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USS HUÉ CITY was the 20th ship in the TICONDEROGA - class of guided missile cruisers and the only ship in the Navy named after a battle of the Vietnam War. The ship held a decommissioned ceremony at Norfolk, Va., on September 23, 2022, and was officially decommissioned on September 30, 2022.
General Characteristics: | Keel Laid: February 20, 1989 |
Launched: June 1, 1990 | |
Commissioned: September 14, 1991 | |
Decommissioned: September 30, 2022 | |
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss. | |
Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines | |
Propellers: two | |
Blades on each Propeller: five | |
Length: 567 feet (173 meters) | |
Beam: 55 feet (16.8 meters) | |
Draft: 34 feet (10.2 meters) | |
Displacement: approx. 9,600 tons full load | |
Speed: 30+ knots | |
Cost: about $1 billion | |
Aircraft: two | |
Armament: two | |
Crew: 33 Officers, 27 Chief Petty Officers and approx. 340 Enlisted |
Crew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS HUE CITY. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
USS HUÉ CITY Cruise Books:
About the Ships Coat of Arms:
( Click on the Coat of Arms for a larger version )
The Shield:
The trident represents sea power, projected by HUE CITY's Vertical Launch System. The tines of the trident depict the Aegis cruiser's dominion of the air, the surface and the sub-surface. The crossed swords - a Navy cutlass and Marine mameluke - from a saltire, showing the two Vietnams. The palm wreath and the smaller shield at the center commemorate the Marines' victory and the raising of the US flag over the Provincial Headquarters building.
The Crest:
The fortress on the crest recalls the Citadel at Hue, captured by US Marines at great cost. The dragon symbolizes both the fierceness of the siege and the fighting spirit of the crew of USS HUE CITY.
The Motto:
The motto - Fidelity, Courage, Honor - represents the finest qualities of the US Navy and Marine Corps: faithfulness to one's comrades and the values of the United States, the moral fortitude to overcome fear in the face of battle, and the integrity to conduct oneself with dignity and respect at all times.
Accidents aboard USS HUÉ CITY:
Date | Where | Events |
April 14, 2014 | approx. 200 nautical miles northeast of Bermuda | A fire breaks out around 6:20 p.m. in the No. 1 gas turbine generator located in main engine room 1. The crew goes to general quarters but can not prevent the fire from spreading quickly from the generator through the exhaust uptakes and to the first and third decks. The fire was eventually decleared out at 7:54 p.m. Nobody was injured. USS HUÉ CITY departed Mayport, Fla., three days earlier for a Mediterranean deployment. As a result of the fire, the ship headed back to Mayport under its own power for repairs and damage assessment. |
History of USS HUÉ CITY:
USS HUÉ CITY is the fourteenth cruiser in the TICONDEROGA class to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Her keel was laid on 20 February 1989. She was floated on 1 June 1990 and christened on 21 July 1991 by her sponsor, Mrs. Jo Ann Cheatham, the wife of Lieutenant General Earnest C. Cheatham, Jr., USMC (Ret.). HUÉ CITY’s standard is the flag of the United States Marine Corps, in addition to the national ensign and the flag of the United States Navy.
HUÉ CITY sailed on 11 March 1993 for her maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) battle group. Principally operating in the Adriatic Sea, HUÉ CITY developed the air picture and transmitted it to command centers afloat and ashore. HUÉ CITY also monitored the safety of United Nations relief flights to Bosnia, ensuring Serbian aircraft did not violate no-fly zones.
While conducting refresher training near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in April 1994 HUÉ CITY was directed to serve as Destroyer Squadron 22 flagship in support of United Nations sanctions against Haiti. Later that year HUÉ CITY conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea.
HUÉ CITY sailed for her second deployment 22 March 1995 with the THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) battle group, again as Air Warfare Commander. HUÉ CITY took station in the Red Sea, where she provided air coverage and support to the Combat Air Patrols enforcing the no-fly zone in southern Iraq.
HUÉ CITY sailed for the Baltic Sea on 24 May 1996 to participate in operations involving forty-eight ships from thirteen nations. The operations focused on tracking air, surface and subsurface targets in a multinational task force.
HUÉ CITY deployed on 29 April 1997 to the Mediterranean Sea as Air Warfare Commander for the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) battle group. HUÉ CITY operated in the Adriatic Sea, overseeing all air activity in support of naval operations.
