Namesake:
U.S. Civil War Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh In March 1862, Major General Henry W. Halleck was
put in command of all Federal forces in the Mississippi Valley, and he
initiated a slow advance which he sent his two armies along the
Tennessee River. By early April Ulysses S. Grant had some 37,000 men
near Shiloh Church and Pittsburg Landing, close to the
Tennessee-Mississippi border, and off to the east Don Carlos Buell's
25,000 were on their way from Nashville to join him. Meanwhile, Albert
Sidney Johnston was desperately assembling all the Confederate troops
he could find Corinth, Mississippi. He had more than Grant, but he
would have to strike before Buell arrived.
The Union position was a reasonably strong one, but Grant and his
division commanders felt it would be bad for morale to have the men
entrench. General C.F. Smith told Grant, "By God, I want nothing better
than to have the Rebels ... attack us! We can whip them to hell. Our
men suppose we have come here to fight, and if we begin to spade, it
will make them think we fear the enemy." In the Federal camps a peach
orchard was in glorious bloom, and war and killing seemed remote.
But just 25 miles to the south Johnston was pushing his raw levies onto
the roads. Like most of Grant's men, these Confederates were as green
as grass. They ambled along, whooping and shouting, firing their guns
just to see if they would work, driving their officers into a frenzy.
P.G.T. Beauregard, second in command, urged that the attack be called
off, but Johnston was adamant: "I would fight them if they were a
million." He ordered an assault for dawn on Sunday, April 6.
Grant was caught off guard, and in the first day's fight his army was
almost pushed into the Tennessee River. It rallied just in time,
Johnston was killed in action, and at dark Buell's troops began to
arrive and one of Grant's divisions which had been delayed in reaching
the field got to the scene. On the second day the Federals reversed the
tide, and by mid afternoon Beauregard had to admit defeat. He drew his
badly battered army back toward Corinth, and the Federals, equally
battered, made no more than a gesture at pursuit. The greatest battle
ever fought on the American continent, up to date, was over. The
Federals had lost 13,000 men, the Confederates, 10,000. The troops had
fought with impressive valor, but they had been poorly handled,
especially on the Union side.
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Historical Notes:
USS SHILOH's keel was laid on August 1, 1989, and she was christened on
September 8, 1990.
USS SHILOH launched 14 Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack selected air
defense targets south of the 33rd parallel in Iraq on 3 September 1996,
as part of Operation Desert Strike. The attacks were designed to reduce
risks to the pilots enforcing the expanded no-fly zone announced by
President Clinton in response to an Iraqi attack against a Kurdish
faction. The USS SHILOH was part of the USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) Battle
Group that moved into the northern Arabian Gulf the previous week
responding to escalating activity by Iraqi ground forces.
USS SHILOH entered in July 1998 as part of the ABRAHAM LINCOLN Battle
Group the Arabian Gulf where it remained until late October to early
November.
On 24 September 1999, USS SHILOH launched an Standard Missile Three
(SM-3) in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands off the Pacific Missile
Range Facility and as part of the AEGIS Leap Intercept (ALI) project.
The purpose of the test conducted in the waters off the Hawaiian
Islands, was to collect valuable information to correct problems and
have a successful launch testing of the first two stages of the
missile. The SM-3 used to destroy aircraft, was slated to incorporate a
new duty; that of intercepting and destroying intercontinental and
theater ballistic missiles as part of the Navy Theater Wide Program.
Once placed in service, the SM-3 missile would complement the armement
of Aegis-class cruisers and ARLEIGH BURKE-class guided missile
destroyers, with the SM-3 carried aboard cruisers and destroyers in
greater numbers. During the test, the SM-3 flew a nominal trajectory
through second/third stage separation.
USS SHILOH successfully demonstrated the launch and flight sequence
through third stage separation as well as verified flight stability at
extreme altitude. Though the original plan had been to conduct all
Flight Test Round shots from USS SHILOH, the need for further testing
conflicted with the ship's operational schedule. Therefore, it was
decided by the CNO to shift to USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) to conduct the
next firings in the ALI testing program.
USS SHILOH took part in June 2000, in "Exercise Pacific Blitz" off the
west coast of Kauai, Hawaii, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility
(PMRF) located on Kauai. The exercise, held in conjunction with RIMPAC
2000, followed two days of target tracking and joint services
interoperability testing. The exercise was a major step toward
achieving joint service interoperability for Theater Ballistic Missile
Defense and battle force management During the exercise, USS SHILOH
tracked threat representative targets with SPY-1 radar and communicated
these tracks to other units via JTIDS link. SHILOH, with the prototype
Area Air Defense Commander (AADC) system installed, was also used to
display and record the missile events throughout the exercise.
USS SHILOH deployed in August 2000 as part of the ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Battle Group for a scheduled six-month Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf
deployment. |
Ship's Crest:
Supporters:
The Civil War weapons, the musket and the cannon, reflect the close
conflict on the field of Shiloh. It was the greatest battle ever fought
on the American continent, up to that date.
The Shield: Blue and Gold are the
traditional Navy's colors. Red denotes courage, sacrifice, and the
blood shed at the epic battle of Shiloh. White represents high ideals
and optimism. The anchor symbolizes sea power, while the cross on the
stock refers to Shiloh Church and the Civil War battle for which our
ship is named. The red compass rose, simulating a burst, symbolizes the
concentration and the intense fighting in the "Hornet's Nest" at
Shiloh. The compass rose also represent the multi-faceted mission of
SHILOH. The red and white wavy bars commemorate "Bloody Pond" and the
valor displayed during the battle. also refer to the sea and SHILOH's
three mission areas: anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare
capabilities.
The Crest: The arrowhead, divided
into blue and gray, together with the Union and Confederate flags,
recall the Civil War. The arrowhead also suggests the vertical launch
capabilities of the Aegis Cruiser. The splintered peach tree symbolizes
the aftermath of the Battle of Shiloh. The peach trees, in bloom at
Shiloh during the battle, stood stark contrast to the destruction and
violence of the fight which pitted brother against brother.
Motto: Not yet available
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