USS Vincennes ( CG - 49 ) The USS " Vincennes " ( CG - 49 ) was a " Ticonderoga " - class Aegis guided missile cruiser in service with the United States Navy from July 1985 to June 2005 . Decommissioned in 2005 , " Vincennes " was sold for scrapping to International Shipbreaking in July 2010 , and finished scrapping by the end of November 2011 . " Vincennes " is best known for shooting down an Iranian civilian passenger jetliner , Iran Air Flight 655 , over the Persian Gulf on 3 July 1988 , killing all 290 civilians on board ( including 38 non - Iranians and 66 children ) , sparking an international incident between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America . History . 1980s . " Vincennes " was launched on 14 April 1984 and sponsored by Marilyn Quayle , wife of Indiana Senator Dan Quayle . " Vincennes " was named for the Battle of Vincennes during the American Revolutionary War , while the previous " Vincennes " heavy cruiser and " Vincennes " light cruiser were named for the city of Vincennes , Indiana . She was commissioned at Pascagoula 6 July 1985 , Captain George N . Gee in command . The ship normally carried guided missiles , rapid - fire cannons , and two Seahawk LAMPS helicopters for anti - submarine and anti - ship warfare , personnel transfers , and other purposes . " Vincennes " was the first of the " Ticonderoga " class cruisers to enter the Pacific Fleet . Upon commissioning in 1985 , " Vincennes " helped test the SM - 2 Block II surface - to - air missile . In May 1986 , " Vincennes " participated in the multinational exercise RIMPAC 86 , coordinating the anti - aircraft warfare efforts of two aircraft carrier s and more than 40 ships from five nations . The " Vincennes " was deployed in August 1986 to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans . The ship served as anti - air warfare commander with the " Carl Vinson " and " New Jersey " battle groups , operated with the Japan Maritime Self - Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy , and steamed more than 46 , 000 miles ( 74 , 000 km ) in waters from the Bering Sea to the Indian Ocean . Iran - Iraq War . During the Iran - Iraq War the United States took active measures in the Persian Gulf to protect shipping , mainly oil tankers , that were being threatened by both countries . Operation Earnest Will . On 14 April 1988 , the guided missile frigate hit a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will . Six days later , " Vincennes " was re - deployed from Fleet Exercise 88 - 1 , sent back to San Diego , California and told to prepare for a six - month deployment . The reason for the haste : Navy leaders decided that they needed an Aegis ship to protect the exit of the damaged " Roberts " through the Strait of Hormuz . One month later , the cruiser entered the Persian Gulf , and in early July , stood guard in the Strait as the damaged frigate was borne out on the Mighty Servant 2 heavy - lift ship . The ship made 14 Hormuz transits during its Earnest Will operations . Iran Air Flight 655 tragedy . On 3 July 1988 , " Vincennes " , under the command of Captain Will Rogers III , fired two radar - guided missiles and shot down an Iran Air Airbus A300 civilian airliner over Iranian airspace in the Strait of Hormuz , killing all 290 passengers and crew on board . According to Captain Rogers , they were being attacked by eight Iranian gun boats . " Vincennes " was defending itself from this attack when the plane was shot at with two Standard missiles . Crucially , the " Vincennes " misidentified the Iranian Airbus as an attacking F - 14 Tomcat fighter aircraft . A radio warning had been sent to the aircraft on the international air distress frequency . CNN showed video from the area where they found plane wreckage , 25 miles away from the location that " Vincennes " fired the two Standard missiles . Also noted from CNNs video footage was the lack of other floating debris such as luggage , airplane seat cushions and clothing on the victims seeing that all bodies recovered were bloated and floating hours after they passed . The Iranian government has maintained that the " Vincennes " knowingly shot down the civilian aircraft . Iran Air flight IR655 flew every day out of Bandar Abbas — a civil as well as military airport — on a scheduled passenger flight to Dubai using established air lanes . The Italian navy and another US warship , the frigate " Sides " , confirmed that the plane was climbing — not diving to attack — at the time of the missile strike . The U . S . radio warnings were only broadcast on 121 . 5 MHz , not air traffic control frequencies and mistakenly identified the altitude and position of the plane , so the Airbus crew , if they were monitoring " guard , " could have misinterpreted the warnings as referring to another aircraft . Captain David Carlson of the " Sides " later said that the destruction of the airliner " marked the horrifying climax to Rogers ' aggressiveness " . 