Jump to content

Virginia-class cruiser: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Substitution of 'effect', the required verb, for 'impact'.
→Class description: {{citation_needed}}
Line 70: Line 70:


==Class description==
==Class description==
The ships were derived from the earlier [[California-class cruiser|''California''-class nuclear cruiser]] (CGN-36 class). Three of the four ''Virginia''-class ships were authorized as guided missile frigates (in the pre-1975 definition), and they were redesignated as cruisers either before commissioning or before their launching. The last warship, ''Arkansas'', was authorized, laid down, launched, and commissioned as a guided-missile cruiser. A fifth warship, CGN-42, was canceled before being named or laid down.
The ships were derived from the earlier [[California-class cruiser|''California''-class nuclear cruiser]] (CGN-36 class). Three of the four ''Virginia''-class ships were authorized as guided missile frigates (in the pre-1975 definition), and they were redesignated as cruisers either before commissioning or before their launching. The last warship, ''Arkansas'', was authorized, laid down, launched, and commissioned as a guided-missile cruiser. A fifth warship, CGN-42, was canceled before being named or laid down.{{citation_needed}}


With their nuclear power plants, and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods of time, these were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]]s, such as the {{sclass-|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|4}}. They also had excellent [[flagship]] facilities. Their main mission was as air-defense ships, while they also had capabilities as anti-submarine (ASW) ships, surface-to-surface warfare (SSW) ships, and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets. The ''Virginia'' class as designed carried two [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] helicopters, aft of the superstructure with a flight deck, and in a unique arrangement among the U.S. Navy the hangars were below-decks, an improvement over the preceding ''California'' class, which only had only a landing pad aft and basic refueling equipment.
With their nuclear power plants, and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods of time, these were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]]s, such as the {{sclass-|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|4}}. They also had excellent [[flagship]] facilities. Their main mission was as air-defense ships, while they also had capabilities as anti-submarine (ASW) ships, surface-to-surface warfare (SSW) ships, and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets. The ''Virginia'' class as designed carried two [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] helicopters, aft of the superstructure with a flight deck, and in a unique arrangement among the U.S. Navy the hangars were below-decks, an improvement over the preceding ''California'' class, which only had only a landing pad aft and basic refueling equipment.{{citation_needed}}


It was found that, while it was possible to mass-produce nuclear-powered warships, the ships were less cost-efficient than conventionally powered warships. Also, the new gas turbine–powered ships then entering the fleet—the {{sclass-|Spruance|destroyer}}s—required much less manpower. While eleven ships of the ''Virginia'' class were planned, only four were produced and the remainder were cancelled. Following the completion of the final member of the class, ''Arkansas'', the U.S. Navy continued conventional destroyer/cruiser production, and it re-designated the DDG-47 class of guided missile destroyers as the CG-47 {{sclass-|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}s.
It was found that, while it was possible to mass-produce nuclear-powered warships, the ships were less cost-efficient than conventionally powered warships. Also, the new gas turbine–powered ships then entering the fleet—the {{sclass-|Spruance|destroyer}}s—required much less manpower. While eleven ships of the ''Virginia'' class were planned, only four were produced and the remainder were cancelled. Following the completion of the final member of the class, ''Arkansas'', the U.S. Navy continued conventional destroyer/cruiser production, and it re-designated the DDG-47 class of guided missile destroyers as the CG-47 {{sclass-|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}s.{{citation_needed}}


<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
Line 84: Line 84:
===Early decommissioning===
===Early decommissioning===
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) in dry dock for nuclear core removal.jpg|thumb|left|''Virginia'' in drydock at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]; the ship's superstructure has been removed and replaced by containment vessels to allow the safe removal of her nuclear reactors]]
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) in dry dock for nuclear core removal.jpg|thumb|left|''Virginia'' in drydock at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]; the ship's superstructure has been removed and replaced by containment vessels to allow the safe removal of her nuclear reactors]]
All four vessels were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s "[[peace dividend]]" after the [[Cold War]] ended, considered by naval standards an early retirement. They were new, modern ships; given a [[New Threat Upgrade]] electronics overhaul, they would have been well-suited to modern threats. They had rapid-fire Mk&nbsp;26 launchers that could fire the powerful Standard SM-2MR medium-range surface-to-air missile—earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower-firing Mk-10 launchers, which required manual fitting of the missiles' fins prior to launch.
All four vessels were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s "[[peace dividend]]" after the [[Cold War]] ended, considered by naval standards an early retirement. They were new, modern ships; given a [[New Threat Upgrade]] electronics overhaul, they would have been well-suited to modern threats. They had rapid-fire Mk&nbsp;26 launchers that could fire the powerful Standard SM-2MR medium-range surface-to-air missile—earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower-firing Mk-10 launchers, which required manual fitting of the missiles' fins prior to launch.{{citation_needed}}


