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Guided Missile Cruiser
CG 49 - USS Vincennes
		USS Vincennes (CG 49)						US Navy photo
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Cruiser; Ticonderoga (Baseline 1) - class; planned as DDG 49; built as CG 49;
Builder:		Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: August 28, 1981 Laid down: October 20, 1982 Launched: January 14, 1984 Commissioned: July 6, 1985 Decommissioned: June 29, 2005 Fate: moored at Bremerton, Washington; awaiting disposition;
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		named after and in honor of the Battle of Vincennes – February 23 - 25, 1779
Ship’s Motto:		> FREEDOMS FORTRESS <
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO >> Guided Missile Cruiser / Ticonderoga – Class
Pictures, photos & more ...
USS Vincennes at Pearl Harbor – April 15, 2005
USS Vincennes at Pearl Harbor – April 15, 2005
USS Vincennes / Pacific – September 4, 2004
Photo credits: US Navy
Namesake & History:
The Battle of Vincennes, Indiana (February 23 – 25, 1779):
The Battle of Vincennes was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on February 23 – February 25, 1779 when a small force of American soldiers led by George Rogers Clark encircled Fort Sackville at Vincennes, Indiana and continued marching around it until the Indians and British garrisoned there were convinced that there were hundreds of soldiers. The Indians fled leaving about 150 British soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton. Clark sent a flag of truce asking for Hamilton's surrender. He refused Hamilton's terms however, and had two captured Indians killed in front of the Fort with a tomahawk which caused Hamilton to acquiesce and surrender on Clark's terms. Clark was able to achieve the advantage of surprise by making an 18 day march from Kaskaskia through flooded and freezing terrain. The actual number of attackers and defenders varies considerably from source to source. The version presented by the United States National Park Service numbers Clark's contingent at approximately 170 Americans and Frenchmen. Other sources number Clark's forces at 47 men. Hamilton is said to have released his troops for the winter, and his garrison "now consisted of approximately 40 British soldiers and a similar number of French volunteers and militia from Detroit and Vincennes." With Frenchmen among both the attackers and defenders, the appetite for a battle may have been diminished. After Hamilton's surrender, he was taken to Virginia where he was imprisoned by Thomas Jefferson. After his release in 1781, Hamiltion served "as the Governor of Quebec and later as Governor of the Island Colonies of Bermuda and Dominica".
USS Vincennes (CG 49):
Vincennes (CG-49) was laid down by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula MS 20 October 1982; launched 14 January 1984; sponsored by Mrs. Marilyn Quayle, wife of former Vice President of the United States, Dan Quayle;and commissioned 6 July 1985. The Vincennes was the first of the AEGIS Cruisers of the Ticonderoga Class to enter the Pacific Fleet. Upon commissioning in 1985, Vincennes entered the Pacific Fleet via the Panama Canal and participated in the testing and development of the SM-2 Block II surface-to-air missile. In May 1986, Vincennes participated in the multinational exercise RIMPAC 86, coordinating the AAW efforts of two aircraft carriers and over forty ships from five nations. Vincennes deployed in August 1986 to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the "first ever" Pacific Deployment of an Aegis cruiser, Vincennes served as Anti-Air Warfare Commander with both Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and New Jersey (BB-62) Battle Groups. She also operated jointly with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy. Vincennes steamed over 46,000 miles in waters from the Bering Sea to the Indian Ocean. On 20 April 1988, during Fleet Exercise 88-1, Vincennes was given unexpected orders to proceed back to San Diego and make preparations to leave on a six month deployment. One month later, the ship entered the Persian Gulf, to become part of the Joint Task Force in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. During the course of this assignment it made fourteen transits of the Straits of Hormuz in support of Operation Earnest Will. On 3 July 1988, while operating in the Southern Persian Gulf as a unit assigned to Commander, Joint Task Force Middle East, the Vincennes (CG-49) shot down an Iranian civilian airliner with two SM-2 missiles after mistaking it for an Iranian F-14. The Airbus aircraft, Iran Air Flight 655, was on a routine scheduled flight from Bandar Abbas to Dubai, and was carrying 290 people. The US Government agreed, on February 22, 1996, to pay Iran $61.8 million in compensation for the 248 Iranian passengers killed aboard the aircraft. In February of 1990, Vincennes deployed on her third six month tour of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, In addition to covering the fleet with the "Aegis Shield" and coordination all Battle Group air events, Vincennes served as the Command and Control Flagship during Harpoon-Ex-90. Vincennes spent more time at sea during deployment than any other ship in the Battle Group. In July 1990. Vincennes returned home after steaming nearly 100,000 miles. She deployed with SH-60S LAMPS MK III Anti-Submarine helicopters from HSL-45 Det 13. The embarked LAMPS detachment was a tremendous asset and performed superbly in its Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Submarine Underwater Warfare roles. In August 1991, Vincennes departed