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. [7] Because of this unusually high quantity of aluminum, she was assigned the voice radio call sign "Alcoa". Later in my career, when I was a senior chief (E8) on the COMNAVSURFPAC/COMNAVAIRPAC Nuclear Propulsion Mobile Training Team, I was instrumental in getting funds put into yard maintenance to move the crew ashore out of the industrial area. In order to continue on to Nuclear Power School at Mare Island, I had to finish in the upper 50 percentile of my class. Vietnam War: View of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship during Family Day at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. After a certain number of deployment cycles, the ship would go to a maintenance facility for extensive upkeep and or repair. I finished boot camp as a company honor man and with scholastic honors. TheLong Beach I returned to wasn't greatly different from the ship I'd left before. 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. 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. When we left Hawaii we sailed through the 'Bear Box' with EMCON (electronic emissions control) set to see if the Russian Bear reconnaissance planes could find us. The missile cruiser had a complement of 1,160 officers and sailors. (ASSOCIATED PRESS). After that, he served two back-to-back nine-month tours in Da Nang, Vietnam with the Seabees. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. 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]. With a length of 721 feet (219 metres) and a displacement of 14,000 tons, the Long Beach was the first large surface warship to be built with a main armament consisting of guided missiles. 28 May 1991 14th West Pacific deployment in support of Operation Provide Comfort. Our next port visit after the conclusion of the exercise was Melbourne, Australia. March 1970 Overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. [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. There are several penalties of nuclear-powered surface combatants. Since there were more in the mess, I felt I had a greater likelihood of finding good and less good examples to model from. I asked to speak with my applicant and we talked about the position she'd been offered. (Mar. She was commissioned on September 9, 1961 under the command of then-Captain Eugene Parks Wilkinson, who had previously served as the first commanding officer for the USS Nautilus. The Crossing The Line Ceremony goes way, way back. We were to launch one for some other ships to shoot at but the missiles were quite old at that point. We made more port visits that. 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. I arranged with Long Beach's Engineering Officer to report directly toLong Beach and then start my transfer leave in order to start my sea duty counter 30 days earlier. [19] In June, 1991, Long Beach took part in Operation Fiery Vigil, evacuating U.S. military personnel from two bases in the Philippines, Clark Air Base and U.S. Once refueling was complete, we went back up to 30 knots! I was able to share a cup of coffee with them and remember thinking "this isn't going to be too tough.". 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. We, Long Beach, offered assistance but were refused. 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. It was a different ceremony than what's conducted today, not better or worse, just different. 28 April 1964 Second deployment to the Mediterranean for "Nuclear Task Force One". [12], Long Beach was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Naval Station Norfolk. Still having fond memories of the Long Beach, it was an easy choice for me to return to sea duty on her and this time as a Chief. Needless to say, with Long Beach in port, no one was seen wearing those shirts! 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. Long Beach was ordered on October 15, 1956, laid on December 2, 1957 . He went back to sea duty on USS Dixie (AD-14) for three years and then his final tour was at Fleet Assistance Group, San Diego. 7 November 1966 First West Pacific deployment. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42/CVA-42), USS George E. Badger (DD-196/AVP-16/AVD-3/APD-33), USS Guadalcanal (AVG-60/ACV-60/CVE-60/CVU-60), USS Lexington (CV-16/CVA-16/CVS-16/CVT-16), NH 94540 Commander John L. Hall, USN Commander Paulus P. Powell, USN, NH 80176 Destroyer Division Fifteen (DESDIV 15), NH 50709 View at Amoy, China taken from Kulangsoo, USS Perch (SS-313/SSP-313/APSS-313/LLPSS-313), 80-G-7861 USS Portland (CA-33) and USS San Francisco (CA-38), NH 107440 USS Thompson USS Davison USS Mervine USS Quick, 80-G-367853 Invasion of Southern France, August 1944, 80-G-368078 General Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Army, USA C-545 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, USA C-548 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, See More USS Quincy (CA-71) Related Content, See More USS Quinnebaug (ID# 1687) Related Content, NH 42543 U.S. Apparently, some of my shipmates went to the base enlisted club and got into a dust-up with some of the local sailors. For a nuclear-powered warship based in San Diego, this usually meant a trip to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Long Beach was stricken on 1 May 1995, more than 33 years after she had entered service. The warship was updated in the late 1970s and later operated as part of the UN task force during Operation Desert Storm. 