page_title: USS Princeton (CG-59)
section_title: Mine strike
hierarchical_section_title: USS Princeton (CG-59) / Operational history / Mine strike
caption_attribution_description: A close-up view of a crack in the hull of the Aegis-guided missile cruiser USS PRINCETON (CG-59), part of the damage sustained when the vessel struck an Iraqi mine while on patrol in the Persian Gulf on February 18th in support of Operation Desert Storm. The incident resulted in the injury of three crew members and also inflicted propeller damage on the ship, however, the Princeton was still able to navigate and operate its weapons systems.
context_page_description: USS Princeton (CG-59) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She was previously home to two SH-60B LAMPS Mk III Seahawk helicopters and now carries a pair of the MH-60R version of the Seahawk. This warship is named for the Revolutionary War victories over the British by George Washington in and around the town of Princeton, New Jersey.
  Princeton was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.
context_section_description: On the morning of 18 February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Princeton was patrolling 28 nautical miles (52 km) off Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf, on the west side of the decoy United States Marine Corps and naval invasion forces afloat. At exactly 7:15 AM local time two Italian-made MN103 Manta bottom-mounted influence mines detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, the second explosion most likely being a sympathetic detonation caused by the first. The blasts cracked the superstructure, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Three crewmembers were injured, one seriously. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.
  At great peril, the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabaskan moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged Princeton, which remained on station for 31 hours until she was relieved. Princeton's commanding officer, Captain Edward Hontz, specifically requested the assistance of Athabaskan despite the latter not originally assigned to the area. Unlike most ships of her size, Athabaskan could simultaneously operate two large CH-124 Sea King helicopters, which could search out mines for long periods. As a gesture of solidarity, Athabaskan winched over several cases of beer for the crew of Princeton, since United States Navy vessels were dry.
  Princeton, which suffered from a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided through the minefield by the minesweeper Adroit. Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of Jebel Ali near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender Acadia, and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, Princeton returned to the United States under the ship's power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.
  Captain Edward Hontz turned over command to Captain J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia.
  When the U.S. Naval Base in Long Beach was closed due to BRAC action, the home port of Princeton was moved to the Naval Base San Diego. Princeton was overhauled from 1999–2000 in San Diego, California. In 2003, the ship was assigned to Carrier Strike Group Three.
caption: A hull crack caused by the mine that detonated underneath Princeton.
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