Aegis Missile Cruiser xLeyte Gulf' Christened At Ingalls Shipbuilding

The ninth ship in the Ticonderoga Class of Aegis guided missile cruisers, and the eighth to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton in Pascagoula, Miss., has been christened Leyte Gulf (CG- 55). Principal speaker at the recent christening ceremony at the shipyard was Adm. Ronald J. Hays, USN, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Commans. His wife, Jane Hays, was the ship's sponsor, and their daughter, Jacqueline Hays, served as maid of honor.

Other participants in the program included Vice Adm. Joseph Metcalf III, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Naval Warfare; Vice Adm. W i l l i am F.

McCauley, USN, Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic Fleet; Rear Adm. Donald P. Roane, USN, Deputy Commander, NAVSEA; Cpt. Jerry Fee, USN, Cruiser Division Director, Aegis Shipbuilding Program; and Jerry St.

Pe, senior vice president of Litton and president of Ingalls.

Including the lead ship of the class, USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), Ingalls has delivered five Aegis cruisers to the Navy, and two more will join the fleet in 1987. Following the Leyte Gulf, which will also be commissioned in 1987, Ingalls has five additional cruisers in various stages of construction.

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

Four GE gas turbine jet engines power the 9,500-ton ships to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

The cruiser's Aegis Combat System, the heart of her fighting capability, is a significant advance in fleet air defense. Four fixed-array radar antennae, mounted on the sides of the ship's superstructure, enable the crew to "see" in all directions simultaneously.

The Aegis ships compose the most important shipbuilding program in America today. The Leyte Gulf and other ships of the class will provide the primary protection for the Navy's battle forces well into the next century. Aegis ships are designed to counter all present and projected missile threats to the Navy's battle forces.

The Ingalls yard is also building the Navy's new Wasp (LHD-1) Class of multipurpose amphibious assault ships, and modernizing the battleship Wisconsin (BB-64).

For free detailed literature fully describing the shipbuilding services and facilities offered by Ingalls, Circle 61 on Reader Service Card

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 46, Dec 1986

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