USS Texas ( CGN - 39 ) USS " Texas " ( DLGN / CGN - 39 ) was the second " Virginia " - class nuclear guided missile cruiser . She was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of Texas . Construction . " Texas " ' keel was laid down on 18 August 1973 , at Newport News , Virginia , by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company . She was initially designated a guided missile destroyer leader , but was reclassified as a guided missile cruiser and given the hull classification symbol CGN - 39 on 30 June 1975 . She was launched on 9 August 1975 , sponsored by Mrs . Dolph Briscoe , wife of the Governor of Texas , and commissioned on 10 September 1977 , with Captain Peter B . Fiedler in command . History . Following a nine - week test of the ship ' s combat systems , " Texas " loaded weapons at the Yorktown Naval Weapons station in October and underwent refresher training out of Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , in November . " Texas " spent the first three months of 1978 conducting at - sea evaluation of her propulsion and weapons systems off the Virginia Capes and in the Caribbean . On 28 March , she transited to her building yard at Newport News to commence a Post Shakedown Availability ( PSA ) which was completed on 31 July . The remainder of 1978 was spent in individual ship exercises off the east coast and Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico , interspersed with periods in " Texas " ' home port of Norfolk , Virginia . The maiden deployment of the " Texas " was with the Battle Group in the Mediterranean and North Arabian Sea during the Iranian hostage crisis in support of Operation Eagle Claw . She also served as Flagship for Commander , Cruiser - Destroyer Group One . In 1980 - 81 , during a maintenance period she received two 4 - cell Harpoon anti - ship missile batteries and two CIWS gun mounts for anti - missile defense . The second deployment of the ship was once again with the " Nimitz " Battle Group operating in the Mediterranean Sea followed . During this period , " Texas " saw combat for the first time , as she responded to Libyan aggression in the Gulf of Sidra . " Texas " ' third deployment was with the Battle Group , and included an around - the - world cruise which allowed her to visit every inhabited continent except South America and to sail all the oceans except the Arctic . The world cruise also included a change of homeport to San Diego , from Norfolk , Virginia . " Texas " spent the first part of the following year operating in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea before returning to San Diego . She then began to make preparations for a homeport change to Bremerton , Washington , for a Complex Overhaul . She entered dry - dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in September , and remained there until April 1987 . The overhaul lasted until April 1987 , and included the installation of the Tomahawk missile system . Following a homeport change to Alameda , California , " Texas " deployed with the " Carl Vinson " Battle Group for Westpac 1988 as the Anti - Air Warfare Commander . This fourth major deployment included port visits to Singapore , Subic Bay , Hawaii , Thailand , Hong Kong and Kenya . In 1989 , the " Texas " conducted local operations and a short overhaul at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco . By the end of the year , she was back at sea on counter - narcotics operations off the coast of South America . In February 1991 , " Texas " began her sixth deployment , en route to the Arabian Sea . She served valiantly during Operation Desert Storm as the ship for the anti - air warfare commander of the " Nimitz " Battle Group . Additionally , she served as a mother - ship for minesweeping operations off the coast of Kuwait , providing valuable logistic support for several minesweepers . She returned to San Francisco in August of that year . In April 1992 , " Texas " returned to sea and conducted a second counter - narcotics mission that included visits to Ecuador and Panama . Early Decommissioning . " Texas " was half way thru her mid - life refueling and New Threat Upgrade overhaul and work was just beginning to install new reactor cores in early May 1993 , when the decision was made to cancel the work on her and also the planned refueling of her Virginia - class sister - ships . " Texas " was placed in reserve commission on 31 May 1993 , then decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 July 1993 after just 15 years of service . " Texas " entered the nuclear Ship - Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 1 October 1999 . Ship ' s Crest . The official crest of the USS " Texas " CGN 39 was designed by Martha Bell , a freelance graphic designer and a Texan . The colors — red , white , and blue — represent the state flag of Texas . The anchor and the fouled line symbolize the Navy , while the Lone Star signifies the state of Texas . The atoms and orbits within the Lone Star represent the nuclear power characteristics of the ship . The three stars at the bottom represent the past United States ships named " Texas " . The motto , " Proud Heritage , Proud Purpose " , refers to the history and legacy of those ships , and their purpose : defense of the United States .