USS Bunker Hill (CG-52)
USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) was a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy constructed by Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi and launched on 11 March 1985. The Ticonderoga-class cruisers are equipped with the Aegis Combat System and Bunker Hill is the first of the class to be equipped with the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) in place of the previous ships' twin-arm Mark 26 missile launchers, which greatly improved the flexibility and firepower of the ships by allowing them to fire BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for land attack missions. Other missions include ballistic missile defence and capital ship escort for anti-aircraft defense. The ship was commissioned on 20 September 1986 and was homeported at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California.
For other ships with the same name, see USS Bunker Hill.
Bunker Hill saw service in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War and deployed off the Somalian coast to prevent piracy. The cruiser has forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan and has performed missions in the Pacific including monitoring missions during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis.
Bunker Hill was decommissioned on 22 September 2023 at Naval Base San Diego.
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1980s[edit]
After commissioning in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Bunker Hill entered the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal and began short notice work-ups to deploy to the U.S. Seventh Fleet. She made her first deployment in July 1987, nearly one year ahead of schedule.
During READIEX 87-5, Bunker Hill first operated with Battle Group Sierra which consisted of Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1, the battleship Missouri, cruiser Long Beach, destroyer Hoel, frigate Curts, and supply vessel Kansas City. She deployed as part of Battle Group Sierra (Task Group 30.7).[1] Following an upkeep period at Subic Bay in the Philippines, Bunker Hill became Anti-Air Warfare Coordinator for Battle Group Sierra (TG 70.10), now en route to the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. During the deployment she provided an anti-air warfare umbrella inside the Persian Gulf for Missouri and other US-flagged tankers and ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
In August 1988, Bunker Hill's homeport was shifted from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan joining the Midway Carrier Battle Group. She then deployed with the Midway group for four months with the Seventh Fleet, for which she was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation. She was also awarded her first Battle Efficiency Award.
1990s[edit]
In November 1990, Bunker Hill sailed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm and served as the multinational Air Warfare Commander (AAWC) and as one of the first ships to launch a Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile against Iraqi targets. Following the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War, Bunker Hill participated in organizing and establishing Operation Southern Watch, the complex enforcement of the United Nations-established no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Bunker Hill made a historical visit to the Russian city Vladivostok in 1993, and then one year later she made a port visit to Qingdao in the People's Republic of China.
In March 1996, during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, she took station south of Taiwan to monitor missile tests by the People's Liberation Army.
In July 1998, Bunker Hill's homeport was shifted from Yokosuka, Japan back to San Diego.
2000s[edit]
In late 2000, Bunker Hill deployed with the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group. She again participated in Operation Southern Watch and conducted boardings and inspections of over 40 merchant vessels in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. Bunker Hill also escorted the Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) while conducting humanitarian operations off East Timor and training exercises in Kuwait. Bunker Hill acted as Air Defense Commander for the ARG where she designed and implemented innovative procedures for CG integration into an ARG. Following the attack on the destroyer USS Cole, Bunker Hill sortied from Bahrain to provide support and protection to seven United States Navy and United States Naval Ships (auxiliary vessels) based there and subsequently remained at sea for 67 consecutive days. Bunker Hill returned from deployment in February 2001.
Since her commissioning, Bunker Hill has deployed six times to the Persian Gulf and has earned fifteen Battle "E" Awards, including the Golden Battle "E" in 1996 and 2006 which is given when a ship receives five such awards consecutively.
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This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
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