Virginia-class Guided Missile Cruiser

The Virginia-class Nuclear Guided-Missile Cruisers, also known as the CGN-38-class, was a series of four double-ended (with armament carried both fore and aft) guided-missile cruisers commissioned in the late 1970s, which served in the United States Navy until the mid-to-late 2000s. With their nuclear power plants, 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. There was also a proposed variant to be fitted with the AEGIS Combat System.
==Specifications==
===Original Configuration===
*Type: Nuclear powered Guided Missile Cruiser (Hull designation symbol CGN)
*Service Period: 1976-2008
*Characteristics
**Length: 586 feet (178.61 meters)
**Beam: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
**Draft: 32 feet (9.76 meters)
**Displacement: 10,663 tons (Standard); 11,666 tons (Full Load)
*Crew: 579 (39 officers and 540 enlisted)
*Propulsion: 2 x General Electric D2G nuclear reactors, 2 x shafts, 60,000 shp
*Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h)
*Sensor Suite
**AN/SPQ-9A gun fire control radar
**AN/SQS-26 Bow mounted sonar
**AN/SPS-48E 3-D Air search radar
**AN/SPS-49 2-D Air search radar
**AN/SPG-51 Missile fire control radar
**AN/SPS-55 surface search radar
**AN/SPG-60 fire control radar
*Countermeasures
**AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasures suite
**AN/SLQ-32(V)3 Electronic Warfare Suite
**AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Buoy Decoy System
**Mk.36 SBROC
**NATO SeaGnat Decoy System
*Aramament
**2 x 5"/54-caliber Mk.45 Mod 2 lightweight naval gun
**2 x Mk.26 twin arm missile launchers
**2 x Mk.141 Harpoon missile launchers
**2 x Mk.143 Armoured Box Launchers
**2 x 12.75" Mk.32 triple fire torpedo tubes
**2 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS
*Aircraft Carried: 1 x Kaman SH-2F Seasprite
===AEGIS equipped configuration===
*Type: Nuclear powered Guided Missile Cruiser (Hull designation symbol CGN)
*Service Period: Never built
*Characteristics
**Length: 586 feet (178.61 meters)
**Beam: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
**Draft: 32 feet (9.76 meters)
**Displacement: 10,663 tons (Standard); 12,100 tons (Full Load)
*Crew: 579 (39 officers and 540 enlisted)
*Propulsion: 2 x General Electric D3G nuclear reactors, 2 x shafts, 80,000 shp
*Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h)
*Sensor Suite:
**AN/SPY-1 Air Search Radar
**AN/SPS-49 2D Air Search Radar
**AN/SPS-73 Surface Search Radar
**AN/SPQ-9B Fire Control Radar
**AN/SPG-62 Fire Control Radar
**AN/SQQ-89(V)1 Sonar Suite
*Countermeasures:
**AN/SLQ-25C Nixie torpedo countermeasures suite
**AN/SLQ-32(V)3 Electronic Warfare Suite
**AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Buoy Decoy System
**Mk.36 SBROC
*Armament:
**2 x Mk/45 Mod 2 5"/54-caliber lightweight naval gun
**2 x 64-cell Mk.41 VLS (fires RGM-109 Tomahawk, RUM-139 VL-ASROC, and RIM-156 SM-2)
**4 x Mk.141 Harpoon missile launchers
**2 x 12.75" Mk.32 triple fire torpedo tubes
**2 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS
*Aircraft Carried: 1 x Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk maritime helicopter
==Unit Run==
Ship Name 	Hull No.	Commissioned 	Decommissioned 	Length of Service	Disposition
USS Virginia 	CGN-38 	11 September 1976	10 November 2004	28.2 years 	Disposed of by recycling, September 25, 2012
USS Texas 	CGN-39 	10 September 1977	16 July 2003 	25.3 years 	Disposed of by recycling, October 30, 2011
USS Mississippi	CGN-40 	5 August 1978 	28 July 2007 	29 years 	Stricken, to be disposed of by recycling, July 28, 2007
USS Arkansas 	CGN-41 	18 October 1980 	7 July 2008 	27.7 years 	Disposed of by recycling, November 1, 2009
Category:Cruisers
Category:Ship Classes
Category:Ships
Category:United States
Category:United States Navy