The U.S. Navy retires two more Ticonderoga-class cruisers, leaving the number of remaining ships in the class less than the Type 055
According to a report by the Stars and Stripes on September 26 local time, the U.S. Navy held a retirement ceremony for two "Ticonderoga"-class guided missile cruisers on Thursday (September 25) in Norfolk, Virginia. The two ships are CG-58 "Mitsubishi Sea" and CG-60 "Normandy". According to on-site photos, the "Mitsubishi Sea" had already removed its AN/SPY-1 radar and some antenna electronic equipment before it was decommissioned.
The "Mitsubishi Sea" and the "Normandy" were both named after famous battles in World War II, and were both built at the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine. As the 12th ship of the "Ticonderoga" class, the "Mitsubishi Sea" was laid down on April 8, 1986, launched on July 12, 1987, and commissioned on March 18, 1989, serving for a total of 36 years and 191 days until its retirement; the 14th ship, the "Normandy", was laid down on April 7, 1987, launched on March 19, 1988, and commissioned on December 9, 1989, with a service period of 35 years and 290 days.
Between March and May 1999, the "Mitsubishi Sea" participated in NATO's military action against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, firing cruise missiles toward targets inside Yugoslavia. In October 2001, it also fired cruise missiles during the "Operation Enduring Freedom" in Afghanistan. The "Normandy" embarked on its first deployment to the Gulf in December 1990, just one year after its commissioning, participating in the "Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm" operations against Iraq. During this time, it fired 26 cruise missiles, reportedly making it the first U.S. Navy ship to go into combat after its commissioning since World War II.
Last September, the retirement of the 8th ship CG-54 "Antietam" reduced the number of "Ticonderoga" class cruisers in the U.S. Navy to 9. After the retirement of the "Mitsubishi Sea" and the "Normandy", the number of "Ticonderoga" class guided missile cruisers in the U.S. Navy has become fewer than the currently active Type 055 large guided missile destroyers. The remaining seven ships are the 13th ship CG-59 "Princeton", the 16th ship CG-62 "Robert Smalls", the 18th ship CG-64 "Gettysburg", the 19th ship CG-65 "Chosin Reservoir", CG-67 "Hilo", CG-70 "Erie Lake", and CG-71 "St. George's Cape". According to the plan of the U.S. Navy, the "Hilo" and "Erie Lake" will also be retired later this year, reducing the number of "Ticonderoga" class cruisers to five.
Originally, all "Ticonderoga" class cruisers were planned to be retired in batches in the fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. However, at the end of last year, the U.S. Navy announced that it would extend the service life of three cruisers, the "Gettysburg", the "Chosin Reservoir", and the "St. George's Cape". These three cruisers have just completed their extended service upgrades and modernization work during the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, and they will be retired in the 2029 fiscal year instead.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1844410647731280/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.