USS Vella Gulf (CG-72)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Vella Gulf.

Vella Gulf in 2010
History
United States
NameVella Gulf
NamesakeBattle of Vella Gulf
Ordered25 February 1988[1]
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down22 April 1991
Launched13 June 1992
Sponsored byMary A. McCauley
Acquired12 July 1993[1]
Commissioned18 September 1993[1]
Decommissioned4 August 2022[2]
Stricken30 September 2022[1]
HomeportNorfolk (during career)
Identification
MottoMove Swiftly, Strike Vigorously
StatusStricken, Final Disposition Pending[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeTiconderoga-class cruiser
Displacement9,600 long tons (9,800 t)
Length567 feet (173 m)
Beam55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft34 feet (10.2 meters)
Propulsion
Speed32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement30 officers and 300 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS Mk III helicopters.

USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) was a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser that served with the United States Navy. She was the second ship named for the Battle of Vella Gulf, a naval engagement in the Solomons campaign of World War II, the first being USS Vella Gulf (CVE-111), an escort carrier commissioned in 1945. The ship's keel was laid down on 22 April 1991 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding, then a division of Litton Industries. She was launched on 13 June 1992, sponsored by Mary A. McCauley, wife of Vice Admiral William F. McCauley (Ret.), and commissioned on 18 September 1993 at Naval Station Norfolk.[3]

Designed as a multi-mission ship, Vella Gulf was capable of sustained combat operations in Anti-Air, Anti-Submarine, Anti-Surface, and Strike warfare environments. She supported of carrier battle groups, amphibious assault groups, ballistic missile defense, as well as interdiction and escort missions. Her diverse combat capability was orchestrated by the Aegis Combat System, a fully integrated electronic detection, engagement, and fire-control system. Aegis enabled Vella Gulf to detect, evaluate, and engage an enemy with great firepower and accuracy.

  1. ^ a b c d e "VELLA GULF (CG 72)". NVR. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Decom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Vella Gulf (CG-72)". Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2022.