Leyte Gulf was decommissioned on 20 September 2024 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.[3]
History
On 14 October 1996, Leyte Gulf collided with the Nimitz-classaircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt while conducting operations off the coast of North Carolina. The incident occurred as the carrier, without prior warning, reversed her engines while Leyte Gulf was behind her and slammed into the cruiser's bow. There were no personnel casualties or injuries reported,[4] and damage to the Leyte was only $2 million.[5]
On 15 September 2007, there was a fire aboard Leyte Gulf as she underwent an extensive modernization program in BAE Systems Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the fire received national attention due to the possibility that it was a terrorist incident, however, it was quickly revealed to be an industrial accident. Five shipyard workers were injured in the incident, one seriously, but no naval personnel were involved.[8]
In February 2011, Leyte Gulf was involved in an incident with Somali pirates after they captured the United States flagged yachtQuest.[9]
U.S. sailors from USS Leyte Gulf's Vessel Board Search and Seizure Team return to their ship
The cruiser returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During her deployment, she had participated in operations which had captured 75 Somali pirates and had missile strikes by her carrier strike group against the Libyan government.[10]
In January 2015, Leyte Gulf returned from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The ship served as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 for much of the deployment.[11]
In August 2022 Leyte Gulf was again deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.[12] She returned to Norfolk on 9 June 2023.
On 29 January 2024, Leyte Gulf deployed Sunday from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., to the 4th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Caribbean and Central and South America. It will host HSM-50, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50 and Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 and is expected to conduct passing exercises with regional partners and make port visits to counter threats such as illegal drug trafficking.[13] She returned to Naval Station Norfolk on 17 May 2024. This will be her final deployment before decommissioning.[14]
In March 2024, the Navy announced plans to inactivate Leyte Gulf on 20 September 2024.[15]
On March 21, 2024, the Leyte Gulf and the US Coast Guard captured a narco-submarine 150 miles off the coast of Guyana carrying 5,225 pounds of cocaine.[16]
On September 20, 2024 at Naval Station Norfolk, USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) was decommissioned with Commanding Officer Commander Brian Harrington and Command Master Chief Michael Jedrykowski presiding.[17]
^Polmar, Norman (1993). The Naval Institute Guide to The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 15th ed. Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute Press. pp. 36 (Table 6-5), 375, 377–381, 383, 386. ISBN1-55750-675-2.
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