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. Generally, we couldn't turn it on until we were at least three miles away from an airport for safety reasons. We knew it was a Victor III because of the unique device on the stern vertical fin for the sub's towed array sonar system. [citation needed], There was originally a plan to fully upgrade Long Beach with an Aegis Combat System in the early 1990s, requiring that her superstructure be completely rebuilt. I met some locals from the RAAF (the Royal Australian Air Force) and asked them to take me to their favorite local restaurant and we ended up at a KFC! nuclear Aegis strike cruiser). The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Long Beach Naval Shipyard State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PH1 H. J. Gerwien Release Status . [11] It was the second of three incidents at Fore River Shipyard at that time. During her service, Long Beachhad thehighest bridge structureof any warship smaller than an aircraft carrier. 1988. She was reviewed by President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during this time. I even got to see Admiral Rickover! Please see below for item level images and donated collections containing photographs ofUSS Long Beach (CGN-9). During this deployment, we also visited Subic Bay in the Philippines for a maintenance period, as well as Singapore (one of my favorite cities) and Pearl Harbor on the way home to San Diego. USS Long Beach CGN-9 PATCH US NAVY VET STATION CA PIN UP THE ONLY REAL CRUISER. We anchored in the harbor after dodging a few protest boats. Since we were both engineers, we hit it off from the start. She was the sole member of the Long Beach-class, and the last cruiser built for the United States Navy to a cruiser design; all subsequent cruiser classes were built on scaled-up destroyer hulls (and originally classified as destroyer leaders) or, in the case of the Albany-class, converted from already existing cruisers. On the way out, he pulled out a list of places that were 'off limits' from his pocket and crossed off the place we'd just left and announced: "now we know why that place is on the list!. Box contents. Because of this, Long Beach also had plenty of chill water cooling available. The USS McClusky at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on September 6, 2008. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. Supplies were being loaded and a 'working party' was called away. 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. 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 USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was a Long Beach-class cruiser laid down on December 2, 1957, and launched on July 14, 1959. 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. This would have got me in hot water with the Chief Recruiter and the Enlisted Programs Officer at the district headquarters. I asked what billets were available and was told they were on California, Texas, Arkansas and Long Beach. [8], Long Beach returned to Norfolk from this cruise 3 October 1964 to join in exercises off the east coast and in the Caribbean. Even a slight sea would cause Long Beach to roll but you became used to it. Task Force 1 left Gibraltar on July 31, sailed down the Atlantic Ocean and then around Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and then to the Pacific Ocean before rounding Cape Horn. As I mentioned earlier, my dad was on active duty as a Master Chief Storekeeper (supply & logistics) on shore duty in San Diego at the time of his death. The Enterprise continued in service to the end of 2012, even serving in the most recent Iraq War, a. Bipartisan. I was there before the reactors were placed in the ship. The first place I sailed to after joining Long Beach was Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Washington. The bearing lost all of the oil from its sump and got so hot it damaged the shaft. 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). 2 Armored Box Launchers for a total of eight, Two triple 12.75inch torpedo launchers that could fire the, The rear launcher for the Talos was removed and initially replaced with two quadruple mounts for the, Two quadruple armored box launchers were added for the. 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. When she concluded she was scheduled to modify her acoustic signature and move away and Long Beach would modify her sound signature and lighting to try to sound and look like a carrier and move into place alongside Wabash. One of the most enigmatic ships of the entire Cold War period is the one-off USS Long Beach (CGN-9). 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. 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. I had fewer than forty dollars since most of my pay went home to support my wife and son. National Security. The cruiser served in the Atlantic Fleet from 1961 to 1966. A big AN/SPS-48 radar dish was also mounted on the forward mast. The USS Long Beach (CGN 9) and the USS Intrepid (CVS 11) at Subic Bay in June 1967. The monolithic superstructure atop her otherwise graceful 721' cruiser hull makes it impossible to confuse Long Beach with any other ship. It was interesting that when on Long Beach's bridge, you actually looked down on a carrier's flight deck! 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. 