USS Princeton ( CG - 59 ) 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 also is the home of two " Seahawk " LAMPS III helicopters . 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 . Operational history . The ship ' s first commander was Captain Ted Hontz , who took command at the commissioning ceremony on 11 February 1989 in the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula , Mississippi . After traveling through the Panama Canal , the " Princeton " was home - ported at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard , California . Vladivostok port visit . In 1990 , the " Princeton " served as the flagship for the first US Navy visit to the Soviet Union ' s Pacific port of Vladivostok since before World War II . She sailed with the . Before the visit was completed , the crew received word that their Pacific cruise was canceled . They returned to Long Beach and joined the Battle Group preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf . Mine strike . On the morning of 18 February 1991 , during Operation Desert Storm , " Princeton " was patrolling off Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf , on the west side of the decoy U . S . Marine and naval invasion forces afloat . 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 , most likely a sympathetic detonation caused by the first explosion . 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 . BM3 Ford was seriously injured , along with two other shipmates who sustained minor injuries . Despite the severe damage , the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes . At great peril , the Canadian warship moved north through the minefield to deliver damage - control supplies to the severely damaged " Princeton " , which remained on station for 30 hours until she was relieved . The crippled ship , with a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder , was guided from the minefield by the minesweeper . Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain , and then in the port of Jebel Ali near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender , and finally in a Dubai drydock . After eight weeks , the " Princeton " returned to the United States under the ship ' s own power for additional repairs . The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon . " Princeton " was greeted in Long Beach , California , by a throng of Navy family members , City of Long Beach officials , and the Los Angeles Lakers " Laker Girls " cheerleaders . Captain Hontz turned over command to Captain J . Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren , Virginia . While stationed at Long Beach , " Princeton " was moored at Pier 7 alongside her sister ship and the battleship . When the U . S . Naval Base in Long Beach was closed , the home port of the " Princeton " was moved to the San Diego Naval Base . " Princeton " was overhauled from 1999 - 2000 in San Diego , California . In 2003 , the ship was assigned to Carrier Group Three . " Hamid " rescue . On 21 July 2005 , " Princeton " responded to a radio call from an Iranian dhow , named " Hamid " , that was dead in the water and in need of engineering assistance . A rescue and assistance team was dispatched to the " Hamid " where it was determined that the engine would not start due to corroded batteries that were low on power . The batteries were removed and brought back to " Princeton " for maintenance , cleaning and recharging . The " Princeton " rescue team was able to restore the power onboard " Hamid " , restart the engines , and then provide minor medical assistance and fresh water to the dhow ' s crew . Man overboard incident . In 2005 , the warship was acting as an escort for Carrier Strike Group Eleven , led by " Nimitz " , and was featured in the documentary " Carrier " . While in the Persian Gulf on the night of 12 September 2005 , or the early morning of 13 September , during the filming of the documentary , Seaman Apprentice Robert D . Macrum , 22 , of Sugar Land , Texas , fell overboard . Despite a search lasting over five days , and covering a area , Seaman Macrum was not found . Magellan Star . In September 2010 , " Princeton " was involved in the rescue of the hostages aboard the pirated MV " Magellan Star " in the Gulf of Aden .