View source for Virginia-class cruiser

{{short description|Nuclear guided-missile cruiser class of the US Navy}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = [[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) at sea before 1984.jpg|300px|USS Virginia]]
| Ship caption = [[USS Virginia (CGN-38)]]
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Virginia'' class
| Builders = [[Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]]
| Operators = {{navy|United States}}
| Class before = {{sclass|California|cruiser|4}}
| Class after = *[[Strike cruiser]] (CSGN) (planned)
*{{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|4}} (actual)
| Subclasses = 
| Cost = {{ShipCost|USA|675|m|year=1990|qty=1}}
| Built range = 1972–1980
| In commission range = 1976–1998
| Total ships building = 
| Total ships planned = 11
| Total ships completed = 4
| Total ships cancelled = 7
| Total ships active = 
| Total ships laid up = 
| Total ships lost = 
| Total ships retired = 4
| Total ships preserved = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Guided-missile cruiser]]
| Ship displacement = *Light displacement: {{convert|10663|LT|MT}}
* Full displacement: {{convert|11666|LT|MT}}
| Ship length = {{convert|586|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|oa.]]
| Ship beam = {{convert|63|ft|m|abbr=on}} max.
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|32|ft|m|abbr=on}} max.
| Ship propulsion = 2 [[General Electric]] [[D2G reactor|D2G nuclear reactors]], two shafts, {{convert|60000|shp|abbr=on}}
| Ship speed = over {{convert|30|kn|abbr=on}}
| Ship range = Unlimited
| Ship complement = 39 officers, 540 enlisted
| Ship sensors = *[[AN/SPS-48]]E 3-D air search radar
* [[AN/SPS-49]] 2-D air search radar
* [[AN/SPS-55]] surface search radar
* [[AN/SPQ-9]]A gun fire control radar
* [[AN/SPG-60 Radar|AN/SPG-60]] fire control radar
* [[AN/SPG-51]] missile fire control radar
* [[AN/SQS-26]] bow mounted sonar
| Ship EW = *[[AN/SLQ-32]]
* [[Mark 36 SRBOC]]
* [[AN/SLQ-25 Nixie]]
| Ship armament = *2 × [[Mark 26 missile launcher|Mk&nbsp;26 missile launchers]] for 68 missiles
* [[RIM-66 Standard|RIM-66 Standard Missiles]] (MR) / [[RUR-5 ASROC]]
* 8 × [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk missile]] (from 2 armored-box launchers after a refitting)
* 8 × [[Harpoon (missile)|RGM-84 Harpoon]] (from two Mk-141 quad launchers)
* 4 × [[Mark 46 torpedo|Mk 46]] torpedoes (from fixed single tubes)
* 2 × [[5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun|Mk-45 5-inch/54 caliber rapid-fire gun]]
* 2 × 20 mm [[Phalanx CIWS]] (post-refit)
* 2 × [[M242 Bushmaster#Naval|25 mm Mk 38]] chain guns
* 6 × [[M2 Browning|.50 cal (12.7 mm)]] M2 machine guns
| Ship armor = {{convert|1|in|mm|abbr=on}} Kevlar plastic armor installed around combat information center, magazines, and machinery spaces
| Ship aircraft = *As built: below-deck hangar for one SH-2F [[Seasprite]] helicopter
* Flight deck occupied by Tomahawk missile storage & launcher after refitting
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

The '''''Virginia'' class''' (also known as the '''CGN-38 class''') were four [[nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear-powered]], [[guided-missile cruiser]]s that served in the [[United States Navy]] until the mid-to-late 1990s. The double-ended cruisers (with missile armament carried both fore and aft) were commissioned between 1976 and 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.hullnumber.com/CGN-41 |title= USS ARKANSAS (CGN-41) Deployments & History |last= Sobocinski |first=Richard |publisher=HullNumber.com |access-date= 2016-09-22 |id= USS ''Arkansas'' commissioned in Oct. 1980 }}</ref> They were the final class of nuclear-powered cruisers completed and the last ships ordered as [[Destroyer Leader]]s under the [[United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification|pre-1975 classification system]].

