Leyte Gulf (CG 55) - Naval Cruise Book

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and Turkey. LEYTE GULF served as Force Anti-Air Warfare Com- mander during the exercise. LEYTE GULF returned home to May- port, FL, 28 .June 1991. ln the four years since commissioning, LEYTE GULF has earned a Navy Unit Commendation, battle excellence awards in every mis- sion area, the Golden Anchor Award for highest retention in the Atlantic Fleet, the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for excellence in food service fFirst place in 1989, Third place in 1990, First place in 19917, the CNO Surface Ship Safety Award, CNO LAMPS Safety Award fFirst place in 1989, Flunner-up in 19905, and the Chief of Naval Personnel Quality of Life Award for 1990. For their actions during Operation Desert Storm, over 150 LEYTE GULF crewmembers received individual awards. Additionally, 100 percent of the Chief Petty Officers earned the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification along with 80 other crewmen, who qualified during the first six months of 1991.

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LEYT USS LEYTE GULF QCG 551 is the ninth AEGIS class guided missile cruiser. In ad- dition to the sophisticated AEGIS Com- bat System, LEYTE GULF is the first At- lantic Fleet cruiser to be equipped with the towed array sonar, a sensitive anti- submarine sonar streamed from the stern. The ship's keel was laid 1 March 1985 at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississip- pi, and christened LEYTE GULF on 11 October 1986 by Mrs. Jane Hays, wife of then Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command, Admiral Ronald J. Hays. One year later, 26 September 1987, Admiral Hays placed USS LEYTE GULF into com- missioned service during ceremonies in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During the next several months Ameri- ca's Battle Cruiser tested the entire combat system in the Caribbean, high- lighted by several live missile and torpedo firings and final certification of the ship's combat system. ln March of 1988, LEYTE GULF was cho- sen as the test platform for the Navy's latest version of the Standard surface-to- air missile, the SM2 Block Ill. The ship conducted numerous successful test-fir- ings in the Caribbean. LEYTE GULF com- pleted the testing in July, conclusively proving the viability of the new missile. ln August 1988, only eleven months after commissioning, LEYTE GULF took her firepower to sea in her first battle group exercise, TEAMWORK '88. The exercise was conducted in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Fjords and took LEYTE GULF north of the Arctic Circle. From January to June 1989, LEYTE GULF deployed to the Mediterranean to serve as Anti-Air Warfare Commander for Battle Force Sixth Fleet. This maiden de- ployment marked a number of other firsts. LEYTE GULF was the first ship equipped with the vertical launching sys- tem to deploy to the Mediterranean. She was also the first Atlantic Fleet AEGIS Cruiser to deploy with the toward array sonar and the LAMPS Mark lll helicopter. LEYTE GULF completed two Towed Ar- ray Proficiency Training periods in No- vember 1989 and January 1990. From February to April 1990 the ship complet- ed a Selected Restrictive Availability which included several upgrades to the E GULF HISTORY engineering plant and combat system. ln May, following an ammunition onload in Charleston, LEYTE GULF served as flag- ship for RADM Nick Gee, COMCRUDES- GRU EIGHT for a US!German Navy mis- sile exercise in the Caribbean. During June, Rear Admiral David Frost, Commander Carrier Group EIGHT, em- barked in LEYTE GULF for Basic FLEE- TEX conducted near Puerto Rico, the first workup in preparation for the upcoming deployment. USS LEYTE GULF conducted special combat system tests throughout the month of August in company with its sis- ter ship, USS SAN JACINTO. Testing oc- curred off the coast of Virginia. Later that same year in November, LEYTE GULF completed an Advanced FLEETEX, serv- ing as Anti-Air Warfare Commander for the THEODORE ROOSEVELT battle group. America's Battle Cruiser was formally adopted' by the Broward County Navy League during ceremonies in Fort Lauder- dale on December 1st. This adoption cer- emony cemented the bond between the ship and this group of strong navy sup- porters that began during the commis- sioning process. LEYTE GULF departed on deployment 28 December 1990 enroute to the Persian Gulf and participation in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After complet- ing the southern transit of the Suez Canal, LEYTE GULF and THEODORE ROOSE- VELT sprinted ahead at top speed for several days arriving in the Persian Gulf January 19th. During the war, LEYTE GULF launched Tomahawk cruise mis- siles against lraq and served as local Anti- Air Warfare Commander for a four aircraft carrier battle force. Following the UN cease fire with Iraq, LEYTE GULF moved from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea in March to partici- pate in Maritime Interception Force oper- ations. The ship boarded and inspected 19 vessels enroute from and to Aqaba, Jordan. In May LEYTE GULF moved back into the Mediterranean Sea to participate in Exer- cise Dragon Hammer '91. The air, land and sea exercise included forces from Ita- ly, Spain, France, Great Britain, Greece

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THE ADVENTURE BEGINS On a cold December 28, 1990, after be- ing delayed by dense fog, USS LEYTE GULF departed Mayport embarking on a most exciting and memorable deploy- ment. Political tensions were high follow- ing lraq's invasion of Kuwait and United Nations military build-up in the area to oppose Saddam Hussein. There were mixed emotions among the crew as we left loved ones on the pier, but by the 29th the great gray machine known as LEYTE GULF worked as a single cohesive team fine tuning combat skills and effec- tiveness so if the time came we would be ready! 6