USS Long Beach (CGN-9)

Long Beach was originally intended to be a smaller frigate, but was then redesigned and expanded to a cruiser hull, allowing for an open space just aft of the bridge "box". This open space was first planned to accommodate the mounting of a Regulus nuclear-armed cruise missile, but was then changed to four launch tubes for the Polaris missile. However, the space was eventually occupied by the 5-inch/38-caliber gun mounts and the ASROC system. Long Beach was the last cruiser built with a World War II-era cruiser hull style, Because of this unusually high quantity of aluminum, she was assigned the voice radio call sign "Alcoa". == Weapons suite ==

missile launcher on USS Long Beach, July 1961 The original weapons suite consisted of: • One rear Mk 12 launcher for the Talos long range surface-to-air missiles (SAM) with a range in excess of . • Two forward Mk 10 launchers for the Terrier medium range SAMs with a range in excess of 30 miles (48 km). • RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine system capable of delivering a torpedo or depth charge at a range of , located amidships. • Two triple 12.75-inch torpedo launchers that could fire the Mark 46 torpedo. • Two 5-inch/38-caliber guns, capable of surface and shore bombardment to a range of , located side by side amidships behind the ASROC launcher. The ship went through several modifications by the time she was decommissioned. The final weapons suite consisted of: • Two Mk-10 launchers for the Standard extended range missiles. These replaced the Terrier missiles. • The rear launcher for the Talos was removed and initially replaced with two quadruple mounts for the RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. • Two Phalanx CIWS were added on the aft side of the aft mast. • Two quadruple armored box launchers were added for the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile. These were installed aft on the fantail, with the Harpoon launchers relocated to positions left and right of the aft mast. The 5-inch/38 guns and the ASROC were retained, and several 12.7 mm (50-cal) were installed as needed. == History ==

(far right), under construction at Fore River Shipyard, July 1959. Long Beach was originally ordered as CLGN-160. She was reclassified CGN-160 in early 1957, but was again reclassified as CGN-9 on 1 July 1957. Her keel was laid down on 2 December 1957 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched 14 July 1959, sponsored by Mrs. Marian Swanson-Hosmer, the wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer (USNR, Ret.), a Congressman from California, and commissioned on 9 September 1961. At commissioning, the ship was reported to have cost $320 million ($ today), which was over budget from earlier estimates of $250 million. During construction in January 1960, it was widely reported that Long Beach was sabotaged when anti-mine (degaussing) electrical cables were found to have been intentionally cut in three places. It was the second of three incidents at Fore River Shipyard at that time. Long Beach was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and home ported at Naval Station Norfolk. The guided‑missile cruiser conducted extensive shakedown testing of her complex weapons and propulsion systems from 2 October to 16 December 1961; her performance proved the nuclear cruiser a capable warship. Between 28 December and 6 January 1962 she conducted operational tests of her missiles off Puerto Rico, then sailed for Bremerhaven, Germany, arriving 15 January for courtesy calls in north European ports. Returning to Norfolk, Virginia 7 February 1962, Long Beach, trained off the east coast and in the Caribbean. On 10 April, she joined Atlantic Fleet as flagship for Admiral Robert L. Dennison, Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, for exercises off the coasts of U.S. states North Carolina and Virginia. She was reviewed by President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during this time. Long Beach served in the Atlantic Fleet from her commissioning in 1961 until completing her first refueling in early 1966, when the cruiser was transferred from her home port of Norfolk to Naval Station Long Beach, California. == Operational history ==

