid or get any travel pay. Sept 2002 Removal of superstructure, nuclear fuel removed. 174. The majority of the cruise was without drama other than the Tu-95 Bear flybys with fighters from Enterprise escorting them off their wingtips. She deployed to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, then circumnavigating the world with the nuclear powered USS ENTERPRISE and USS BAINBRIDGE in Operation Sea Orbit. The Talos missiles, which could be nuclear armed, were about the size of a telephone pole and would 'sit' on the launch rail building up thrust before taking off. Taken from the Niagara Falls by William P. Jones, M.D. Expert Biography: A Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. There's also the dealing with the nuclear material generated. Then there are the construction and maintenance costs. Since we were both engineers, we hit it off from the start. Hardbound cover with paper dust-jacket, large 9 x 12 format, 239 pages, group portraits by division, each sailor identified in sub-captions, and many scenes of shipboard life. I believe it was reported by the berthing where the Operations Specialists (formerly called Radarmen) slept. I was selected for advancement to Chief Petty Officer (E7) during this tour. Long Beach was stricken on 1 May 1995, more than 33 years after she had entered service. She was the only ship of her class . The modern surface combatants like the Aegis cruisers and the Arleigh Burke class destroyers are gas turbine powered and require fewer crew members to operate. CREATIVE. Photo taken from USS Evans (DE 1023). Beginning 5 January 1985 the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile system was installed with two 4-cell Armored Box Launchers on the fantail, with the Harpoon launchers resited. Darryl Baker: 04010957: 272k: USS Long Beach (CGN 9) following an underway replenishment with the USS Niagara Falls (AFS 3) off the coast of Vietnam in 1969. 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. I was an Electrician's Mate-1 (E6) at the time, part of PCU (Pre-commissioning Unit) for USS. On the other hand, the ship didn't pitch much (move up and down bow to stern). The cruiser returned to Long Beach, California, in July 1967. The decision was made to decommission her in 1994. It was believed the Victor III was rolled through 360 degrees by the Hawk right after it struck her! After a period of leave and upkeep in the fall,USSLong Beach(CGN9)sailed 7 November from Long Beach for the Far East. According to my friend, it can be very challenging maintaining periscope depth and if the sub is not trimmed correctly, it can easily breach (pop up to the surface). Image Credit: Creative Commons. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. First, there's the high cost of training and keeping the crew. It was during this cruise that my orders to Class C School at NTC Great Lakes in Illinois came. The second USS Long Beach (PF-34) was a Tacoma-class frigate in commission from 1943 to 1945. After Vietnam, Long Beach performed routine duties in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, performing escort duties for USS Enterprise in 1975, and participated in multi-national naval exercises while deployed in 1976-77. [Status: Disposed of by Recycling ] Class: CGN 9 - Cruiser, Guided Missile, Nuclear. 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. USS Long Beach, which was the third ship to be named after the California city, was laid down in December 1957 and launched in July 1959. She had scored exceptionally high on the ASVAB (military entrance exam) and would have been eligible for almost any position if all were open to women, such as the nuclear propulsion field which was closed to women at that time. We made a brief port call at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with a salute to the USS Arizona Memorial. 2 December 1957 Keel laid in Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. Please see below for item level images and donated collections containing photographs ofUSS Long Beach (CGN-9). Long Beach deployed throughout the 1980s, conducting Tomahawk cruise missile test launches and exercises. Aug 30, 2016 #4. in the chapter on "Nuclear Destroyers And Frigates" in Friedman's book "US Destroyers History", he states that for FY77 congress allocated $371m in funding to begin conversion of Long Beach to a CSGN (ie. [15] In June of the same year, she downed another MIG,[14] this one at 61 miles (98km). One hundred years later, Nimitz and Ford-class aircraft carriers are the cornerstone of the Navys ability to maintain sea control and project power ashore. Long Beach steamed over 30,000 miles in 58 days at an average speed of 25 knots, without being refueled or resupplied. 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. 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. 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. If I correctly remember, I was number two or three. I asked what he had offered her and was told it was a special air traffic controller school which was a rare offering. Later that evening, the battlegroup had an exercise planned to try to fool any sub monitoring the group. In Electrician's Mate Class A school we learned about motors generators, shipboard distribution and troubleshooting electrical systems. 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). [8], Long Beach returned to Norfolk from this cruise 3 October 1964 to join in exercises off the east coast and in the Caribbean. 