USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) is a modern American missile cruiser. The keel for this unit was laid in 1984, the launch took place in March 1985, and entry into service with the US Navy took place in 1986. The total length of the ship is 173 meters with a width of 16.8 meters. Full displacement comes to approx. 9,600 tons and maximum speed to approx. 32-33 knots. The ship's on-board armament includes, among others: two 61-rail Mk. 41 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 is based on two Sikorsky SH60 / MH60 helicopters.
USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) is one of the 27 built and 22 active cruisers belonging to the Ticonderoga class. 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 ways. 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 capabilities to combat submarines (ZOP) and surface targets. They are also adapted to serve as the flagship units of ship groups. One of the Ticonderoga-class ships is the USS Bunker Hill (CG-52). The vessel was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. It was the first in its class to have MK. 41 VLS. Shortly after entering service, she was assigned to the United States 7th Fleet in the Pacific. The cruiser proved its enormous combat capabilities during the naval maneuvers of 1987. The unit actively supported American operations against Iraq in 1990-1991 in the Persian Gulf region. A few years later (1996), it represented the US flag in the region of Taiwan due to the increased political tension between that country and the PRC. In 2003, the USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) again operated in the Iraqi region, supporting American operations in that region. In 2011, the unit conducted small-scale operations against pirates in the Somali region. The USS Bunker Hill is still in active service but is scheduled to be withdrawn from the line in 2019-2020.