1990s . In February 1990 , " Vincennes " was deployed on a third six - month tour of the western Pacific and Indian oceans , with SH - 60 helicopters from HSL - 45 Detachment 13 . The ship coordinated all battle group air events and served as the command - and - control flagship during Harpoon - Ex - 90 . In July 1990 , " Vincennes " returned home after steaming nearly 100 , 000 miles ( 160 , 000 km ) . In August 1991 , " Vincennes " departed for a fourth western Pacific deployment . Steaming with " Independence " , " Vincennes " performed duties as the anti - air warfare commander for Battle Group Delta until detaching to participate as the United States representative in MERCUBEX 91 , a joint United States and Republic of Singapore Navy exercise . Over the next three months , " Vincennes " participated in the bilateral exercise Valiant Blitz with the South Korean Navy , the bilateral exercise Annualex 03G with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force , and ASWEX 92 - 1K with the South Korean Navy before reaching Hong Kong to act as the U . S . representative for the Navy Days ceremonies . " Vincennes " returned from deployment on 21 December 1991 . In June 1994 , " Vincennes " departed on a fifth western Pacific deployment with the " Kitty Hawk " Battle Group . " Vincennes " performed duties as anti - air warfare commander for the battle group . During deployment , " Vincennes " conducted an anti - submarine exercise , PASSEX 94 - 2 , with the Japan Maritime Self - Defense Force , the bilateral exercise MERCUB 94 - 2 , a joint U . S . and Singaporean Navy exercise of the Malaysian peninsula , the bilateral exercise Keen Edge , with the Japan Maritime Self - Defense Force , and Tandem Thrust , a larger - scale joint exercise which " Vincennes " participated as the area air defense coordinator for the entire joint operating area . " Vincennes " returned from this deployment on 22 December 1994 . In August 1997 , " Vincennes " changed homeport from San Diego to Yokosuka , Japan , then steamed to the South Pacific and took part in Exercise Valiant Usher 98 - 1 with the " Belleau Wood " amphibious ready group and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS " Perth " . The combined exercise took place near Townsend Island , Australia . " Vincennes " also took part in the U . S . Seventh Fleet ' s Fleet Battle Experiment Delta ( FBE - D ) from 24 October 1998 , to 2 November 1998 , in conjunction with the exercise , Foal Eagle , a regularly scheduled exercise that simulates the military defense of South Korea . Sponsored by the Navy Warfare Development Command , FBE - D was the fourth in a series of experiments that tested new combat systems and procedures at sea . 2000s . On 12 August 2000 , " Vincennes " completed Sharem 134 , a bilateral exercise with several Japanese ships and other U . S . participants . The exercise included a week of undersea warfare training and data collection in the South China Sea . The ship tested its submarine detection , sonar range testing , and sonobuoy employment and developed new submarine prosecution procedures . The final Sharem events included a " freeplay " , which allowed the cruiser to detect and prosecute other submarines , combining many of the tactics and systems tested during Sharem . In mid - November 2000 , the cruiser fired missile batteries at remote - controlled aerial drones provided by Fleet Activities Okinawa during MISSILEX 01 - 1 . On 23 March 2001 , " Vincennes " , as part of the " Kitty Hawk " Battle Group , cruised into Changi Naval Base , the first time a U . S . carrier had moored pierside in Singapore . " Vincennes " took part in a 23 August 2001 to 27 August 2001 , military training exercise called Multi - Sail , which was designed to provide U . S . and Japanese forces interoperability training in multiple warfare areas . " Vincennes " departed from Yokosuka on 17 September 2001 , to conduct operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . The ship returned on 18 December 2001 after more than three months at sea . In March 2003 " Vincennes " was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 . Decommissioning . " Vincennes " was decommissioned on 29 June 2005 at San Diego , California and was stricken later that day . She was mothballed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Naval Base Kitsap , in Bremerton , Washington . In 2008 , " Vincennes " was slated for scrapping within the next five years along with her sister ships " Thomas S . Gates " and " Yorktown " . On 9 July 2010 , a contract to scrap " Vincennes " was issued to International Shipbreaking , Brownsville , Tx . On 21 November 2010 , " Vincennes " arrived via the Panama Canal to International Shipbreaking in Brownsville , Texas , and was completely scrapped by 23 November 2011 . Awards and decorations . " Vincennes " has been awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation , the Battle Efficiency " E " three times , the Combat Action Ribbon , the National Defense Service Medal , and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four stars .