1964. This almost got me in big trouble as I was told to move some 115-volt receptacles in the flag conference room. So without further adieu, in Master Chief Healey's own words, let's begin: My dad was a career Navy man. Photos taken at her commissioning and for some time thereafter, show that the taller, narrower AN/SPS-33 panels were not installed on the superstructure until a later date. Long Beach was also planned to have the Regulus cruise missile but that program was dropped also. [8] During this initial cruise, the ship served primarily as the Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone (PIRAZ) unit in the northern Gulf of Tonkin. She was launched 14 July 1959, sponsored by Mrs. Marian Swanson-Hosmer, the wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer (USNR, Ret. They had no idea where we were and as we gradually turned on different radars, they finally came flying right down to where we were. The first nuclearpower surface warship in history, USS Long Beach (CGN9) was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Norfolk, Va. The ship was an absolute modern marvel of her time. I was sitting in my shop when I received a call from the ship's personnel officer and was told I had 10 minutes to pack my gear and get off the ship. We hadn't yet learned to formalize the mentoring process in the Navy. The Long Beach was. She looked like no other ship the world had ever seen before and she definitely had her quirks. I was told that one time they powered it up in port and garage doors were opening and closing throughout the greater San Diego area and that it interfered with air traffic control radar at the San Diego airport. 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. For nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the lack of stack gases and their corrosive effect on aircraft is another major benefit. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt). 2 December 1957 Keel laid in Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. After I was born, he went back on active duty. [citation needed]. The guidedmissile cruiser conducted extensive shakedown testing of her complex weapons and propulsion systems from 2 October to 16 December 1961. They both can accomplish the same tasks without a huge difference in performance. Once again, we were anchored out mainly due to being nuclear powered. USS Long Beach CGGN-9: Guided missile cruiser and world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant. After about a year as Recruiter-In-Charge, I heard from my detailer that he needed nuclear-trained chiefs back at sea. I hit my head while working under the conference table, swore and wondered what kind of idiot wanted so many outlets under the table. She told me that she'd been interested in the HT position but after I explained the rarity of what she'd been offered, she agreed to take the air traffic controller training along with an advanced pay grade after boot camp. 14 July 1959 launching; Mrs. Craig Hosmer christened the ship as her sponsor. Arkansas' missile launcher and gun mount positions seemed poorly thought out to me. 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. The travel office at Subic had a flight booked for me out of Clark Air Base and transportation to the air base. This caused a small problem for one female I had sent for processing. [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. It takes almost two years of training before a nuclear-trained crew member reports to their first ship. We were told by some of the repair personnel in Subic that a part of a blade from the sub's screw was found embedded in the Kitty Hawk's bottom. Naval Base Subic Bay, during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. We went into one dive bar and didn't stay long. 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. [citation needed], Long Beach served as an escort for the USSMissouri(BB-63) task force, and provided aircraft carrier escort support after the Gulf War of 1991. 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. Following Vietnam, he was on the pre-commissioning crew of USS Gray (DE-1054), then director of Storekeeper Class C School at Naval Training Center (NTC) San Diego. This is the first in our series about all things Nuclear. The ship received multiple reffits including the replacement of the 5in guns per Tomahawks and Harpoon launchers. It was believed the Victor III was rolled through 360 degrees by the Hawk right after it struck her! Your email address will not be published. Just as Kitty Hawk started to move away from Wabash, they passed a canex (cancel the exercise) call over ship-to-ship communications followed by "I think we (theKitty Hawk) hit something.". After that experience, I was very reluctant to send a female applicant for processing until I was working a booth at the Long Beach Grand Prix and met a Reserve Second Class who was a female and she relayed to me that her recruiter had been the guy who was the Chief Recruiter! On September 9, 1961, the ship was commissioned at the Boston Navy Shipyard, From January to October 1985, the TOMAHAWK cruise missile system was installed onboard at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, replacing the previously removed TALOS system. 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. I was correct in that there were more good examples to learn from on the Long Beach. Habitability wise, Arkansas was superior to Long Beach. She was the only ship of her class . There's also the dealing with the nuclear material generated. 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