Fact File: The USN's "One Off" Nuclear Cruisers:

[Matt Wiser]

The U.S. Navy's “One-off” Nuclear Cruisers in World War III



The U.S. Navy had three “one-off” nuclear-powered Guided Missile Cruisers operational upon the outbreak of the Third World War in 1985, and all three saw extensive war service. From escorting convoys, to providing anti-air warfare and ASW protection for carrier battle groups or amphibious forces, the three cruisers performed as well as their conventionally powered cousins. All three cruisers survived the war, and were retired in the 1990s.


U.S.S. Long Beach (CGN-9): The world's first nuclear-powered surface warship, and the first surface warship constructed with guided missiles as the main battery. She was commissioned in 1961, and saw service in the Vietnam War. She had completed an overhaul from 1981-83 at the Bremerton Navy Yard, and was active in the Pacific Fleet on the outbreak of war.

Long Beach was at Naval Base San Diego when hostilities began, preparing for workups prior to a scheduled WestPac deployment in May, 1986. After recalling as many crew as possible who were on leave, and taking on crew from two other ships that were in port for yard periods, the ship sailed on 5 September 1985, setting course for a rendezvous with the carrier Kitty Hawk and her battle group. She performed the role of AAW escort, defending the ship against two Backfire strikes during operations against Soviet forces in Alaska. During these operations, Long Beach became the battle group's primary AAW ship after the sinking of the cruiser U.S.S Horne (CG-30) after the second Backfire attack.

After a brief yard period, Long Beach returned to sea with the Kitty Hawk group, and participated in the Battle of Puget Sound. She assisted in the sinking of the Soviet Echo-II class submarine K-557 during the battle, and after, provided AAW cover to destroyers and frigates in the mop-up phase, dealing with Soviet stragglers. Long Beach engaged and sank the damaged Soviet cruiser Admiral Fokin (Kynda-class CG) with Harpoon SSMs after the Soviet ship was caught by air attack by aircraft from Kitty Hawk. She also covered the mop-up phase on the San Juan Islands before rejoining the carrier group.

In October, 1986, Long Beach was with Kitty Hawk when she was attacked by a three-regiment Backfire strike and seriously damaged. Though the carrier survived, she limped into San Diego with all four catapults knocked out, her hangar largely burned out, and one elevator wrecked. Long Beach was not damaged in the attack, and she escorted the carrier back to San Diego, where Kitty Hawk was declared a Constructive Total Loss and later scrapped.

With Kitty Hawk knocked out of the war, Long Beach was reassigned as part of an ASW group with the amphibious carrier Pelileu, which embarked ASW helicopters in the Sea Control Ship role, and primarily worked the convoy routes between Japan, South Korea, and the West Coast. During her convoy duty, she defended convoys from Backfire attack and also provided ASW support, taking part in the sinkings of three Soviet submarines; the November-class SSN K-42 on Christmas Day, 1986; the Foxtrot-class SS B-85 on 20 March 1987, and the Echo II-class SSGN K-94 on 8 June, 1987.

After eight months of convoy duty, Long Beach went into San Diego for a yard period, and after receiving the “Fem Mods” for female officers and crew, she returned to duty, being assigned to the Enterprise Carrier Battle Group. Long Beach participated in the carrier group's actions against the Soviet Far East and Occupied Alaska, taking part in the Kamchatka and Kurils raids, successfully defending the carrier against a strike by Backfire and Badger bombers, as well as firing Tomahawk TLAM-C and -D cruise missiles against targets in the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Long Beach then supported the carrier group's operations against Alaska, and covered the arrival of American ground forces into Alaska following the surrender of Soviet forces in the Northern Theater in October, 1989, returning to San Diego in January, 1990.

