USS Anzio (CG-68)

USS "Anzio" (CG-68), named for the site of a beachhead invasion of Italy by Allied troops from 22 January to 23 May 1944, is a "Ticonderoga" class guided missile cruiser laid down by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi on 21 August 1989, launched on 2 November 1990 and commissioned on 2 May 1992. "Anzio" operates out of Norfolk in Virginia.

The ship is named for the battle of Anzio in Italy, the site of an Allied amphibious assault during Operation Shingle as part of the Italian Campaign of World War II. Previous ships of the U.S. Navy, including an aircraft carrier, have been named USS Anzio.

On April 6 2000, an Israel Defense Force Jericho missile in an unannounced test splashed down 25-40 miles from the "Anzio" while she was participating in an exercise in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. [http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2000/t05022000_t502asd_.html DefenseLink News: News transcript] , May 2, 2000]

On January 9 2003 the "USS" "Anzio" was pre-deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ordered first to the eastern Mediterranean Sea for the initial phase of President George W. Bush's Shock and Awe strategy, during which the United States Navy deployed to obliterate and defeat the Iraq military before ground forces were sent in. Once the "Anzio" completed her mission in the eastern Mediterranean, she forward-deployed to the Persian Gulf. Once the "Anzio" arrived in the Gulf, she had marked her 45th straight day at sea. In the Gulf, the "Anzio" continued carrier-flight support operations and coastal surveillance. After President Bush announced major combat had concluded in the Iraq War, on May 1 2003, the "Anzio" was relieved of its duties, returning home on July 3 2003 after over 200 days at sea.

In 2004, "Anzio" participated at the annual Fleet Week in New York City. In January 2007, the warship was sent to the coast of Somalia to conduct antiterrorist operations as part of the USS "Dwight D. Eisenhower" task force.

On 16 February 2007, "Anzio" was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award. [http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27895 U.S. Navy: Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E"] , February 19, 2007]

The "Anzio" was docked and a participant for 'Windjammer Days' in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, June 25-26, 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.anzio.navy.mil/ Official web site]
* [http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg68.html "USS Anzio" webpage]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/CG-68 CG-68 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]