Nevertheless, the CGN-38-class cruisers, with their missile magazines and Mk-26 missile launchers, were incapable of carrying the [[RIM-67 Standard|SM-2ER]] long-range surface-to-air missile, being restricted to the [[RIM-66 Standard|SM-2MR]] medium-range surface-to-air missile. This was a significant limitation in their capabilities. Another weakness was the loss of [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] [[helicopter]]s, due to the installation of [[Tomahawk (missile)|Tomahawk]] cruise missile launchers.
Nevertheless, the CGN-38-class cruisers, with their missile magazines and Mk-26 missile launchers, were incapable of carrying the [[RIM-67 Standard|SM-2ER]] long-range surface-to-air missile, being restricted to the [[RIM-66 Standard|SM-2MR]] medium-range surface-to-air missile. This was a significant limitation in their capabilities. Another weakness was the loss of [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] [[helicopter]]s, due to the installation of [[Tomahawk (missile)|Tomahawk]] cruise missile launchers.{{citation_needed}}


In the end, what really doomed the ''Virginia'' nuclear-powered cruisers was a lack of resources, as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military were downsizing after the Cold War. The ships of the class were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings, mid-life overhauls, and NTU refittings, which were all budgeted projects, together costing about half the price of a new ship. Further, they required relatively large crews, straining the operating budget. The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC) study determined the annual operating cost of a ''Virginia''-class cruiser at $40 million, compared to $28 million for a ''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser, or $20 million for an {{sclass-|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|1}}, the latter two classes designed with the much more capable [[Aegis Combat System]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cg-47-specs.htm CG-47 Ticonderoga-class<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Given a lower requirement for cruisers, it was decided to retire these nuclear-powered ships as a money-saving measure, a decision made while ''Texas'' was in the middle of her refueling overhaul. The early ''Ticonderoga''-class cruisers which lacked the Vertical Launch System had equally short careers, serving between 18 and 21 years.<ref>{{NVR url|id=CG51|title=CG-51}} - 18 years. {{NVR url|id=CG47|title=CG-47}} - 21 years.</ref>
In the end, what really doomed the ''Virginia'' nuclear-powered cruisers was a lack of resources, as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military were downsizing after the Cold War. The ships of the class were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings, mid-life overhauls, and NTU refittings, which were all budgeted projects, together costing about half the price of a new ship. Further, they required relatively large crews, straining the operating budget. The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC) study determined the annual operating cost of a ''Virginia''-class cruiser at $40 million, compared to $28 million for a ''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser, or $20 million for an {{sclass-|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|1}}, the latter two classes designed with the much more capable [[Aegis Combat System]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cg-47-specs.htm CG-47 Ticonderoga-class<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Given a lower requirement for cruisers, it was decided to retire these nuclear-powered ships as a money-saving measure, a decision made while ''Texas'' was in the middle of her refueling overhaul. The early ''Ticonderoga''-class cruisers which lacked the Vertical Launch System had equally short careers, serving between 18 and 21 years.<ref>{{NVR url|id=CG51|title=CG-51}} - 18 years. {{NVR url|id=CG47|title=CG-47}} - 21 years.</ref>

Revision as of 06:33, 17 August 2019

USS Virginia
USS Virginia
Class overview
NameVirginia class
BuildersNewport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byTemplate:Sclass-
Succeeded byTemplate:Sclass-
Cost$675 million (1990 dollars)
Built1972–1980
In commission1976–1998
Planned11
Completed4
Cancelled7
Retired4
General characteristics
TypeGuided missile cruiser
Displacement
  • Light displacement: 10,663 tons
  • Full displacement: 11,666 tons
Length586 ft (179 m) oa.
Beam63 ft (19 m) max.
Draft32 ft (9.8 m) max.
Propulsion2 General Electric D2G nuclear reactors, two shafts, 60,000 shp (45,000 kW)
Speedover 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
RangeUnlimited
Complement39 officers, 540 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Armor1 in (25 mm) Kevlar plastic armor installed around combat information center, magazines, and machinery spaces
Aircraft carried
  • As built: below-deck hangar for one SH-2F Seasprite helicopter
  • Flight deck occupied by Tomahawk missile storage & launcher after refitting

The Virginia-class nuclear guided-missile cruisers, also known as the CGN-38 class, were a series of four double-ended (with missile armament carried both fore and aft) nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers commissioned in the late 1970s to 1980,[1] which served in the United States Navy until the mid-to-late 1990s. They were the final class of nuclear-powered cruisers completed and the last ships ordered as Destroyer Leaders under the pre-1975 classification system.

The ships had a relatively short service lives. As with any nuclear-powered ship, they were expensive to operate. The class was just coming up for their mid-life reactor refuelings when the 1994 Defense Authorization Bill was being formulated, which would effect cuts of 38% to the Navy's budget, compared to the 1993 bill. The $300-million-plus cost of each refueling and other upgrades made the class easy targets for decommissioning. Each ship was therefore retired starting with Texas in July 1993 and ending with Arkansas in 1998; all went through the nuclear vessel decommissioning and recycling program.

