SITE NAVIGATION

SHIP SPECIFIC INFORMATION

TYPE	GUIDED MISSILE CRUISER (CG)
CLASS	TICONDEROGA
OFFICIAL NAME	USS PRINCETON
PENNANT NUMBER	59
NICKNAME	N/A
MOTTO	HONOR AND GLORY
BUILDER	INGALLS SHIPBUILDING
CONTRACT AWARD DATE	12/16/1983
KEEL LAYING DATE	10/15/1986
LAUNCH DATE	10/02/1987
DELIVERY DATE	12/02/1988
COMMISSION DATE	02/11/1989
PLANNING YARD	INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, PASCAGOULA, MS
NAVSEA PMS	400
CUSTODIAN	US NAVY
STATUS	ACTIVE DUTY
HOMEPORT	SAN DIEGO, CA
MAILING ADDRESS	FPO, AP, 96675-1179
UIC (UNIT IDENT. CODE)	21447
TYPE COMMANDER	SURFPAC
FLEET COMMAND	N/A
GROUP COMMAND	CARGRU 3
SQUADRON COMMAND	N/A

Aegis Guided Missile Cruisers, TICONDEROGA Class

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CG 59 | USS PRINCETON

Namesake:

(Legacy name)

CG 59 is the sixth in a proud line of U.S. Navy ships to honor the name PRINCETON. The first vessel named PRINCETON was a sloop of war, commissioned in 1843. She was the first Navy vessel to be powered by a steam driven screw. On February 28, 1844, while demonstrating a new type of cannon to the President and numerous dignitaries, ten people were killed when the cannon burst. Among the casulties were the Secretary of State and two senators. The ship was decommissioned in 1849.

The second PRINCETON was an armed transport and training ship, commissioned in 1852, and in service until 1866. The third vessel named for the Battle of Princeton was a composite gunboat which was commissioned in 1898. She served in the Far East and off Nicaragua, and was decommissioned in 1919.

The fourth PRINCETON was the INDEPENDENCE class aircraft carrier CVL 23, commissioned in 1943. Her battle record included raids on Tarawa, Bougainville, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Guam, and the Battle of Phillipine Sea. She was sunk in a fierce battle off Surigao Straits in 1944. Among the awards she received were the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Ribbon with 9 battle stars, and the Republic of the Phillippines Presidential Unit Citation.

The fifth PRINCETON was an ESSEX Class aircraft carrier, CV 37. The ship was already in construction when CLV 23 was sunk, and name PRINCETON was given to the new replacement. Commissioned just after the end of World War II in 1945, she was re-classed in 1950 as CVA 37. The ship earned the Navy Unit Commendation and 8 battle stars in the Korean War. In 1954, she was re-classed as an amphibious assault ship, LPH 5. She served off the coast of Vietnam conducting support missions for the U.S. Marines, which earned her a Meritorius Unit Commendation. She was also the primary recovery ship for APOLLO TEN. The fifth PRINCETON was decommissioned in 1970.

The sixth PRINCETON was commissioned in 1989 in Pascagoula, MS and has completed three deployments to the Arabian Gulf and won two consecutive Battle Efficiency Awards in 1992-1993.

Historical Notes:

USS PRINCETON is the sixth ship to bear this name and was commissioned in 1989 in Pascagoula, MS. It won two consecutive Battle Efficiency Awards in 1992-1993.

USS PRINCETON underwent a complete overhaul and modernization from mid-June 1999 to the end of March 2000. The overhaul was performed in Southwest Marine Inc.'s San Diego yard.

USS PRINCETON set sail from San Diego on 27 July 2001, headed west towards the Arabian Gulf in company with the other ships of the CARL VINSON Battle Group. PRINCETON's mission was to provide maritime support for Operation Southern Watch. As a result of September 11, 2001, USS PRINCETON was assigned duties as Air Defense Commander for Task Force 50, which encompasses all Navy and coalition forces operating in the Arabian Gulf and the North Arabian Sea. The USS ENTERPRISE Battle Group, along with Carrier Air Wing 8, diverted from their homeward transit and headed back towards the North Arabian Sea as the PRINCETON north through the Indian Ocean to join them. Several days later, the USS KITTY HAWK was underway from Japan. Within two weeks, USS PRINCETON was assigned to Operation Enduring Freedom.

USS PRINCETON's primary duty throughout deployment was providing air defense for all the ships in the task force, which at one point, included four carriers, three air wings and one ARG. With this came the responsibility of managing over 1500 square miles of airspace in which every type of aircraft from Navy F/A-18 Hornets to Air Force AWACS to British Nimrods operated on a daily basis. Additionally, the ship was called on to launch missiles, conduct boarding operations, and surveillance tasking. At night, the ships's gas turbine engines roared to full power to maintain precise station 2,000 yards off the CARL VINSON’s starboard quarter in "planeguard" station. She returned to San Diego on January 19, 2002, after 111 consecutive days on station in the North Arabian Sea.

Ship's Crest:

The Shield: The shields thirteen red and white stripes around the edge are from a flag of the revolution and stand for the union of the colonies. A profile of George Washington is at the center; his leadership was the essence of the victory at Princeton in 1777. The smaller shield which bears Washingtons profile represents the defense of our country, then and now. The golden anchor symbolizes the nations proud heritage as a seagoing power.

The Crest: The crests upward thrust of the trident symbolizes the vertical launching system of the new USS Princeton, and the interlaced lightning bolts represent its quick striking ability. The three times of the trident stand for the ships multi-mission warfighting capabilities: anti-air, antisubmarine, and surface/strike warfare. The semi-octagonal background shape is a representation of the ships SPY-1B radar arrays and emphasizes the revolutionary capabilities of the AEGIS Combat System. The five stars represent the previous US Navy ships which bore the name PRINCETON.

Motto: The ships motto is derived from a letter written on November 15, 1781, by George Washington to the Marquis de Lafayette in which he wrote: "It follows then as certain as night succeeds day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and that with it everything honorable and glorious." It is from this quotation that the ships motto "HONOR AND GLORY" is derived.