One final WestPac deployment followed in 1991-2, before returning to San Diego. At that time, a decision had to be made as to whether to keep her in service as another nuclear fueling would be needed in 1994. Given the new cruiser construction underway to replace wartime attrition, the age of her nuclear power plant, and the worn out condition of the ship, it was decided to retire the ship. Long Beach was decommissioned at Bremerton Navy Yard on 9 September 1994, the thirty-third anniversary of her original commissioning. She has since been defueled and after nuclear components removed, sold for scrap.


Displacement: 14,200 tons standard, 17,100 tons full load.

Length: 721.5 feet.

Beam: 73 ¼ feet.

Draft: 29 feet

Propulsion: Four GE steam turbines with 80,000 shp; 2 shafts.

Reactors: Two Westinghouse C1W PWR.

Speed: 30+ knots.

Crew: 958 (65 officers, 893 enlisted), plus a Marine detachment (1 officer and 44 enlisted).

Helicopters: Landing area only for VERTREP.

Missiles; Two twin Mark 10 Mod 2 launchers for Standard-2 ER and Terrier BT-N (nuclear) SAMs

Two quad Mark 141 Harpoon launchers

Two quad Mark 143 Tomahawk ABL.

Guns: Two single 5-inch 38 DP Mark 30

Two 20-mm Phalanx CIWS

Several pintle mounts for .50 caliber machine guns or Mark-19 Grenade Launchers.

ASW Weapons: One eight-cell ASROC launcher Mark 16 (no reloads)

Two triple Mark-32 ASW torpedo tubes.

Radars:

SPS-48C 3-D Search

SPS-49 Air Search

SPS-67 Surface Search

Sonar: SQQ-23 keel mounted.

Fire Control: One SWG-2(V)5 Tomahawk FCS

One Mark 14 weapon-direction system

Two Mark 56 GFCS with Mk 35 radar

Four Mark 76 Missile FCS

One Mark 111 ASW FCS

Two SPG-49B radars

Four SPG-55B radars

Two SPW-2B radars

EW: One SLQ-32(V)3



U.S.S. Bainbridge (CGN-25)


U.S.S. Bainbridge was the U.S. Navy's third nuclear-powered surface ship, commissioned in October, 1962. A “double-end” ship, with missile launchers fore and aft, she had no 5-inch gun or helicopter support capability. She was in the Pacific Fleet when war began, having just emerged from a two-year modernization and refueling at Bremerton Navy Yard, and was actually at sea off Northern California when word came of the outbreak of war. She proceeded to a point off of San Francisco Bay, and proceeded to conduct anti-submarine operations. Bainbridge scored one of the Pacific Fleet's first kills, when on 5 September, 1985, she used ASROC to sink the Foxtrot-class SS B-143, 75 miles off the Golden Gate. She then formed up with the Carl Vinson Carrier Battle Group, and provided AAW and ASW screening to the carrier.

Bainbridge screened the carrier for the remainder of 1985-6, and participated in the Battle of Puget Sound, as well as raids against Occupied Alaska and the Kamchatka Peninsula. During Puget Sound, she provided AAW screening, serving as AAW “Gatekeeper” to the carrier, and successfully defended the carrier against a Backfire strike, in company with the AEGIS cruiser Vincennes. During the mop-up, Bainbridge remained with the carrier, and contributed to the sinking of the Victor-I SSN K-370, in cooperation with SH-3 helicopters from the carrier.

After a yard period in San Diego, where the “Fem Mods” were added, Bainbridge returned to sea, working as part of an ASW group centered on the amphibious assault ship Okinawa, providing ASW cover to convoys on the Trans-Pacific route. She was involved when the Okinawa group was attacked by the Charlie-I class SSGN K-212 on 27 February, 1987, north of Marcus Island, and Okinawa was hit by two SS-N-7 Starbright SSMs. Bainbridge continued to provide AAW screening while other ships picked up survivors from the burning ship. Just as the last escort moved away with survivors, the Akula-I SSN K-284 closed in and fired a Type-65 torpedo to send Okinawa to the bottom.

