Truxtun (CGN 35) - Naval Cruise Book

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Commodore Thomas ruxtun 4 COMO TRUXTUN 1 I 1 1 Thomas Truxtun was born on February 17, 1755, near Hempsted, Long Island, New York. At age 12 he embarked on a seafaring career, sailing in the London Trade. At the age of 16 he was impressed into the Royal Navy. His com- manding officer observed the lad,s natural abilities, and of- fered him aid in securing a midshipman's commission. Trux- tun declined, and after obtaining his release, returned to the mercantile service. Truxtun's first command, at age 20, was the ANDREW CALDWELL. In 1775 he delivered great quantities of gun powder to Philadelphia. However, later that year, his ship was captured in the West Indies by British privateers. As a result, Truxtun's next five commands CCONGRESS, INDEPENDENCE, MARS, COMMERCE, and ST. JAMESJ were privateers themselves. He captured many prizes, and at a dinner in his honor, George Washington stat- ed, that Truxtun's services had been worth a regiment. Following the Revolutionary War, Truxtun returned to the mercantile trade, where his ship, CANTON, was the first American ship to enter the China trade. When the U.S. Navy was organized he was one of the first six captains to be select- ed. At the threat of war with France, his ship was one of the first to put to sea. In February 1799, Truxtun won the first of his famous victories when he encountered the French frig- ate UINSURGENT. After hours of fighting, the French ship was battered into submission. Almost nine months later he engaged the heavier armed, French frigate LAVEN- GENCE, and after five hours of fighting, the French shipls guns fell silent. Following the war, Truxtun was appointed to command a squadron, but through a misunderstanding in Washington, his unintended resignation was accepted. He later entered politics and died in Philadelphia, where he is buried at Christ Church.

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THE HISTORY OF CGN-35 The USS TRUXTUN was originally designated DLGN-35, and is the fifth ship to be named after Commo- dore Thomas Truxtun. Commissioning took place on May 27, 1967, on the eastern bank of the Delaware River in New Jersey. She was then transferred to Long, Beach, Calif. TRUXTUN departed on her first WestPac in January 1968, where she operated with USS ENTERPRISE off the coast of Vietnam. There, she conducted search and rescue mis- sions, and acted as a Positive Identification Radar Zone CPIRAZJ ship. She returned to Long Beach in July, and de- parted on her second WestPac in September 1969. TRUX- TUN again found herself off the coast of Vietnam. She re- turned to Long Beach in March 1970, but departed for her third tour off Vietnam in February 1971. After being relieved on station, TRUXTUN steamed over 8,600 miles at an aver- age speed of 28 knots, setting the record for the longest sus- tained high speed run in history. She returned to Long Beach in August 1971, where she entered the shipyard and was fit- ted for Light Airborne Multipurpose System CLAMPSJ heli- copter capability. In July 1972, TRUXTUN resumed her tour off the coast of Vietnam, earning the prestigious Navy Unit Commendation. She arrived home in Long Beach in February 1973. August marked the beginning of TRUX- TUN's fifth WestPac, and tour of duty off Vietnam. After a relatively uneventful deployment, she returned home on Christmas Eve 1973. In January of 1974, TRUXTUN de- parted Long Beach for Bremerton Washington, where she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for her first complex overhaul. During this time she refueled both nuclear reactors and replaced the two 3 guns amidship with two Harpoon Missile Launchers. In July 1975, TRUXTUN was reclassi- fied as a guided missile cruiser, and designated CGN- 35. The following month she left for her new home port of San Diego, Calif. She commenced her next WestPac in July 1976, where she operated with the USS ENTERPRISE and USS LONG BEACH as part of a Nuclear Task Force. She steamed a record setting 65,000 miles, crossing the equator six times. TRUXTUN returned to San Diego in March 1977, beginning a year of local operations. She started her seventh WestPac in April 1978, where she set a fleet record for LAMPS helo operations before returning to San Diego in September. In February of 1980 TRUXTUN was again un- der way with the USS CONSTELLATION. During this period TRUXTUN conducted six rescue operations. After returning to San Diego in October, she conducted local op- erations off the California coast. One year later in October 1981, TRUXTUN began her ninth- WestPac, again with the USS CONSTELLATION. She returned to San Diego in April 1982. In September 1982, TRUXTUN began her sec- ond complex overhaul in Bremerton, Washington. The astern torpedo tubes were removed, and two Vulcan-Phalanx Close- in-Weapons Systems gun mounts were installed. TRUX- TUN returned to San Diego in July 1984, where she conduct- ed local operations. During June to August 1985, TRUX- TUN served as the flagship of COMCRUDESGRU3 for ASW OPS 85-6 in the northern Pacific which provided valu- able information for similar operations in the years to come. 3

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Qfficers and Crew USS T ruxtun CGN-35