Yorktown (CG 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY 1781 Late in the summer of 1781, an army of 7,500 British soldiers under the command of General Lord Cornwallis invaded Virginia from the south. British raiding parties burned farms and pillaged towns and villages for several months. But in October, Corn- wallis met his match. American and French troops, led by Generals Washington, Lafayette and Rocham- beau, trapped the British on the coastal plain between the York and James Rivers--in a village called the British encampment. And after bad weather prevented a desperate attempt to escape by boat across the York River to GIOUCGSYCF, the British accepted defeat. Outnum- bered two to one, and running low on food, water and ammun1t1OI1. Cornwallis sent a message Of Sur' render. On October 19, more than 7,000 British troops marched out of Yorktown, laying down their arms-and with them, the British will to fight. The surrender at Yorktown, while not supported by treaty until 1783, marked the end of major hostilities and-proclaimed to the world that America had won her freedom and independence.. The Village of Yorktown, first established as the Town of York in Yorktown. 1691, now serves as the center of The allied armies laid seige to government for York County. :lx I - Q - . ', N ' yf X . I I ni ..,. Mx A m I 1- A U ' U I 1 yi i. Xxx .A N X l .,1- -ji K W W HN W pw iff ,, N I 4 ,ay vi . - 1 --- 'U' 1' i f'e-'ZQ'f-532 l .....,.. . .-Pr--1 1. 4 1' , ' , , . qi 1 . . A - -9--fu...-- 1- . . if- ' Je- , an 1840 1889 1937 1943 Christening the cruiser YORK- TOWN CCG 485 continues the proud heritage of four previous Navy combatants in commemo- rating this decisive battle. The first ship was a sloop-of- war commissioned in 1840. From 1840 to 1843 and from 1848 to 1850, she ranged up and down the western coast of Africa in efforts to curtail the slave trade. During her second deployment with the African Squadron, YORKTOWN hit an uncharted reef off the Cape Verde Islands and sank on Septem- ber6, 1850. 'Die second YORKTOWN was a steel-hulled gunboat delivered to the Navy in 1889 by the William Cramp and Sons shipyard in Phila- delphia, Pa. The gunboat displaced 1,910 tons, and had a length of 244 feet. The ship operated with the Pacific Fleet, and saw duty through- out the region before being decom- missioned and sold in September 1921. Perhaps the highpoint of the gunboat's 30 years of illustrious Fleet service came in September 1892, when a bright and creative young naval officer, Lt. Bradley Fiske, completed the first success- ful test of his newly-invented tele- scopic gunsight. As would be later written in the Naval lnstitute's Proceedings, modern naval gun- nery had its birth not in the British Navy, but in the American-off Unalaska on 22 September, 1892, aboard YORKTOWN. An aircraft carrier CCV 55 was the third ship to carry the proud name YORKTOWN to sea. Sponsored by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and commissioned in 1937, she saw her first Fleet action in the Atlantic Fleet, assigned to help counter German U-Boat operations against allied shipping. After Pearl Harbor, she saw ex- tensive duty in the Pacific Fleet. As the centerpiece of Task Force 17, .CV 5 participated in raids against Japanese strongholds in the Gilbert Islands early in 1942. In what would be her first battle, YORKTOWN launched her bomb- ers and torpedo planes for attacks HQHIHSY the Japanese carrier Soryu onJ une 4, then launched her fight- ers to fend off the waves of attack- mg Japanese planes which sought to destroy YORKTOWN's task force. In the first attack, CV 5 was hit by three 1000 pound bombs, DUUH8 a second attack, she was hit by two torpedoes, and was mortally wounded When an eve inqcreasing list reached 26 degreesr s e was ordered abandoned, and On the morning of June 7, the valiant flattop rolled over on The keel for what would become the fourth YORKTOWN CCV 105 was actually laid down on Decem- ber 1, 1941 as BON HOMME RICHARD. The ship was renamed YORKTOWN in September 1942. in honor of the valiant CV 5. ONCE again, First Lady Mrs. El6HH0f Roosevelt sponsored an aircrafg carrier named YORKTOWN' alll the ship joined the Fleet in Aprl 1943. di CV 10 continued the great tra tion of CV 5 in campaigns thmui the Pacific Theater. And after the Japanese surrender 111 1945- ihg entered Tokyo BHY to aid in In rescue of American POW Stitas 1955, her flight deck was reblill ,et an angled deck to .increase exft launching capabilities. Affef fare as an antisubmarme Wal' aw CASWD carrier in 1957, Shegag. duty with the Pacific leet HZV 10 ship of Carrier Division 19570 and was decommissioned IH 19 I now serves as a Navy Patriots Point, S.C. com. cv 5 and cv 10 earned apresi. bined 14 battle stars and one ,vice dential Unit Citation for SEV10 during WW Il and Vietnam- for served as the filming platfofllghip two movies, and as a I'6C0Very for the Apollo 8 astronautS- vi ff.

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S YMBOLI SM SHUELD The annulet and gold cross allude to a telescopic gunsight and recognize the birth of modern naval gunnery in the second YORK TO WN with the first successful test ofa telescopic gunsight in 1892. The gold arrowheads resemble flight symbols, and refer to the role played by the third and fourth YORK TO WN in World War Has aircraft carriers. The arrowheads also refer to missiles, and with the annulet, symbolize the evolution of the modern sophisticated AEGIS combat system which incorporates offspring of that first telescopic gunsight. The arrowheads radiate in all directions indicating the multifaceted striking ability of the AEGIS cruiser. The red shield indicates the wartime service of the previous YORK TO WN S. There are nineteen stars on the blue border for the nineteen battle stars of the previous YORK TO WN S. The red, white and blue are the national colors while the gold of the arrowheads and cross denote excellence. CREST The crest typijies the essence of the YORK TOWN heritage and spirit. The red chevron rompu symbolizes the successful seige of Cornwallis' troops at the Battle of Hnrktown. The Grown symbolizes the courage, daring endurance, alertness, and ability proven by General Washington at the Battle of Yorktown and by the performance of the four previous YORK TO WNS,' a spirit and heritage that will be borne proudly by the newest, USS YORK TOWN KCC 482.