After returning to San Diego, Bainbridge was reassigned to the Constellation Battle Group, and remained with the carrier for the remainder of the war. She took part in raids on Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kuriles, as well as covering the movement of forces to take the Soviet surrender in Alaska after the Armistice. Duing these operations, she sank two Soviet submarines: the Echo-I SSN K-259 on 11 August 1988, and she settled an old score, sinking the K-212 on 24 June 1989. Bainbridge remained at sea with the Battle Group due to the Armistice Flu, before returning to San Diego in March, 1990.

Bainbridge then transferred to the Atlantic Fleet, going via WestPac in June, 1991. During this cruise, she supported the cruiser Salem on an anti-piracy patrol, while also “showing the flag” in a cruise along the African coast, and through Suez into the Mediterranean. Her final cruise was in January, 1993, with a Sixth Fleet deployment and anti-piracy operations off of East Africa.

When she returned, the question of an overhaul and refueling arose, and, as with Long Beach, new cruiser construction, the age of the nuclear power plant, and the fact that the ship was worn out after over thirty years' service meant that retirement was the best option. After a cruise to West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean, the decision was taken to retire the ship. Accordingly, Bainbridge was decommissioned on 22 September, 1996, and after defueling and being stripped of nuclear components, was scrapped.



Displacement: 7,700 tons standard, 8,580 full load

Length: 565 feet

Beam: 56 feet

Draft: 29 feet

Propulsion: Two steam turbines for 60,000 SHP, two shafts.

Reactors: 2 GE D2G PWR

Speed: 30 knots

Crew: 556 (42 officers, 516 enlisted)

Helicopter: VERTREP area only

Missiles: Two twin Mark 10 Mod 6 launchers for SM-2ER and Terrier BTN SAMs (80 missiles)

Two quad Mk 141 Harpoon SSM launchers

Guns: Two 20-mm Phalanx CIWS, several pintle mounts for .50 Caliber machine guns or Mark-19 AGLs as needed.

ASW Weapons: One eight-cell ASROC Mark 16 launcher (no reloads)

Torpedoes: Two triple Mark 32 torpedo tubes

Radar: SPS-48 3-D Search

SPS-49 Air Search

SPS-67 Surface Search

Sonar: SQQ-23 bow mounted

Fire Control: One Mark 14 weapon-direction system

Four Mark 76 Missile FCS

One Mark 111 ASW FCS

Four SPG-55B radars

EW: SLQ-32(V)3


U.S.S. Truxtun (CGN-35):


U.S.S. Truxtun was the Navy's fourth nuclear-powered surface ship, built to a modified Belknap-class design, with five-inch gun mount forward and missile launcher aft. Commissioned in 1967, she was the only nuclear cruiser that had a helicopter capability, with an embarked SH-2F LAMPS I ASW helicopter. Active in the Pacific Fleet when war began, she was home-ported at San Diego, and was in port when war began.

Of the nuclear cruisers based at San Diego, Truxtun's war began with a Spetsnatz attack on Naval Base San Diego, and after the attack was repulsed, crew who were living ashore with their families reported in. The ship's power plant was started up when power from shore was cut, and once the two reactors were going, the ship's radars and weapons systems went active. Truxtun provided AAW support for the San Diego area once she got underway, firing SM-2ER missiles at a number of enemy aircraft that were over the San Diego area, and even some that were still over Mexico. She also provided NGFS to the defenders of the National City-Chula Vista area, throwing 275 5-inch rounds at Mexican and Cuban forces moving up Interstate 5. After the invaders were repulsed, Truxtun received orders to join up with the Enterprise battle group once munitions were replenished. She joined the carrier group at sea on the afternoon of 7 September, and she assumed the duties of Anti-Air Warfare Commander for the Battle Group.

Truxtun screened the Enterprise for the duration of the war, taking part in all of the “Big E's” wartime operations, from carrier air strikes against Baja and the Mexican Pacific Coast, to operations against Occupied Alaska and the Soviet Far East. In her role as AAW Command Ship, Truxtun CIC directed the air defense of the battle group against air or missile attack, and though escorting frigates and destroyers were sometimes hit, the carrier and the “close-in” ships were never touched.