Class description

The ships were derived from the earlier California-class nuclear cruiser (CGN-36 class). Three of the four Virginia-class ships were authorized as guided missile frigates (in the pre-1975 definition), and they were redesignated as cruisers either before commissioning or before their launching. The last warship, Arkansas, was authorized, laid down, launched, and commissioned as a guided-missile cruiser. A fifth warship, CGN-42, was canceled before being named or laid down.[citation needed]

With their nuclear power plants, and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods of time, these were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, such as the Template:Sclass-. They also had excellent flagship facilities. Their main mission was as air-defense ships, while they also had capabilities as anti-submarine (ASW) ships, surface-to-surface warfare (SSW) ships, and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets. The Virginia class as designed carried two LAMPS helicopters, aft of the superstructure with a flight deck, and in a unique arrangement among the U.S. Navy the hangars were below-decks, an improvement over the preceding California class, which only had only a landing pad aft and basic refueling equipment.[citation needed]

It was found that, while it was possible to mass-produce nuclear-powered warships, the ships were less cost-efficient than conventionally powered warships. Also, the new gas turbine–powered ships then entering the fleet—the Template:Sclass-s—required much less manpower. While eleven ships of the Virginia class were planned, only four were produced and the remainder were cancelled. Following the completion of the final member of the class, Arkansas, the U.S. Navy continued conventional destroyer/cruiser production, and it re-designated the DDG-47 class of guided missile destroyers as the CG-47 Template:Sclass-s.[citation needed]

  • Mississippi and Texas (second and third from left) underway with the aircraft carrier Nimitz and cruiser Biddle in the Mediterranean Sea, August 1981.
    Mississippi and Texas (second and third from left) underway with the aircraft carrier Nimitz and cruiser Biddle in the Mediterranean Sea, August 1981.
  • A shock trial of Arkansas.
    A shock trial of Arkansas.
  • An example of an inconvenient helicopter operation on Mississippi after the flight deck was occupied by Tomahawk ABLs (at left and right).
    An example of an inconvenient helicopter operation on Mississippi after the flight deck was occupied by Tomahawk ABLs (at left and right).

Early decommissioning

Virginia in drydock at Norfolk; the ship's superstructure has been removed and replaced by containment vessels to allow the safe removal of her nuclear reactors

All four vessels were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s "peace dividend" after the Cold War ended, considered by naval standards an early retirement. They were new, modern ships; given a New Threat Upgrade electronics overhaul, they would have been well-suited to modern threats. They had rapid-fire Mk 26 launchers that could fire the powerful Standard SM-2MR medium-range surface-to-air missile—earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower-firing Mk-10 launchers, which required manual fitting of the missiles' fins prior to launch.[citation needed]

Nevertheless, the CGN-38-class cruisers, with their missile magazines and Mk-26 missile launchers, were incapable of carrying the SM-2ER long-range surface-to-air missile, being restricted to the SM-2MR medium-range surface-to-air missile. This was a significant limitation in their capabilities. Another weakness was the loss of LAMPS helicopters, due to the installation of Tomahawk cruise missile launchers.[citation needed]

In the end, what really doomed the Virginia nuclear-powered cruisers was a lack of resources, as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military were downsizing after the Cold War. The ships of the class were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings, mid-life overhauls, and NTU refittings, which were all budgeted projects, together costing about half the price of a new ship. Further, they required relatively large crews, straining the operating budget. The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC) study determined the annual operating cost of a Virginia-class cruiser at $40 million, compared to $28 million for a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, or $20 million for an Template:Sclass-, the latter two classes designed with the much more capable Aegis Combat System.[2] Given a lower requirement for cruisers, it was decided to retire these nuclear-powered ships as a money-saving measure, a decision made while Texas was in the middle of her refueling overhaul. The early Ticonderoga-class cruisers which lacked the Vertical Launch System had equally short careers, serving between 18 and 21 years.[3]

Ships in class

Name Hull no. Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate NVR link
Virginia CGN-38 Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News 21 December 1971 19 August 1972 14 December 1974 11 September 1976 10 November 1994 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, 1999 [1]
Texas CGN-39 18 August 1973 9 August 1975 10 September 1977 16 July 1993 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, 1999 [2]
Mississippi CGN-40 21 January 1972 22 February 1975 31 July 1976 5 August 1978 28 July 1997 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, 2004 [3]
Arkansas CGN-41 31 January 1975 17 January 1977 21 October 1978 18 October 1980 7 July 1998 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, 1998 [4]
CGN-42 — Intended nuclear-powered AEGIS cruiser; cancelled 1983 [5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sobocinski, Richard. "USS ARKANSAS (CGN-41) Deployments & History". HullNumber.com. USS Arkansas commissioned in Oct. 1980. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
  2. ^ CG-47 Ticonderoga-class
  3. ^ CG-51 - 18 years. CG-47 - 21 years.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia class cruisers.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia-class_cruiser&oldid=911197354"