The ships had relatively short service lives for surface ships. As nuclear-powered ships, they were expensive to operate. The class was coming up for their mid-life reactor refuelings when the 1994 Defense Authorization Bill was being formulated, which would effect cuts of 38% to the Navy's budget compared to the 1993 bill. The $300-million-plus cost of each refueling and other upgrades made the class easy targets for decommissioning. Each ship was therefore retired, starting with ''Texas'' in July 1993 and ending with ''Arkansas'' in 1998; all went through the nuclear vessel decommissioning and recycling program.

==Class description==
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) elevated starboard view.jpg|thumb|''Virginia'' underway off the coast of Cape Henry, Virginia (VA)]]
[[File:CGN-42 artist impression.jpg|thumb|Artist's impression of CGN-42, the planned AEGIS version of the ''Virginia''-class]]
The ships were derived from the earlier [[California-class cruiser|''California''-class nuclear cruiser]] (CGN-36 class). Three of the four ''Virginia''-class ships were authorized as guided-missile frigates (in the pre-1975 definition); they were redesignated as cruisers before commissioning or launching. The last ship, ''Arkansas'', was authorized, laid down, launched, and commissioned as a guided-missile cruiser. A fifth member of the class, CGN-42, was canceled before being named or laid down.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CGN-42 AEGIS Modified Virginia |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-42.htm |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

With their nuclear power plants and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods, these ships were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]]s, such as the {{sclass|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|4}}. They also had superb [[flagship]] facilities. Their primary mission was as air-defense ships, while they also had capabilities as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships, surface-to-surface warfare (SSW) ships, and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets.

The ''Virginia'' class, as designed, carried one [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] helicopter aft of the superstructure with a flight deck. In a unique arrangement in the U.S. Navy, the hangars were below deck,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia class guided missile cruiser DLGN CGN 38 US Navy |url=https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/cgn/Virginia-class.htm |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.seaforces.org}}</ref> with an electro-mechanical elevator covered by a telescopic hatch. This improved over the preceding ''California'' class, which only had a landing pad aft and basic refueling equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D-Mitch |title=WARSHIPS OF THE PAST: Virginia class nuclear-powered cruisers of the United States Navy |url=https://www.navalanalyses.com/2015/06/warships-of-past-vriginia-class-nuclear.html |access-date=2022-12-23}}</ref>

[[File:USS Arkansas (CGN-41) shock trials.jpg|thumb|left|A shock trial of ''Arkansas'' in 1982]]
It was found that, while it was possible to mass-produce nuclear-powered warships, the ships were less cost-efficient than conventionally powered warships. Also, the new gas turbine-powered ships then entering the fleet—the {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer}}s—required much less manpower. While eleven ships of the ''Virginia'' class were planned, only four were produced, and the remainder were canceled. Following the completion of the final member of the class, ''Arkansas'', the U.S. Navy continued conventional destroyer/cruiser production, and it redesignated the DDG-47 class of guided-missile destroyers as the CG-47 {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}s.

===Refit===
[[File:Virginia-class-cruiser in task-group.jpg|thumb|''Mississippi'' and ''Texas'' (second and third from left) underway with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|2}} and cruiser {{USS|Biddle|CG-34|2}} in the Mediterranean Sea, August 1981]]

In the 1980s, the class received a [[New Threat Upgrade]] electronics overhaul to better suit them to modern threats. Their rapid-fire Mk&nbsp;26 launchers could fire the powerful Standard SM-2MR medium-range [[surface-to-air missile]]—earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower-firing Mk&nbsp;10 launchers, which required manual fitting of the missiles' fins prior to launch.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Nevertheless, the CGN-38-class cruisers, with their missile magazines and Mk&nbsp;26 missile launchers, were incapable of carrying the [[RIM-67 Standard|SM-2ER]] long-range surface-to-air missile; they were restricted to the [[RIM-66 Standard|SM-2MR]] medium-range surface-to-air missile. This was a significant limitation in their capabilities.

