USS Long Beach: A powerhouse cruiser that was the last of the Navy

USS Long Beach (CGN-9), commissioned in 1961, was the last cruiser built for the US Navy before being converted to destroyer hulls. It was the first nuclear-powered surface combatant.

-Notable for its sophisticated radar system and missile capability, it remained in service until 1995.

-The Long Beach demonstrated American technological superiority by participating in the first nuclear-powered naval orbit known as Operation Sea Orbit in 1964.

-Overcame early construction sabotage to successfully complete three decades of service.

-The Long Beach was eventually dismantled and taken out of service.

USS Long Beach: The First Nuclear-Powered Surface Combatant

Notable items included the first use of nuclear power in surface combat, accomplished by the final cruiser built for the US Navy. The only cruiser built before the transition to destroyer hulls for the Navy was  USS Long Beach (CGN-9), which entered service in 1961. After three decades of service, Long Beach was closed in 1995.

Introducing the Long Beach

CGN-9 was the Navy’s third ship, named after the city of Long Beach, California. Long Beach was laid down in 1957, launched in 1959 and commissioned in 1961. Eugene Parks Wilkinson, who was a captain at the time, was given command of the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered warship. Oddly enough, it was discovered that anti-mine power lines had been purposely cut at three different locations during construction, which led to the vandalism of Long Beach. But the construction was completed without any problems. Long Beach was sponsored by Mrs. Marian Swanson-Hosmer, wife of Rear Admiral Craig Hosmer.

Long Beach was originally intended to serve as a small frigate, but she was enlarged and modified to become a cruiser, making room for an open area below the bridge box. Intended to house Regulus nuclear-armed cruise missiles, the open area was later converted into four Polaris missile launch tubes and later 38-caliber gun mounts and the ASROC anti-submarine system. Long Beach would sometimes be equipped with triple 12.75-inch ASW torpedo tubes for Mk 44 or Mk 46 ASW torpedoes; launchers for Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles; twin Mk-10 launchers with Terrier surface-to-air missiles and then Mk-12 launchers with Talos surface-to-air missiles; and the Mk-15 Vulcan-phalanx 20mm CIWS.

The Long Beach was an amazing ship, with the tallest bridge of any ship smaller than an aircraft carrier. The SCANFAR arrayed radar system, consisting of AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 phased array radars, was housed in an elevated box-like superstructure. In reality, Long Beach was built as an experimental class to test her radar system, which served as a prototype for the AN/SPY-1 that would eventually be deployed on Arleigh Burke class destroyers and cruisers and equipped with the Aegis.

Around the World with USS Long Beach

The US Navy launched Operation Sea Orbit in 1964, emulating the Great White Fleet’s voyage around the world in the early 1900s. The US Navy’s Task Force One, consisting of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier Carrier Air Wing Six, the guided-missile cruiser USS Bainbridge, and the USS Long Beach, was deployed from port to port around the world under Vice Admiral John McCain’s concept for the sea. room

The task force’s all-nuclear propulsion, which allowed it to travel more than 30,000 miles over a 65-day period without needing to refuel, demonstrated American technological superiority. The cruise made port stops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wellington, New Zealand, Melbourne, Australia, and Karachi, Pakistan. Upon completion of the Sea Orbit, it was the first time a nuclear-powered ship had circumnavigated the globe.

Although Sea Orbit would continue for another thirty years before being canceled in 1994, it would be considered the pinnacle of Long Beach’s career. After its inactivity, Long Beach was put up for sale and eventually sold for scrap.

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

The author of more than 1,000 articles on international politics, Harrison Kass specializes in writing on the military and national security. Harrison is a pilot, lawyer, guitarist, and former minor league hockey player. He joined the US Air Force as a trainee pilot but was later medically discharged. Harrison holds an MA from New York University, a JD from the University of Oregon, and a BA from Lake Forest College. Harrison lets Dokken listen.

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