The USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) was an American missile cruiser. The keel for this unit was laid in 1980, the launch took place in April 1981, and the entry into service with the US Navy took place in 1983. The total length of the ship was 173 meters and 16.8 meters wide. Full displacement reached approx. 9,600 tons and maximum speed to approx. 32-33 knots. The on-board armament of the ship at the time of launching included, among others: two 2-rail missile launchers Mk. 26 VLS, 8 RGM-84 Harpoon rocket launchers, two single 127 mm guns, two 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx sets, and two 533 mm triple torpedo tubes. The unit was based on two Sikorsky SH60 / MH60 helicopters, and initially only one Kaman SH-2 Seasprite.
The USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) was the first of 27 built and 22 active cruisers belonging to the class of the same name - the Ticonderoga. Units of this type were designed and built on the one hand to significantly increase the combat capabilities of the US Navy, and on the other - to replace the Virginia class cruisers. The Ticonderoga ships differ from their predecessors in many elements. First of all, they have a classic drive, based on four gas turbines, instead of an atomic drive - as in the Virginia class - which significantly reduces their operating costs. In addition, they have a completely changed interior architecture and the shape of superstructures, making the external appearance of cruisers of this class similar to the destroyers of the Spruance class. Thirdly, cruisers of this type have the revolutionary AEGIS network combat system, cooperating with the AN / SPY-1 radar, which provided them with unprecedented possibilities to control the airspace and counter air targets. Ships of this class also have extensive anti-submarine (ZOP) and surface anti-submarine capabilities. The leading ship of this class is the USS Ticonderoga (CG-47). The vessel was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. USS Ticonderoga belongs to the development line of her class cruisers called Baseline 0. This means that at the time of launching, the cruiser had the earliest versions of the AEGIS system and the SPY-1A radar, two twin MK launchers. 26, not the VLS Mk.41 launchers, and only one helicopter could be used. The USS Ticonderoga, shortly after entering service, took part in Operation Earnest Will in the Persian Gulf in 1987-1988. In the 1990s, the cruiser was based in Pascagoula and was assigned to the Atlantic fleet. The cruiser also took part in Operation Deny Flight, which lasted from 1993 to 1995. The unit was decommissioned in 2004. It is worth adding that the godmother of the ship was Nancy Reagan - the First Lady in 1980-1988 and the wife of US President Ronald Reagan.