Virginia - class cruiser The " Virginia " - class nuclear guided - missile cruisers , also known as the CGN - 38 - class , were a series of four double - ended ( with armament carried both fore and aft ) guided - missile cruiser s commissioned in the late 1970s , which served in the United States Navy until the mid - to - late 1990s . With their nuclear powerplants , and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods of time , these were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear - powered aircraft carriers , such as the " Nimitz " - class . Their main mission was as air - defense ships , though they did have capabilities as anti - submarine ( ASW ) ships , surface - to - surface warfare ( SSW ) ships , and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets . Class description . The ships were derived from the earlier " California " class nuclear cruiser ( CGN - 36 class ) . They were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s " peace dividend " after the Cold War ended . A fifth warship , the CGN - 42 , was canceled before being named or laid down . It was found that , while it was possible to mass - produce nuclear - powered warships , the ships were less cost - efficient than conventionally powered warships and the new gas - turbine - powered ships then entering the fleet - ( the " Spruance " class destroyer s ) - required much less manpower . Following the end of production of this class , the U . S . Navy continued conventional destroyer / cruiser production , and it redesignated the DDG - 47 class of guided missile destroyers as the CG - 47 " Ticonderoga " class cruiser s . Three of the four " Virginia " - class ships were authorized as guided missile frigates ( in the pre - 1975 definition ) , and they were redesignated as cruisers either before commissioning or before their launching . The last warship , the USS " Arkansas " , was authorized , laid down , launched , and commissioned as a guided - missile cruiser . Early decommissioning . The early retirement of the " Virginia " class cruisers has been criticized by some . They were new , modern ships ; given a New Threat Upgrade electronics overhaul , they would have been well - suited to modern threats . They had rapid - fire Mk 26 launchers that could fire the powerful Standard SM - 2MR medium - range surface - to - air missile - earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower - firing Mk - 10 launchers , which required manual fitting of the missiles ' fins prior to launch . Nevertheless , the CGN - 38 - class cruisers , with their missile magazines and Mk - 26 missile launchers , were incapable of carrying the SM - 2ER long - range surface - to - air missile , being restricted to the SM - 2MR medium - range surface - to - air missile . This was a significant limitation in their capabilities . Another weakness was the loss of LAMPS helicopter s , due to the installation of Tomahawk cruise missile launchers . In the end , what really doomed the " Virginia " nuclear - powered cruisers was economics . They were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings , mid - life overhauls , and NTU refittings , which were all expensive projects , together costing about half the price of a new ship . Further , they required relatively large crews , straining Navy personnel resources . The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs ( VAMOSC ) study determined the annual operating cost of a " Virginia " class cruiser at $ 40 million , compared to $ 28 million for a " Ticonderoga " class cruiser , or $ 20 million for an " Arleigh Burke " class destroyer , the latter two classes designed with the much more capable Aegis Combat System . Given a lower requirement for cruisers , it was decided to retire ( this decision was made while " Texas " was in the middle of her refueling overhaul ) these nuclear ships as a money - saving measure . The early " Ticonderoga " class cruisers which lacked the Vertical Launch System had equally short careers , serving between 18 and 21 years .