Truxtun thus screened the Enterprise during the Battle of Puget Sound, and during the engagement, her SH-2 helicopter sank the Soviet Juliett class SSG K-120. While engaged with mop-up, Truxtun herself fired an ASROC that crippled the Victor-I SSN K-367, which was finished off by an SH-3 from the carrier.

While Enterprise was in San Diego in between deployments, Truxtun herself was often at sea, leading local ASW groups along the Southern California coast. During two of these patrols, she encountered Soviet submarines, sinking the Foxtrot-class SS B-101 off of Catalina Island on 22 November, 1986, and a similar patrol on 11 October, 1987, sank the Victor-II class SSN K-517 off San Diego. This was the first confirmation of a Soviet submarine from the Northern Fleet being transferred to the Pacific, as two crewmen were able to escape the submarine before it went to the bottom, and were picked up by Truxtun. During this time, a brief yard period in San Diego resulted in the “Fem Mods” being installed.

Operations against Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kuriles followed, and though she was relieved as AAW command ship by the new AEGIS cruiser Mobile Bay, Truxtun alternated as AAW “Gatekeeper” for the Big E, sharing the duty with the cruiser Arkansas. During a Kuiles raid, her SH-2 sank the Yankee-Notch SSGN K-408, and the ship herself engaged a KGB-manned Krivak IV class frigate with Harpoon SSMs, sending the Imeni XXVII Sezda KPSS to the bottom.

Truxtun covered the Enterprise during the final operations in the Pacific, including the peaceful liberation of Alaska following the Soviet surrender in the Northern Theater, and she was busy escorting amphibious ships with Marines to the Aleutians to take the surrender of Soviet forces in the islands.

Next up was a WestPac to the China Coast and Taiwan. After the cruise, the Enterprise Battle Group returned to Pearl Harbor to wait out the Armistice Flu, which had affected their home port in San Diego. After returning to a Hero's Welcome in San Diego, the ship returned to peacetime routine.

A WestPac deployment followed in 1992, with anti-piracy duty along the China Coast and in Indonesian Waters. A second WestPac in 1994 was the ship's last major deployment, with exercises with the ROK Navy, the ROC Navy, the JMSDF, and the RAN, as well as an anti-piracy cruise. During this final deployment, Truxtun supported SEAL operations against pirates, as well as providing NGFS to a SEAL operation.

The ship's age was catching up, and, as with her other “one-off” counterparts, it was decided to retire the ship. Truxtun was decommissioned and stricken on 8 August, 1996, at Bremerton Navy Yard. She was defueled and had all nuclear components removed, being sold for scrap in 2004.


Displacement: 8,200 tons standard, 8,800 full load

Length: 564 feet

Beam: 56 feet

Draft: 31 feet

Propulsion: two steam turbines with 60,000 shp, two shafts.

Reactors: Two GE D2G PWR.

Speed: 30+ knots

Crew: 591 (39 officers, 552 enlisted)

Helicopter: 1 SH-2F LAMPS I

Missiles: One twin Mark 10 Mod 8 launcher for Standard-2ER/BTN Terrier SAMs (60 missiles)

Two quad Mark 141 Harpoon SSM launchers

Guns: One 5-inch Mark 54 DP Mk 42

Two 20-mm Phalanx CIWS

Several pintle mounts for .50 caliber machine guns or Mark-19 AGL

ASW Weapons: ASROC fired from Mark 10 launcher

Four Mark 32 torpedo tubes (four fixed single mounts)

Radars: SPS-40D air search

SPS-48 3-D search

SPS-67 surface search

Sonar: SQS-26BX bow mounted

Fire Control: One Mark-14 weapon-direction system

One Mark 68 GFCS with SPG-53F radar

Two Mark 76 Missile FCS

One Mark 114 ASW FCS

Two SPG-55B radars

EW: SLQ-32(V)3

[Poohbah]

The Day One Spetsnaz attack on NAVSTA San Diego was an absolute Charlie-Fox. Their support team made the mistake of putting their safehouse in the middle of Bay Terrace...