for her fourth Western Pacific Deployment. Transiting with the Independence (CV-62), Vincennes performed duties as the AAW Commander for Battle Group Delta until detaching to participate as the United States representative in MERCUBEX 91, a joint United States and Singaporean exercise. Over the next three months, Vincennes participated in the bilateral exercise VALIANT BLITZ with the South Korean Navy, the bilateral exercise ANNUALEX 03G with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and ASWEX 92-1K with the South Korean Navy before reaching Hong Kong to act as the U.S. representative for the Navy Days ceremonies. Vincennes returned from deployment on the 21st of December 1991. In June 1994, Vincennes departed on her fifth Western Pacific deployment Transiting with the Kitty Hawk (CV-63) Battle Group, Vincennes performed duties as Anti-Air Warfare Commander for the Battle Group. During deployment, Vincennes conducted an Anti-Submarine exercise, PASSEX 94-2, with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, the bilateral exercise MERCUB 94-2, a joint U.S. and Singaporean Navy exercise of the Malaysian peninsula, he bilateral exercise KEEN EDGE, with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and TANDEM THRUST, a larger scale joint exercise which Vincennes participated as the Area Air Defense Coordinator for the entire joint operating area. Vincennes returned from deployment on the 22nd of December 1994. The Vincennes (CG-49), changed homeport in August 1997 from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan, It relieved Hewitt (DD-966) as an element of the U.S. Navy's full-time forward presence in the western Pacific. The Vincennes (CG-49), forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, took part in Exercise Valiant Usher 98-1 with Belleau Wood (LHA-3) amphibious ready group and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Perth (DDG-38). The combined exercise took place near Townshend Island, Australia. Vincennes also took part in the U.S. Seventh Fleet's Fleet Battle Experiment Delta (FBE-D) from October 24 to November 2, 1998, in conjunction with exercise Foal Eagle, a regularly scheduled exercise that simulates the defense of the Republic of Korea. Sponsored by the Navy Warfare Development Command, FBE-D is the fourth in a series of experiments that test newly emerging combat systems and procedures in an operational environment. Fleet Battle Experiments are designed as genuine experiments, not demonstrations or exercises. Each experiment has a hypothesis and specific, carefully considered measures of effectiveness. Unlike a demonstration, failure is acceptable; in fact, just as much can be learned from failure as from success. The results of FBE-D will have a direct influence on future naval force structure and capabilities. Vincennes (CG-49) completed Sharem 134, a bilateral exercise conducted with several Japanese ships and other U.S. participants, on August 12, 2000. The exercise included a week of undersea warfare training and data collection in the South China Sea. The ship’s submarine detection capabilities were tested during the five-day event, and new submarine prosecution procedures were developed. Events included sonar range testing, sonobuoy employment methods and submarine engagement tactics using Vincennes' embarked LAMPs helo detachment, HSL 51 Det. 6. The final Sharem events included a freeplay, which allowed the cruiser to detect and prosecute other submarines within the operations area, combining many of the tactics and systems tested during Sharem. In mid-November 2000, the vessel took part in MISSILEX 01-1 during which it test fired various missile batteries at remote controlled aerial drones provided by Fleet Activities Okinawa. On 23 March 2001, the Vincennes, as part of the Kitty Hawk (CV-63) Battle Group, cruised into Changi Naval Base, marking the first time a U.S. carrier has moored pierside in Singapore. The Vincennes took part from August 23-27, 2001, in a military training exercise called Multi-Sail, featuring U.S. Navy ships and aircraft and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force units. Multi-Sail is designed to provide U.S. and Japanese forces interoperability training in multiple warfare areas. The training exercises the units' skill in surface, air defense and undersea warfare required to jointly defend Japan against external aggression. Vincennes (CG-49) departed Yokosuka on 17 September 2001, to conduct operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and returned on December 18, 2001 after more than three months at sea. The present Vincennes (CG-49) has established a reputation for excellence over her nine years of distinguished service, and has remained on the "cutting edge" of operational, tactical, and experimental naval developments since commissioning. Vincennes has successfully fired more than 57 surface to air missiles, 26 anti-submarine weapons, 5,000 five inch gun projectiles and two harpoon anti-ship missiles. In addition to performing duties as the Battle Group Anti-Air Warfare Commander during her five Western Pacific Deployments, Vincennes has been awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Citation, the Battle "E" three times, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four stars. During a typhoon, 9 October 2004, Vincennes was blown out of its berthing and collided with Coronado (AGF-11). Winds gusting to 91 mph snapped lines tying the ship to the pier. The collision punched several holes above the waterline on Vincennes and did minor damage to Coronado.
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