Early in 1998 HUÉ CITY received Cooperative Engagement Capability. This capability represents the leading edge of air warfare, enabling HUÉ CITY to launch a missile against an enemy target that is being tracked by another vessel.
CG 66 sailed again for the Baltic Sea in May 1999 to participate in BALTOPS ’99 and on 19 June she departed to return to Mayport, Fla. after a four-day port visit in Kiel, Germany.
USS HUE CITY took part in the Carribean Phase Task Group of the 41st annual UNITAS Naval exercise, as the flagship. The Caribbean Phase, hosted by the U.S. Navy, commenced March 19, 2000 with a multi-national task force port visit to Cartagena including four U.S. ships. This phase ended April 10th with a port visit to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. It marked the first time in the history of UNITAS that three separate phases, formerly hosted by the U.S., Colombian and Venezuelan Navies, were being combined into one larger and more complex phase. The following year, Colombia was to host the Caribbean Phase, with rotation of host-nation responsibilities going to Venezuela the following year.
USS HUE CITY took part in International Naval Review on July 4, 2000 in New York Harbor, and then Sail Boston 2000.
As part of the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Carrier Battle Group (CVBG), and in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, USS HUE CITY set sail in support of defense and humanitarian efforts off the coast of New York.
Ships and aircraft of the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) Carrier Battle Group (CVBG) commenced use of the Vieques Island inner range beginning Sept. 24, 2001 in conjunction with their Composite Unit Training Exercises (COMPUTEX). The exercise, which began the week prior, also utilized the northern and southern Puerto Rican operating areas, and involved complex battle group training events, naval surface fire-support training and air-to-ground bombing.
USS HUE CITY then took part in Underway No. 10", one in a series of tests leading to the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Operation Evaluation (OPEVAL) scheduled for Spring 2001. The CEC system provides the capability to cooperatively engage targets by a warship using data from other CEC-equipped ships, aircraft, and land-based sensors, even in an electronic-jamming environment. It also provides a common, consistent and highly accurate air picture, allowing battle group defenses to act as one seamless system. The test, off Wallops Island, VA, simulated missile firings from some of the Navy's most technically advanced ships against unmanned drones.
As part of the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) Battle Group (CVBG), USS HUE CITY took part Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1, with Phase I of the exercise running from January 19 through 26, 2002 and Phase II running February 7-14, 2002.
In March 2002, USS HUE CITY was part of the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) Carrier Battle Group at it relieved the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) Carrier Battle Group, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In May 2002, during a three-day Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) exercise off the coast of Djibouti, Africa, USS HUE CITY fired hundreds of 5-inch rounds in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise 2002 (MEUEX '02) on more than 60 targets that included tanks, bunkers, and various military vehicles. HUE CITY joined the WASP Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to conduct this first of its kind exercise in this little-known region of northeast Africa.
HUE CITY’s awards include the Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Battle Efficiency awards, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, three Sea Service awards, the NATO medal, the CNO Safety Award and three Community Service Awards.
USS HUE CITY Patch Gallery:
USS HUE CITY Image Gallery:
The following 10 photos show the USS HUE CITY during a port visit to Kiel, Germany, during the Kiel Week celebrations in June 1996. All photos were taken by Klaus Herrmann.
The photos below were taken by me and show the USS HUE CITY during a port visit to Kiel, Germany, during the Kiel Week celebrations in June 1999. The port visit marked the end of exercise BALTOPS 1999 in the Baltic Sea. The other US participant in the exercise was the USS VICKSBURG (CG 69).
The photos below were contributed by Stefan Karpinski and show the USS HUE CITY in Middle East waters during her 2002 MED deployment.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS HUE CITY at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., on April 28, 2015.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS HUE CITY at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Va., on October 13, 2016.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS HUE CITY arriving at New York City, NY., to participate in the city's Fleet Week on May 25, 2019.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning during an open ship event aboard USS HUE CITY during Fleet Week New York in New York City. The photos were taken on May 26, 2019.
Click here for more Photos. |
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS HUE CITY laid up at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on December 26, 2021. The HUE CITY entered the Navy's guided-missile cruisers Phased Modernization program on September 30, 2019, and was subsequently towed from Mayport, Fla., to Norfolk, Va., for lay-up. She was supposed to be modernized within the following years, however, the Navy is presently looking to retire the HUE CITY as a cost-saving measure.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS HUE CITY preparing for decommissioning at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on September 6, 2022.
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ex-HUE CITY laid up at Philadelphia, Penn., on May 26, 2023. The ship alongside is the decommissioned sistership ANZIO (CG 68).