USS Belknap (CG-26)

USS "Belknap" (DLG-26/CG-26), named for Rear Admiral George Eugene Belknap USN (1832-1903), was the lead ship of her class of guided missile cruisers in the United States Navy. She was launched as DLG-26, a frigate under the then current designation system, and reclassified on 30 June 1975.

Construction

She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works Corporation at Bath in Maine on 5 February 1962, launched on 20 July 1963 and commissioned on 7 November 1964.

Collision

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She was converted to a flagship by the Norfolk Navy Yard from May 1985 to February 1986.

Malta

She played again a role in the Malta Summit between US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev on 2 December and 3 December 1989. The US President had his sleeping quarters aboard the "Belknap", whereas the meetings took place (due to the stormy weather) on the Soviet cruise ship "Maxim Gorkiy" (best known for its role in the film "Juggernaut" (1974) (aka "Terror on the Britannic")).

Decommissioning

"Belknap" was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 February 1995 and sunk as a target on 24 September 1998.

Popular Fiction

In "Clear and Present Danger", a novel by Tom Clancy, the character Vice Admiral James Cutter is said to be a past commander of "Belknap".

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b4/belknap-ii.htm Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - Belknap - II]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/CG26.htm NVR CG26]