USS ''Yorktown'' (DDG-48/CG-48) was a in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1984 to 2004, named for the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Battle of Yorktown.

History

''Yorktown'' was launched 17 January 1983 and was sponsored by Mrs. Mary Matthews, widow of Nick Matthews, a prominent citizen of

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

. ''Yorktown'' was commissioned on 4 July 1984 at

, and was designed to take advantage of the American

Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

technology. Among her various weapon systems were surface to air missiles (SAMs), anti-ship/anti-submarine missiles,

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

launchers, and a mounted

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

. ''Yorktown''s first deployment was from August 1985 to April 1986 and, among other things, involved the ''Achille Lauro'' hijacker intercept, two

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

excursions (in 1986 and 1988), and a trio of operations off the

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

n coast including Operation El Dorado Canyon and Operation Attain Document and Prairie Fire. USS Yorktown collision

''Yorktown'' received the Atlantic Fleet's "Top Gun" award for outstanding

naval gunfire support Naval gunfire support (NGFS), also known as naval surface fire support (NSFS), or shore bombardment, is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of seve ...

in 1987. During the second deployment from September 1987 to March 1988, ''Yorktown'' participated in numerous U.S. and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

exercises, as well as multi-national exercises with

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, France,

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, Tunisia, and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was on this Mediterranean deployment that ''Yorktown'' gained worldwide publicity from operations conducted in the Black Sea as part of Freedom of Navigation program.Campbell, "USS Caron's Black Sea Scrape Furthered International Law, National Interest", ''The Virginian-Pilot'' and the ''Ledger-Star'', 12 June 1988, at C3, col. 1. On 12 February 1988, while ''Yorktown'' was exercising the "right of innocent passage" through Soviet territorial waters, the Soviet ''Bezzavetnyy'' () intentionally collided with ''Yorktown'' with the intention of pushing her out of Soviet territorial waters. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs at the time, Richard L. Armitage, acknowledged that the transit was not operationally necessary, but asserted that it was still a valid innocent passage under international law. In 1991, ''Yorktown'' was awarded the coveted "Old Crow's" award for electronic warfare excellence. In 1992 ''Yorktown'' was honored with the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for superb, sustained combat readiness. ''Yorktown'' conducted her third and fourth Mediterranean deployments as the world watched the end of the Cold War and the coalition victory in

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. During the latter of these two deployments ''Yorktown'' participated in the first U.S. military exercises with the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n navies, and played a key role in Operation Provide Comfort, which provided humanitarian relief and security for the Kurdish refugees in northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. In the summer of 1992, ''Yorktown'' participated in BALTOPS '92. During this cruise, ''Yorktown'' made a highly acclaimed port visit to

Severomorsk Severomorsk (), known as Vayenga () until 18 April 1951, is a closed city, closed types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is sit ...

, Russia, becoming the first U.S. ship to visit that port since the end of World War II. In 1993, ''Yorktown'' was awarded the Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic Ship Safety Award for a superior safety record. ''Yorktown'' has also been awarded two

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

s and a

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

, and is a four-time winner of the coveted Battle Efficiency "E". ''Yorktown'' served as

Flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

for Commander, Task Group 4.1, during counter-drug operations in the Caribbean in May–July 1993. In August 1993, ''Yorktown'' participated in the joint military exercise Solid Stance in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

. ''Yorktown''s operations through the end of 1993 included an October–November excursion to the Caribbean to support the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

embargo of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. In April–May 1994, ''Yorktown'' returned to the Caribbean as Force Air Warfare Commander during joint Exercise Agile Provider. While in the Caribbean, ''Yorktown'' served as flagship for Commander, Destroyer Squadron Six, coordinating a six-ship, twenty-six

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

exercise. In the summer of 1994, ''Yorktown'' achieved a resounding score of 101 during naval gunfire support qualification. In August 1994 ''Yorktown'' set sail for the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

as flagship for Commander, Standing Naval Force Atlantic, in support of the United Nations embargo of the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. During this six-month deployment, ''Yorktown'' served as the Air Warfare Commander for the Adriatic Sea, participating in a joint task force of ships from the United States and eight European nations. In May–June 1995, ''Yorktown'' proceeded south to serve as Air Warfare Commander for the Caribbean Sea in support of counter-narcotics operations. CG-48 firing

In May 1997 ''Yorktown'' (with a reduced crew aboard) completed a five-month counter-narcotic deployment in the Caribbean followed by tests with and her accompanying Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2. During these periods Navy Manpower and Analysis Center (NAVMAC) conducted a detailed review of manpower requirements, and the Operational Test and Evaluation Force verified the ship's ability to meet all required operational capabilities in the projected operating environment doctrine for ''Ticonderoga''-class cruisers. On 21 September 1997, a

division by zero In mathematics, division by zero, division (mathematics), division where the divisor (denominator) is 0, zero, is a unique and problematic special case. Using fraction notation, the general example can be written as \tfrac a0, where a is the di ...

