USS Ticonderoga (CG-47)

USS "Ticonderoga" (DDG/CG-47), fifth to bear the name, was a guided-missile cruiser in the service of the United States Navy. Homeported in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the "Tico" was the lead ship of her class.

History of the ship

The United States Navy built the first Aegis cruisers using the hull and machinery designs of "Spruance"-class destroyers. "Ticonderoga" was ordered as a guided missile destroyer, but redesignated as a cruiser before she was laid down.

The contract to build DDG-47 "Ticonderoga" was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding on 22 September 1978. On 1 January 1980, she was redesignated as a guided missile cruiser, CG-47. Her keel was laid down on 21 January 1980, and launched 25 April 1981. She was delivered on 13 December 1982, and commissioned on 22 January 1983, with First Lady Nancy Reagan, the ship's main sponsor, having the honor of christening the ship on 16 May 1981. She completed her final deployment on August 3, 2004, and was decommissioned on September 30 of that year. After her decommissioning, she was towed to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia. Recently, however, she was put up for museum donation by the Navy and there is a strong effort to bring Ticonderoga to Pascagoula, Mississippi, where she was built, to serve as a museum ship.

Special characteristics

This "Ticonderoga" was the first ship to feature the Aegis combat system. This allows the ship to track and engage multiple targets (aircraft) much more effectively than any ship previously.

Origin of the name

CG-47 is the fifth United States Navy vessel to carry on the name Ticonderoga. The ship was named for the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. [GlobalSecurity.org [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/cg-47.htm USS Ticonderoga (CG-47)] .] Most of the ships in the Ticonderoga class are similarly named for significant battles in US history. The name "Ticonderoga" comes from an Iroquois word "tekontaró:ken", meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways". [Afable, Patricia O. and Madison S. Beeler (1996). "Place Names", in "Languages", ed. Ives Goddard. Vol. 17 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, p. 193]

"Ticonderoga" in fiction

"Ticonderoga" was featured in the Tom Clancy novel "Red Storm Rising" (1986). In the novel, "Ticonderoga" is part of a surface fleet built around the carrier USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|6. During a surprise Soviet air raid "Ticonderoga" unleashes her missiles at the incoming Soviet anti-ship missiles, and succeeded in eliminating just over 60% of the total number of "vampires" all by herself. Despite her best efforts and the efforts of the other ships "Ticonderoga", "Nimitz", USS|Saratoga|CV-60|2, and several other ships receive heavy damage from the attack, while the French carrier "Foch", USS|Saipan|LHA-2|2 and a handful of other vessels are destroyed.

References

External links

* [http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg47.html USS "Ticonderoga" webpage]
* [http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15374 Navy News Story about Decommissioning]
* [http://www.ussticonderoga.com/index.html USS "Ticonderoga" (CG-47) Veterans' Website]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/CG-47 CG-47 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]