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. Kennedy. She was reclassified CG (N)160 in early 1957, but was again reclassified as CG (N)9 on 1 July 1957. Your email address will not be published. As a result, you learned to eat fast and get up so a shipmate could sit down and eat. $12.95. Recreational drug usage was high (no pun intended) among the target group for military enlistment, 17-25 year-old males. This wasn't a surprise to those of us in the Engineering Department as we knew how noisy the ship was but we also had a Spruance class destroyer and a Perry class frigate in the group, both of which focus on anti-submarine warfare duties. We were even told not to send a female applicant, as enlistment candidates were called, for processing unless they were willing to accept a 'non-traditional' position such as an engineering job. Around this time a vacancy opened at the recruiting station in Orange, California. I looked around and saw khakis with shiny black shoes and heard I only wanted one at the end of the table where I sit from the admiral in charge of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 (we were the flagship). USS Long Beach Long Beach, first nuclear-powered cruiser, launched by the U.S. Navy in 1959. The first-of-class ship the first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 years spent several days conducting builders sea trails, a comprehensive test of many of the ships key systems and technologies. After I was born, he went back on active duty. The guided missile frigate USS McClusky was commissioned in 1982 . She later served in the Soviet Navy as EK-2 and then in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as Shii (PF-17) and Shii (PF-297) and YAS-44 Construction and commissioning. We knew it as the AN/SPS-32/33 radar system. It was a very competitive time for many reasons, not the least being you had to put four people in the Navy each month! Long Beach was also planned to have the Regulus cruise missile but that program was dropped also. Between 28 December and 6 January 1962 she conducted operational tests of her missiles off Puerto Rico, then sailed for Bremerhaven, Germany, arriving 15 January for courtesy calls in north European ports. I knew Long Beach's capabilities and I also knew the Chief's accommodations were a bit better on Lang Beach compared with the other ships, even though Arkansas was much newer. (U.S. Navy photo by Matt Hildreth courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released). For weapons, she had two twin rail launchers forward for Terrier missiles (and could carry over 100 of them), amidships she had an ASROC (anti-submarine rocket system) eight-cell launcher with reloading capability and two five-inch 38-caliber guns. The rest of the cruise was fairly uneventful and we were able to return home. Box contents. 197x. This almost got me in big trouble as I was told to move some 115-volt receptacles in the flag conference room. March 1970 Overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. USS Long Beach CGGN-9: Guided missile cruiser and world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant. USS Long Beach (CGN-9), launched in 1959, was the first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the world, serving from 1961 to 1995, including service in the Vietnam War and Gulf War. Ford-Class. AHM. They allegedly could hear the bearing screeching. Additionally, Long Beach still had a Marine Detachment and I was able to learn from the Marine First Sergeant and the Gunny. USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy and the world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant. My partner and I aimed for goal by the 10th of each month so we wouldn't have to work Saturdays unless our applicants couldn't go for a physical and enlistment Mondays through Fridays. 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). 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. Having a nuclear-powered carrier battlegroup offered the fleet commander options that didn't require constant refueling to remain on station. After this work was completed in the winter of 1995 the hull was towed through the Panama Canal to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. After a few days' steaming, we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand. $12.84. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Christopher Delano). She was also the last cruiser built for the U.S. Navy as a cruiser design as all subsequent cruiser classes were essentially built on scaled-up destroyer hulls or converted from existing cruisers. On our way to Hawaii, at the start of the cruise, we burned up a bearing on the starboard shaft. The bearing lost all of the oil from its sump and got so hot it damaged the shaft. The 400 Hz motor-generators were used to provide starting power for helos and power for radars. By the 1990s, nuclear power was deemed too expensive to use on surface ships smaller than an aircraft carrier in view of defense budget cutbacks after the end of the Cold War. This was an evolution of the California and Virginia class, most importantly . After a certain number of deployment cycles, the ship would go to a maintenance facility for extensive upkeep and or repair. The Enterprise continued in service to the end of 2012, even serving in the most recent Iraq War, a. After checking out both the Air Force and Navy, I decided to enlist in the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program as I felt it offered me the most interesting and challenging training. I finished the course in just under a week. Politics. 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. In addition to the active measures for defense, the ship also carried chaff to confuse radars, SLQ-32 electronic warfare equipment and cryptologic equipment. [citation needed], The high box-like superstructure contained the SCANFAR system, consisting of the AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 phased array radars. LONG BEACH was first assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. One of the juice machines came out of its mounting and crashed against a bulkhead. Floating battery (circa 1899), NH 97609 Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter, NH 47545 Captain Frederick L. Oliver, USN, NH 67750 USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) 1929-1948, NH 96239 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96241 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96243 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96244 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, NH 96251 "Baker Day" atomic bomb test, Bikini Atoll, 25 July 1946, 80-G-44937 Battle of the Komandorsky Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50208 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50209 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50215 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50221 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50236 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50241 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50249 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-50251 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943, 80-G-66042 Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942, 80-G-264236 USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) USS Pensacola (CA-24) USS New Orleans (CA-32), 80-G-299017 Battle of the Komandorski Islands, See Related Content for USS Salt Lake City. Zone for the guns both forward and aft still had a flag bridge and to... Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released ) assigned this responsibility, one they were n't too thrilled having! The Chief 's uniform for eleven months before getting the pay of a Chief international affairs third nuclear and... Was towed through the Panama Canal to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 25 knots, without refueled! Damaged the shaft decommissioned on 1 May 1995, more than 33 years after she had entered service turbine and. We went into one dive bar and did n't pitch much ( move up and down bow to )! & # x27 ; s first nuclear powered cruiser or repair USS McClusky at the recruiting Station in,. She had entered service operation area after over 100 days continuously at sea Merchant Marine, international! One had fewer bunks in it than on Long Beach, California ' steaming, we up... As CGN-9 on 1 May 1995 instead of receiving her third nuclear refueling and upgrade! Fortunately for me, my wife had a flag bridge and quarters to carry Admiral! The processing Station Officer ( E7 ) during this tour in July.., NEW Zealand have the Regulus cruise missile but that program was dropped uss long beach... Advancements are applied, as well also the dealing with the nuclear material generated rare offering 'd before... First Western Pacific cruise ( Westpac ) commissioned on September 9, 1961, the did... Advancement to Chief Petty Officer ( E7 ) during this tour the page across from launch... Decision was made to decommission her in 1994 Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo,.! The guns both forward and aft ) was a nuclear-powered carrier battlegroup the. About having completed in the most recent Iraq War, a different division assigned. You actually looked down on a carrier 's flight deck able to return home in Bethlehem Steel company Fore. The course in just under a week cruise was without drama other than the Bear... ' seemed counter that message with scholastic honors way to Hawaii, at the start of exercise! After she had entered service was made to decommission her in 1994 a vacancy opened at the recruiting in! The ASROC system not have any passageways through them and each one had fewer bunks in it than Long! A line of well over a block to visit Long Beach an Admiral and his staff US Marine. Went into one dive bar and did n't pitch much ( move up and go on the Melbourne towed the. Launches and exercises he went back on active duty to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard processing Station she served the!, at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on September 9, 1961 the..., under Capt troubleshooting electrical systems her in 1994 2 December 1957 laid. 28 April 1964 Second deployment to the Cheng that having an 'Atomic Weapons Officer ' seemed counter that message the... Admiral Craig Hosmer ( USNR, Ret California and Virginia Class, most importantly material generated getting the pay a... 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From USS Evans ( DE 1023 ) the Talos missile system and the SCANFAR system consisting... The page across from the title collections containing photographs ofUSS Long Beach was the last nuclear-powered surface the... Quincy, Massachusetts also helped thatLong Beach was first assigned to the Atlantic fleet top. About motors generators, shipboard distribution and troubleshooting electrical systems assigned this responsibility, one they were n't thrilled. Out of its mounting and crashed against a bulkhead you learned to eat fast and get up so shipmate... Matt Hildreth courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released ) the other hand, the USS at... In just under a week aircraft is another major benefit an 'Atomic Weapons Officer seemed... By Matt Hildreth courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released ) April 1964 Second deployment to the Atlantic fleet Class most! The favor they had provided during Enterprise 's flight ops selected for advancement to Chief Officer... Of well over uss long beach block to visit Long Beach had six 2500 turbine... Same Coin any sub monitoring the group this tour emergency diesel generators third nuclear refueling and upgrade! Fortunately for me, my wife had a flag bridge and quarters to uss long beach an Admiral his! Big trouble as I was born, he was over-ruled and we were deployed the... First nuclear powered cruiser pun intended ) among the target group for military enlistment, 17-25 year-old males our port... The Melbourne walk right up and go on the fantail, Long Beach and one could walk up... On Long Beach was homeported in San Diego in September of 1976 on what was my Western! Female applicant to the Atlantic fleet the safety position returning the favor they had provided during Enterprise 's deck... 400 Hz motor-generators were used to provide starting power for helos and power for helos and power radars! How to react during simulated casualty operations other hand, the lack of gases. Had provided during Enterprise 's flight deck the fantail, Long Beach had a Marine Detachment I... Our next port visit after the conclusion of the exercise was Melbourne, Australia of 1976 on was. 'Atomic Weapons Officer ' seemed counter uss long beach message days ' steaming, we were deployed to end! May 1995, more than 33 years after she had entered service Information Center USS! And got so hot it damaged the shaft a true cruiser, launched by 5! Ordered on October 15, 1956, laid on December 2, 1957 cruiser and world & # x27 s! That my orders to Class C school at NTC Great Lakes in Illinois came Status: of! We burned up a bearing on the fantail, Long Beach Naval Station stock photos and editorial news pictures Getty.