USS Little Rock (LCS-9)

[DDGPhalanx]

Just a little nugget to any salty dogs who like naval history..

 

LCS-9 is undergoing sea trials right now, but currently, she is scheduled to be commissioned sometime in November. 

 

This is significant because she will become the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned alongside a predecessor of the same name. USS Little Rock (CL-92) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser which served immediately following World War II, and until her decommissioning in 1976. She came to Buffalo, New York, in 1979, and has been a museum ship since (in addition to Little Rock, the Buffalo Naval Park also includes the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537)).

 

In addition to being the first ship commissioned alongside her predecessor, she will be the first ship commissioned in Buffalo, New York. 

 

Spoiler

I couldn't help but notice last time I visited that this particular Cleveland-class light cruiser had twin-rail Talos missile launchers with a magazine large enough to fit a Fletcher belowdecks.. just saying, Cleveland's AA could use a buff in this game 

 

[CaptnAndy]

As a former Talos Fire Control Guy, I Had to add this from Wikipedia:

"In the late 1950s she was converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser, which involved removing all her aft six-inch and five-inch guns and rebuilding her aft superstructure to accommodate the Talos missile system. Also, like three other of her sister Cleveland ships converted to missile ships, she was also extensively modified forward to become a flagship. This involved removal of most of her forward armament to allow for a greatly enlarged superstructure. She was recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-4 (and in 1975 redesignated CG-4).

In her new career, she served extensively in the Mediterranean, often as the Sixth Fleet flagship. She decommissioned for the last time in 1976 (after 20 years and 4 months of commissioned service), and is now a museum ship at Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.

Little Rock is the sole surviving member of the Cleveland class."

Although I served from 62 to 65 on 2 different Talos Ships (CG11 & 12), I never got to see inside the Missle House. Because Talos had a nuclear shore bombardment capability, there was always an armed Marine guard at the entrence to prevent unauthorized entry. When the Little Rock was opened at the museum, I finally got to see what was inside. If I ever get to that part of the country, it will be a must see.

 

 

[DDGPhalanx]

1 hour ago, CaptnAndy said:

As a former Talos Fire Control Guy, I Had to add this from Wikipedia:

"In the late 1950s she was converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser, which involved removing all her aft six-inch and five-inch guns and rebuilding her aft superstructure to accommodate the Talos missile system. Also, like three other of her sister Cleveland ships converted to missile ships, she was also extensively modified forward to become a flagship. This involved removal of most of her forward armament to allow for a greatly enlarged superstructure. She was recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-4 (and in 1975 redesignated CG-4).

In her new career, she served extensively in the Mediterranean, often as the Sixth Fleet flagship. She decommissioned for the last time in 1976 (after 20 years and 4 months of commissioned service), and is now a museum ship at Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.

Little Rock is the sole surviving member of the Cleveland class."

Although I served from 62 to 65 on 2 different Talos Ships (CG11 & 12), I never got to see inside the Missle House. Because Talos had a nuclear shore bombardment capability, there was always an armed Marine guard at the entrence to prevent unauthorized entry. When the Little Rock was opened at the museum, I finally got to see what was inside. If I ever get to that part of the country, it will be a must see.

 

That's neat. I didn't know she was the last Cleveland. The park is a great way to spend an afternoon. There's also a Gato-class sub, the USS Croaker, but she's pretty difficult to traverse- very tight quarters, I'm 5'9 and I spent the entire time hunched over. All the tour guides are, obviously, prior service- all great folks, too. All three ships are in terrific shape and well-maintained. Definitely recommend it if you get the chance. 

 

Also cool that you were an FC. I was a CIWS tech from '08 to '15. Served on DDG-56 and DDG-61. If it flies, it dies. 

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

13 hours ago, DDGPhalanx said:

Just a little nugget to any salty dogs who like naval history..

 

LCS-9 is undergoing sea trials right now, but currently, she is scheduled to be commissioned sometime in November. 

 

This is significant because she will become the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned alongside a predecessor of the same name. USS Little Rock (CL-92) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser which served immediately following World War II, and until her decommissioning in 1976. She came to Buffalo, New York, in 1979, and has been a museum ship since (in addition to Little Rock, the Buffalo Naval Park also includes the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537)).

 

In addition to being the first ship commissioned alongside her predecessor, she will be the first ship commissioned in Buffalo, New York. 

 

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I couldn't help but notice last time I visited that this particular Cleveland-class light cruiser had twin-rail Talos missile launchers with a magazine large enough to fit a Fletcher belowdecks.. just saying, Cleveland's AA could use a buff in this game 

 

When will this be happening since I have family I often go up to visit in Upstate NY and might be fun to attend the commissioning since I have visited the other 3 ships.

[DDGPhalanx]

3 minutes ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

When will this be happening since I have family I often go up to visit in Upstate NY and might be fun to attend the commissioning since I have visited the other 3 ships.

 

It was supposed to be in September, but it's been pushed back to November tentatively. There's no fixed date yet. My guess is her sea trials had a bit of a hiccup, and there could always be more to push the date back further. 

 

Tickets to the commissioning are free, but you have to register for them in advance (you also have to register every individual separately, so, say, if you wanted your dad and son to come with, you would need to register each of them individually). I would recommend holding off until a firm date is set. If you're interested, the commissioning committee has a newsletter you can sign up for at http://usslittlerocklcs9.org/. 

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

1 hour ago, DDGPhalanx said:

 

It was supposed to be in September, but it's been pushed back to November tentatively. There's no fixed date yet. My guess is her sea trials had a bit of a hiccup, and there could always be more to push the date back further. 

 

Tickets to the commissioning are free, but you have to register for them in advance (you also have to register every individual separately, so, say, if you wanted your dad and son to come with, you would need to register each of them individually). I would recommend holding off until a firm date is set. If you're interested, the commissioning committee has a newsletter you can sign up for at http://usslittlerocklcs9.org/. 

Getting pushed back is good news for me since I potentially will be up there for a while this Fall. Which would likely be October/ November so gives me potential chance of attending