Each member of the class also received [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk]] cruise missile armored box launchers. The Tomahawk missiles were installed, even though this meant the removal of the [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] [[helicopter]] as it was found that the elevator and below-deck hangar proved problematic during aviation operations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CGN-38 Virginia Class |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-38.htm |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

===Early decommissioning===
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) in dry dock for nuclear core removal.jpg|thumb|''Virginia'' in drydock at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth Virginia]]; the ship's superstructure has been removed and replaced by containment vessels to allow the safe removal of her nuclear reactors]]
All four vessels were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s "[[peace dividend]]" after the [[Cold War]] ended, considered by naval standards an early retirement given their designed service life of 38 years. Despite being of a modern design with a recent refit, what doomed the ''Virginia'' nuclear-powered cruisers was a lack of resources, as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military faced major budget cutbacks after the Cold War. The ships of the class were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings, mid-life overhauls, and NTU refittings, which were all budgeted projects, together costing about half the price of a new ship. Further, they required relatively large crews, straining the operating budget. The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC) study determined the annual operating cost of a ''Virginia''-class cruiser at $40&nbsp;million, compared to $28&nbsp;million for a ''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser, or $20&nbsp;million for an {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|1}}, the latter two classes designed with the much more capable [[Aegis Combat System]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cg-47-specs.htm CG-47 Ticonderoga-class<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Given a lower requirement for cruisers, it was decided to retire the ''Virginia'' class and other nuclear-powered ships as a money-saving measure, a decision made while ''Texas'' was in the middle of her refueling overhaul. The early ''Ticonderoga''-class cruisers, which lacked the Vertical Launch System, had equally short careers, serving between 18 and 21 years.<ref>{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CG51|title=CG-51}} - 18 years. {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CG47|title=CG-47}} - 21 years.</ref>

==Ships in class==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Hull no.
!Builder
!Ordered
!Laid down
!Launched
!Commissioned
!Decommissioned
!Fate
!NVR link
|-
|{{USS|Virginia|CGN-38|2}}|| CGN-38||rowspan=4|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]], [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]]||rowspan=2|21 December 1971||19 August 1972||14 December 1974|| 11 September 1976 || 10 November 1994 || Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] at [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]], 1999||[{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CGN38}}]
|-
|{{USS|Texas|CGN-39|2}}|| CGN-39|| 18 August 1973||9 August 1975||10 September 1977 || 16 July 1993 || Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] at [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]], 1999||[{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CGN39}}]
|-
|{{USS|Mississippi|CGN-40|2}}|| CGN-40||21 January 1972||22 February 1975||31 July 1976|| 5 August 1978 || 28 July 1997 || Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] at [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]], 2004||[{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CGN40}}]
|-
|{{USS|Arkansas|CGN-41|2}}
|| CGN-41|| 31 January 1975||17 January 1977||21 October 1978||18 October 1980 || 7 July 1998 || Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] at [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]], 1998||[{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CGN41}}]
|-
|||CGN-42||colspan=6 {{n/a}}||Intended nuclear-powered [[Aegis Combat System|AEGIS]] cruiser; canceled 1983||[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-42.htm]
|}

==See also==
* [[List of cruisers of the United States Navy]]
* [[List of United States Navy destroyer leaders]]
* [[Nuclear powered cruisers of the United States Navy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

* This entry includes information from the [news:sci.military.naval sci.military.naval] newsgroup FAQ{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2008}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Virginia class cruisers}}
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-38.htm Globalsecurity.org Virginia class]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-42.htm Plans for an Aegis modified Virginia class]

{{Virginia class cruiser}}
{{US Navy nuclear cruisers}}

[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:Virginia-class cruisers| ]]