Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 1984)

Julia V. Taft, wife of Deputy Secretary of Defense William Howard Taft IV, breaks the champagne bottle during recent christening of Aegis cruiser Valley Forge (CG-50) at Ingalls yard.

Aegis Cruiser "Valley Forge'

Christened At Ingalls Shipyard

Deputy Secretary of Defense

William Howard Taft IV was principal speaker at the recent christening ceremony for the U.S.

Navy's newest, most powerful war- ship, the Aegis guided missile cruis- er Valley Forge (CG-50). Built by

Litton's Ingalls Shipbuilding divi- sion is Pascagoula, Miss., the new ship is the fourth in a class that is revolutionizing the U.S. Navy's air- craft carrier battle groups defenses.

She is the second Navy ship named in honor of the area in Penn- sylvania where General George

Washington's Continental Army suffered through the bitter cold winter of 1777-78. The first Valley

Forge, an aircraft carrier later re- designated as an amphibious assault ship, earned 17 battle stars and three unit commendations during a quarter century of fleet duty.

Julia Vadala Taft, a leading authority in the field of internation- al refugee relief and resettlement and wife of Secretary Taft, served as sponsor of the new cruiser, smashing the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow. Patri- cia Goldman of Washington, D.C., vice chairman of the National

Transportation Safety Board, was matron of honor.

Vice Adm. Harry C. Schrader

Jr., USN, Commander of the U.S.

Pacific Fleet's Surface Force, which

Valley Forge will join after commis- sioning in July 1985, said that "more than any other surface com- batant since World War II, Valley

Forge and her sister cruisers are designed to operate on the very cut- ting edge of our nation's maritime deterrent strategy. They have been given extraordinary capabilities that make them one of the most complex and sophisticated struc- tures ever designed to sail on the ocean... the crew of this ship, if called into battle, will take with them the very best our nation has to offer."

Aegis cruisers are large ships— 567 feet long, with a beam of 55 feet.

Four gas turbine engines power the 9,400-ton ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots. As elements of the most important surface shipbuilding pro- gram in America today, Valley

Forge and other ships of the Aegis class will provide the primary pro- tection for the Navy's battle forces well into the next century. With her

Aegis weapons system, Valley Forge is designed to counter all present and projected missile threats to the

Navy's battle forces.

Her Aegis weapons system, the heart of her warfighting capability, is a significant advance in fleet air defense. Four fixed array radar an- tennae, mounted on the four sides of the ship's superstructure, replace conventional rotating radars enabl- ing the ship and her crew to "see" in all directions simultaneously. The

Aegis weapons control system si- multaneously fires and directs more missiles at more targets, with greater accuracy, than any other system.

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This infinitely reversible process oc- curs independently at each point along the heater strip and prevents overheating.

Diesel engines fitted with the Ra- cor Thermoline Diesel Fuel Line

Heater are said to be able to operate year-round on less expensive, higher

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The Thermoline heater comes fully assembled and ready to install with a complete accessory kit that includes circuit breaker, solenoid, dashboard switch, hardware and easy-to-follow instructions.

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