1960s After overhaul and installation of new equipment at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Long Beach again trained in the Caribbean, and then sailed 6 August 1963 to join the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean for peacekeeping operations. She returned to Norfolk 20 December for coastal and Caribbean operations through 28 April 1964 when she sailed for the Mediterranean again to join aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyer , in the formation of the first all nuclear‑powered task group on 13 May. The force operated in the Mediterranean testing its unique capabilities until 31 July when it sailed under RADM Bernard M. Strean from Gibraltar on an around‑the‑world cruise. This operation, Sea Orbit, reminiscent of the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 1907–1909, demonstrated the strategic mobility of U.S. naval nuclear‑powered surface forces independent of normal fleet logistic support. Long Beach steamed over in 58 days at an average speed of , without being refueled or resupplied. In the course of the voyage, numerous foreign dignitaries visited the ship during visits off both coasts of Africa and in‑port calls at Karachi, Pakistan, Melbourne, Australia, Wellington, New Zealand and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. at a range of . In June of the same year, she downed another MiG, In 1975 the ship changed home ports to Naval Base San Diego, California. In June, 1991, Long Beach took part in Operation Fiery Vigil, evacuating U.S. military personnel from two bases in the Philippines, Clark Air Base and U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. == Decommissioning ==

There was originally a plan to fully upgrade Long Beach with an Aegis Combat System in the early 1990s, requiring that her superstructure be completely rebuilt. Due to cuts in the defense budget after the 1991 Gulf War, as well as the higher operating costs and number of crew required compared to conventionally powered ships, the decision was made to decommission all nuclear cruisers from the Navy as their reactor cores ran down. They would be replaced by the Ticonderoga (CG) and Arleigh Burke (DDG) classes, designed from the ground up with Aegis. The Long Beach had been refueled during her 1970, 1980, and 1992 refits. The decision was made to decommission her in 1994. A deactivation ceremony occurred on 2 July 1994 at Norfolk Naval Station, and the ship was then towed over to Newport News Shipbuilding where her entire superstructure was removed and her reactors were defueled. After this work was completed in the winter of 1995 the hull was towed through the Panama Canal to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Long Beach was stricken on 1 May 1995, more than 33 years after she had entered service. On 13 July 2012, Long Beach was sold at auction, for recycling, as prescribed for nuclear-powered vessels by Code 350, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. As of May 2018, the inactivated ship's hull and reactor compartments largely remained in long-term storage there. In April 2026, the US Navy rejected calls to add the ship to the National Register or Historic Places (NRHP) and that the ship had major alterations which fundamentally changed its nature. It was still moored at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, but had its bow removed at the time of a review commissioned in December 2025 to determine it's historical significance for the possibility of preservation. and the ship was leaking radioactive coolant in 1991. At that time, four crew members alleged that the ship's reactor was unsafe and that crew working around it had been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation. == Milestones ==

in Norfolk, Virginia 17 October 1994. In drydock No. 11 is prior to roll-on/roll-off ship conversion. In the drydock to the right of AKR-298 is Long Beach undergoing deactivation. • 2 December 1957 – Keel laid in Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. • 9 September 1961 – Long Beach is commissioned as the first nuclear-powered surface vessel at the Boston Naval Shipyard. == Awards ==

;Combat Action Ribbon • 26 April 1972 • 20 September 1987 – 26 September 1987 Persian Gulf • 29 September 1987 – 28 October 1987 Persian Gulf • 30 October 1987 – 29 November 1987 Persian Gulf • 17 January 1990 – 31 January 1990 Persian Gulf ;Vietnam Service Medal • 29 November 1966 – 6 January 1967 • 1 February 1967 – 1 March 1967 • 12 March 1967 – 7 April 1967 • 5 May 1967 – 13 June 1967 • 4 May 1968 – 11 June 1968 • 21 June 1968 – 11 July 1968 • 13 July 1968 – 7 August 1968 • 12 September 1968 – 23 October 1968 • 3 September 1969 – 11 October 1969 • 26 October 1969 – 4 December 1969 • 10 December 1969 – 12 December 1969 • 20 December 1969 – 22 December 1969 • 1 January 1970 – 25 January 1970 • 13 April 1972 – 23 June 1972 • 1 July 1972 – 31 July 1972 • 8 August 1972 – 6 September 1972 • 15 September 1972 – 16 October 1972 • 25 October 1972 – 22 November 1972 ;Southwest Asia Service Medal • 6 July 1991 – 12 October 1991 ;Humanitarian Service Medal • 29 April 1980 Vietnamese boat people • 1 May 1980 Vietnamese boat people ;Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon • 15 November 1993 ==See also==