The USS Truxtun | CGN-35

I was in the Navy from November, 1988 to August, 1992. I had left active duty early so I could attend the first quarter of college on time. However, I chose to go into the Reserves, but ended that time a year later, due to an overload of personal responsibilities at the time (too much to do, too little time to do it).

Shortly after graduating from High school, I decided to join the military. Actually, I was heavily influenced by the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun! After scoring well on the ASVAB test, I chose to be an Operations Specialist in the Navy. I completed Bootcamp in Great Lakes, Illinois in a very cold January, 1989.

After which I was sent to A-School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for training as an Operations Specialist.

Upon completion of my training I was sent to Bremerton, Washington, for my assignment to the USS Truxtun (CGN-35).

Over the years there have many a succession of ships named after Thomas Truxtun, a hero of the Revolutionary War.



Thomas Truxtun (February 17, 1755 - May 5, 1822) was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.

Born near Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship Pitt at the age of twelve. By the time he was twenty, however, his talents had garnered him the command of his own vessel, the Andrew Caldwell.

He operated as a privateer during the American Revolutionary War, commanding several ships: Congress, Independence, Mars and St. James. Truxtun was highly successful in capturing enemy ships during this period, not once suffering a defeat.

Truxtun was later appointed captain in the United States Navy in 1794, and during the Quasi-War with France was in command of the USS Constellation, after being placed in charge of the ship by President Washington.



Eventually, he was promoted to commodore and was very successful. His victories, perhaps most notably that over the French vessel L'Insurgente, made Truxtun a hero of the time.

The USS Truxtun (CGN-35) was commission on May 27th, 1967 as a nuclear powered cruiser. It's role was mainly for anti-air warfare, normally meant to defend aircraft carriers in a battle group.

The Motto:
Ars navigandi - Fidelitas - Imperium
Skillful navigation - Faithfulness - Power

It was a heavily modified nuclear variant of Belknap class cruiser. The propulsion system, configuration, crew quarters, and superstructure were so modified that it could barely be called a "variant" of anything. It really was its own class of ship.











It had 2 GE pressurized-water D2G nuclear reactors (one right under the mess decks where we ate!).

It was 564 ft long and was home to approximately 492 crew members.

Its armament included the following:

1 5"/54 DP Mk 42 gun
1 twin Mk 10 Mod 7 missile launcher for Standard ER and ASROC missiles
3 20-missile horizontal drums in magazine
2 × 2 12.75" Mk 32 fixed ASW torpedo tubes
2 × 4 Harpoon anti-ship missile tubes
2 × Phalanx CIWS

In addition, it had room for one SH-2F LAMPS-II helicopter, normally used for anti-submarine warfare.

On 1 February 1990 Truxtun we were deployed with the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in Battle Group Charlie on her 12th WESTPAC (a 6 month deployment of the Western Pacific).

The Battle Group participated in TEAM SPIRIT 1990 with U.S. Marines and forces from the Republic of Korea. Later during the same cruise while in the Gulf of Oman, Truxtun was tasked with escorting re-flagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in Operation Earnest Will. I remember many Sea Snakes floating along in the Persian Gulf and Dolphins sometimes swimming beside us or in our wake. We stopped in island nation of Bahrain and the UAE while in the Gulf.

The Truxtun departed Bremerton for her 13th WESTPAC and a Middle East deployment on August 16th 1991. Truxtun performed duties as the Persian Gulf Anti-Air Warfare Commander, Force Track Coordinator, Electronic Warfare Commander and alternate Anti-Surface Warfare Commander during Operation Desert Storm.

Truxtun also served as the Commander, United States Mine Counter-Measure Group One flagship during minesweeping operations off the coastal waters of Kuwait. During her time in the Gulf, we spent most of our time guarding the 'sweeps,' wooden mine sweepers deployed to search for water-borne mines in the Gulf. We also encountered Iranian patrol boats as they tried to get close to our operations, such as the recovery of a downed fighter jet that was submerged in the Persian Gulf outside of Iranian waters.

After a short upkeep period in Bremerton, Truxtun began a two month Counter-Narcotic mini-deployment off the coasts of Mexico and Central America which ended in June 1992. The ship went 42 days completely unsupported by any other ship. It found no vessels moving narcotics. We also just barely missed our two free cans of beer. We only needed another 18 days!

Sadly, the Truxtun was decommissioned on 11 September 1995 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. She has been disposed of by Ship recycling, April 16, 1999. She was the first ship of that name ever to have actually survived to decommissioning, all others having been lost at sea.