...where they were the only white dudes for over a mile in any direction aside from SDPD...

[jemhouston]

The Day One Spetsnaz attack on NAVSTA San Diego was an absolute Charlie-Fox. Their support team made the mistake of putting their safehouse in the middle of Bay Terrace...

...where they were the only white dudes for over a mile in any direction aside from SDPD...

They choose poorly, Did the Gang Bangers, Marines, or the Cops take care of them?

[Belushi TD]

I find it interesting that none of the nuclear cruisers were lost or even badly damaged during the war, right? Was that due to their design, as in they were better warships than the aegis cruisers? Or was it pure luck? Or something else? Maybe since they were goalkeepers for the carriers, they were better protected by the rest of the task force?

Belushi TD

[Wolfman]

Belushi, my opinion is that they were extremely lucky.

[Poohbah]

The Day One Spetsnaz attack on NAVSTA San Diego was an absolute Charlie-Fox. Their support team made the mistake of putting their safehouse in the middle of Bay Terrace...

...where they were the only white dudes for over a mile in any direction aside from SDPD...

They choose poorly, Did the Gang Bangers, Marines, or the Cops take care of them?

It wound up being a race that ended in a tie. It didn't help matters when the Bay Terrace Crips, observing the Spetsnaz guys in a firefight with the SDPD, thought that the tactical hand and arm signals were gang signs associated with the Sureños Gang from down the hill, and proceeded to open up with some of the hardware they'd burgled from the safe house a week before...

Gang-bangers with RPKs...

[Johnnie Lyle]

The Day One Spetsnaz attack on NAVSTA San Diego was an absolute Charlie-Fox. Their support team made the mistake of putting their safehouse in the middle of Bay Terrace...

...where they were the only white dudes for over a mile in any direction aside from SDPD...

They choose poorly, Did the Gang Bangers, Marines, or the Cops take care of them?

It wound up being a race that ended in a tie. It didn't help matters when the Bay Terrace Crips, observing the Spetsnaz guys in a firefight with the SDPD, thought that the tactical hand and arm signals were gang signs associated with the Sureños Gang from down the hill, and proceeded to open up with some of the hardware they'd burgled from the safe house a week before...

Gang-bangers with RPKs...

Safe to be the target, hard on everyone else, or sufficiently well designed/heavy that it overcame individual ineptitude?

[Matt Wiser]

I find it interesting that none of the nuclear cruisers were lost or even badly damaged during the war, right? Was that due to their design, as in they were better warships than the aegis cruisers? Or was it pure luck? Or something else? Maybe since they were goalkeepers for the carriers, they were better protected by the rest of the task force?

Belushi TD

The latter: as "Goalkeepers" they were better protected by the other ships. They still filled this role even when AEGIS ships arrived.

[Poohbah]

They choose poorly, Did the Gang Bangers, Marines, or the Cops take care of them?

It wound up being a race that ended in a tie. It didn't help matters when the Bay Terrace Crips, observing the Spetsnaz guys in a firefight with the SDPD, thought that the tactical hand and arm signals were gang signs associated with the Sureños Gang from down the hill, and proceeded to open up with some of the hardware they'd burgled from the safe house a week before...

Gang-bangers with RPKs...

Safe to be the target, hard on everyone else, or sufficiently well designed/heavy that it overcame individual ineptitude?

They were close enough for government work. Also confused the hell out of the Spetsnaz commander, he thought he was getting red-on-red.

A good chunk of the cops were Vietnam vets, and they were screaming for everyone to take cover.

The security forces commander at 32nd Street--another Vietnam vet--was quietly wondering when the hell Ivan had decided to start recruiting Spetsnaz via the Gong Show...

[jemhouston]

I have to defend the Gong Show, it did its job well of providing laughter.