USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51)

9750 tons

173 meters

16.80 meters

10.2 meters

About 390

Four gas turbines, two shafts together with 80,000 hp

30 nodes

2 Harpoon anti-ship missiles for starters, 2 triple torpedo launchers, two 127 mm guns, 2 Doppelarmstarter Missile SM-2

The USS Thomas S. Gates (CG -51) Guided Missile Cruiser is a United States Navy and is a member of the Ticonderoga class. It is named after Thomas S. Gates, 1957-1959 Marine and Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower defense minister.

History

CG- 51 was commissioned in 1980 and built from 1984 to 1985 at Bath Iron Works. 1987 Thomas S. Gates was put into service.

The Thomas S. Gates was decommissioned in 2005. The main reason for the early decommissioning of the obsolete weapon system. Unlike the newer Ticonderogas the Thomas S. Gates does not have a Vertical Launching System, but a Mk 26 Doppelarmstarter. Since the matching missiles are no longer produced for this purpose, the Thomas S. Gates was essentially defenseless and therefore disabled.