USS Antietam (CG-54)

USS "Antietam" (CG-54) is a "Ticonderoga"-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. "Antietam" was named for the site of the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland, between Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee and Union forces under Major General George McClellan, during the American Civil War. She was built by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi and commissioned on 6 June 1987. She is currently led by the Commanding Officer, Captain John S. Mitchell III, and the Executive Officer, Commander Dwayne L. Eldridge. In March 2008 the Navy declared USS Antietam a winner of the 2007 Battle Efficiency award, or Battle E, for the John C. Stennis Strike Group.

Construction

She was laid down by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi on 15 November 1984, launched on 14 February 1986, and commissioned on 6 June 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Capability

With her guided missiles and rapid-fire guns, she is capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, on the sea, on the shore, and beneath the sea. She also carries two Seahawk LAMPS helicopters, capable of multiple missions but primarily designed for Anti-Submarine Warfare [ASW] .

Tours

"Antietam" operates out of her home port of San Diego, California. She recently completed a circumnavigation of the Earth, leaving San Diego to the west in February, 2005, and returning home by way of the east in August, 2005. Stops along the way included an extended stay in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also dropped nearly a third of her active personnel in Florida before picking up family members of the crew in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as part of a "Tiger Cruise" back to San Diego.

She later spent another tour of duty in the Persian Gulf during the deployment of 2007, lasting from January until August. She visited Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Pearl Harbor before returning from the seven month deployment. The ship and crew earned a coveted "Battle E" for their efforts during the deployment.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.antietam.navy.mil/ Official website]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/CG54.htm Naval Vessel Register entry for USS "Antietam"]
* [http://united-states-navy.com/cg/cg54.html united-states-navy.com: USS "Antietam"]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/CG-54 CG-54 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]