The cruiser USS Cell Bay, which launched 22 Tomahawk cruise missiles throughout Operation Desert Storm and helped carry folks to security when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines, shall be decommissioned in San Diego on Aug. 10, ending the service lifetime of one of many oldest ships within the Navy.
Cell Bay will turn out to be the newest Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser to be sidelined by the Navy, which is phasing out the Chilly Conflict-era vessels in favor of the newer Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The cruisers had been designed for a 35-year service life. Cell Bay was commissioned 36 years in the past and initially operated out of Mayport, Fla. It later spent years based mostly in Yokosuka, Japan, then moved to San Diego in 2000.
Within the naval group, the ship is understood for the second in January 1991 when it joined different U.S. forces in launching missiles towards Iraqi targets in the course of the begin of Desert Storm. Cell Bay additionally performed a key function in defending American plane carriers within the Persian Gulf space.
The ship additionally served stateside. It was dispatched to the waters off San Francisco following the terrorist assaults of Sept. 11, 2001. On the time, the federal government was involved that extra assaults could possibly be launched towards U.S. cities.
Boxer replace: After a roughly two-year, $200 million overhaul, it is nonetheless unclear when the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Boxer will return to common service. It appeared that the ship would depart San Diego Bay on July 21, however that did not occur.
“The ship’s crew stays targeted on readiness and getting ready for sea trials and the eventual deployment of the ship, sustaining certifications and {qualifications}, whereas conducting built-in coaching and simulated multi-day underway evolutions,” the Navy stated in an announcement.
“Of word — we anticipate USS Boxer to get underway for sea trials within the close to future.”
The 844-foot Boxer is considered one of the crucial necessary warships on the West Coast because of its potential to fly each helicopters and assault plane, and to move upwards of 1,600 Marines.
Christening deliberate: Normal Dynamics-NASSCO says that it’ll christen the USNS Robert F. Kennedy, a fleet oiler ship, at its yard on San Diego Bay on Oct. 22.
This story initially appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
©2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Go to sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content material Company, LLC.
© Copyright 2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