error on board the ''Yorktown'' ''Remote Data Base Manager'' brought down all the machines on the network, causing the ship's propulsion system to fail. On 25 September 1999 ''Yorktown'' departed Pascagoula for a four-month counter-narcotic deployment in the Caribbean. Before beginning patrolling efforts, ''Yorktown'' embarked staff members from Commander, Second Fleet. Supported by the helicopter detachment, the Second Fleet staff surveyed and photographed another island being considered as a potential replacement for training exercises if the Navy was unable to continue at Vieques Island,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. The ship made port calls in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

, Cartagena, Rodman, Manta and

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

. During this deployment, ''Yorktown'' was the last U.S. warship to transit the Panama Canal prior to it being turned over to Panama.

Fate

''Yorktown'' was decommissioned and struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 10 December 2004. As of 2008, she was scheduled to be dismantled in the next five years along with her sisterships and . Since her decommissioning, ''Yorktown'' has been berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. On 16 September 2022, ''Yorktown'' was removed from the Philadelphia NIMSF and began her journey to

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

, where she will be scrapped. She arrived in Brownsville on 29 November 2022.

Smart ship testbed

From 1996 ''Yorktown'' was used as the testbed for the Navy's Smart Ship program. The ship was equipped with a network of 27 dual 200 MHz

Pentium Pro The Pentium Pro is a sixth-generation x86 microprocessor developed and manufactured by Intel and introduced on November 1, 1995. It implements the P6 (microarchitecture), P6 microarchitecture (sometimes termed i686), and was the first x86 Intel C ...

-based machines running Windows NT 4.0 communicating over fiber-optic cable with a Pentium Pro-based server. This network was responsible for running the integrated control center on the bridge, monitoring condition assessment, damage control, machinery control and fuel control, monitoring the engines and navigating the ship. This system was predicted to save $2.8 million per year by reducing the ship's complement by 10%. On 21 September 1997, while on maneuvers off the coast of

Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Charles is a town / municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,178 as of the 2020 census us, 2020 Census. History Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on Eastern Sh ...

, a crew member entered a zero into a database field causing an attempted

in the ship's Remote Data Base Manager, resulting in a buffer overflow which brought down all the machines on the network, causing the ship's propulsion system to fail. Anthony DiGiorgio, a civilian contractor with a 26-year history of working on Navy control systems, reported in 1998 that ''Yorktown'' had to be towed back to Norfolk Naval Station. Ron Redman, a deputy technical director with the Aegis Program Executive Office, backed up this claim, suggesting that such system failures had required ''Yorktown'' to be towed back to port several times. In the 3 August 1998 issue of ''Government Computer News'', a retraction by DiGiorgio was published. He claims the reporter altered his statements, and insists that he did not claim the ''Yorktown'' was towed into Norfolk. ''GCN'' stands by its story. Atlantic Fleet officials also denied the towing, reporting that ''Yorktown'' was "dead in the water" for just 2 hours and 45 minutes. Captain Richard Rushton, commanding officer of ''Yorktown'' at the time of the incident, also denied that the ship had to be towed back to port, stating that the ship returned under its own power. Atlantic Fleet officials acknowledged that the Yorktown experienced what they termed "an engineering local area network casualty". "We are putting equipment in the engine room that we cannot maintain and, when it fails, results in a critical failure," DiGiorgio said. Criticism of operating system choice ensued. Ron Redman, deputy technical director of the Fleet Introduction Division of the Aegis Program Executive Office, said that there have been numerous software failures associated with NT aboard the Yorktown.

Awards

* 3x Joint Meritorious Unit Awards – (02-30 Nov 1990, 05-16 Apr 1991, 1997)(1 for Operation Fiery Vigil) * 4x

s * 1x

s (as a unit of Mediterranean Carrier Battle Group 3-91) * 7x Battle Efficiency (Navy E) Ribbons – (1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002) * 1x Navy Expeditionary Medal * 2x

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

* 1x Humanitarian Service Medal – (Sep-Oct 1998)(as element of Navy Construction Battalion Center Gulfport 20th Naval Construction Regiment) * 1x Armed Forces Service Medal * 2x Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon – (1990, 2002) * Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (multiple awards) * Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award – (1992) * James F. Chezek Memorial Gunnery Award – (1987) * "Old Crow's" award for Electronic Warfare excellence – (1991)

Notes

External links