USS Wainwright (CG-28)

The USS Wainwright ( DLG-28/CG-28 ) was a cruiser of the United States Navy and was a member of the Belknap class.

History

The Wainwright was placed as a destroyer leader with missiles (DLG = Destroyer Leader Guided Missile ) in 1962 at Bath Iron Works in Kiel and put into service in 1966.

From 1967, the ship took part in the Vietnam War, among other things, it served as a radar control center during Operation Rolling Thunder.

In the 1970s, the Wainwright belonged to the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. From September 1973 to the end of 1974 the ship in the Charleston Naval Shipyard was the first regular overhaul. In 1975 the reclassification to the guided missile cruiser (CG = Guided Missile Cruiser ), also visited Romania as the first American warship. In 1979, launch canister were installed for anti-ship missiles of the type AGM -84 Harpoon on board.

Also in the 1980s, the Wainwright spent most of their time of service in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, in 1988 took the ship in Operation Praying Mantis in part and was involved in the sinking of an Iranian warship after it had fired rockets on the Wainwright.

In the 1990s, the Wainwright received a so-called New Threat Upgrade and came back in 1991 to the fleet. In 1992, the first installation, the cruiser sailed as part of the carrier battle group led by the USS John F. Kennedy (CV -67 ) as part of Operation Provide Hope. In 1993, the ship was finally decommissioned. By 2002, the ship was as part of the reserve fleet in Philadelphia until the Wainwright was sunk on 12 June 2002 as a target ship. Already the day before she was hit by two Harpoon, but remained buoyant over night, so it was sunk by two torpedoes.