USS Wainwright (CG-28)

USS Wainwright (CG-28)
CWO2 Kenneth H. Brewer, USN · Public domain · source
Ship name	USS Wainwright (CG-28)
Ship namesake	Lieutenant Commander Richard Wainwright (Spanish–American War); Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright (Civil War)
Ship builder	Bath Iron Works
Ship launched	24 November 1963
Ship commissioned	12 September 1966
Ship decommissioned	30 October 1993
Ship struck	11 January 1995
Ship displacement	7,800 long tons (full load)
Ship length	521 ft
Ship beam	55 ft
Ship propulsion	2 × steam turbines, 2 shafts
Ship speed	32 knots
Ship complement	~480 officers and enlisted
Ship armament	Standard Missile system, ASROC, 5-inch gun, torpedo tubes, Phalanx CIWS (later)
Ship class	Belknap-class
Ship role	Guided missile frigate/cruiser

USS Wainwright (CG-28) was a Belknap-class guided missile frigate later redesignated as a cruiser that served with the United States Navy during the Cold War and post-Vietnam era. Named for two generations of the Wainwright family notable in United States Navy history, the ship conducted carrier escort, anti-aircraft warfare, and anti-submarine missions across the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Caribbean Sea. Wainwright participated in multinational exercises, freedom of navigation operations, and crisis responses reflecting US naval strategy from the 1960s through the early 1990s.

Construction and commissioning

Wainwright was ordered under a Defense Appropriations Act procurement program and laid down at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine during a period of naval expansion tied to the Cold War. Her launch on 24 November 1963 was attended by naval and political dignitaries, and the ship completed fitting out amid advances in guided-missile technology developed in response to lessons from the Korean War and the missile age emergent after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Commissioned on 12 September 1966, Wainwright joined the Atlantic Fleet and was assigned to escort duties with United States Sixth Fleet and carrier battle groups centered on USS Intrepid (CV-11), USS Saratoga (CV-60), and other fleet carriers during deployments to the Mediterranean Sea.

Design and specifications

As a member of the Belknap-class (originally designated DLG before reclassification), Wainwright combined anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare capabilities built around the RIM-2 Terrier/Standard missile family and the ASROC launcher. Her propulsion plant comprised steam turbines supplied by boilers similar to those used in contemporary Charles F. Adams-class destroyer designs, giving a top speed near 32 knots for carrier screening and task force maneuvering. Primary sensors included long-range air search radars and hull-mounted sonar suites influenced by developments from the Office of Naval Research, while command-and-control spaces integrated systems derived from Naval Electronics Systems Command initiatives. Armament evolved during her career to include a 5-inch/54 caliber gun, torpedo tubes, and later close-in weapon systems such as the Phalanx CIWS to counter anti-ship missile threats demonstrated in conflicts like the Yom Kippur War.

Service history

Wainwright's operational tempo reflected Cold War priorities: Atlantic and Mediterranean deployments with the United States Sixth Fleet, participation in NATO exercises such as UNITAS and Operation Springboard, and port calls that reinforced alliances with NATO members including Italy, Greece, and Turkey. The ship performed plane-guard and escort duties for aircraft carriers during transits connected to crises such as increased tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and contingency operations near the Suez Canal region. Wainwright conducted anti-submarine warfare drills using tactics developed against Soviet Navy submarine threats and operated alongside allied vessels from the Royal Navy, French Navy, and Hellenic Navy. Humanitarian assistance and search-and-rescue missions, as well as participation in multi-ship memorials or ceremonies linked to figures like Admiral Arleigh Burke, marked aspects of her routine deployments. Wainwright also made goodwill visits to ports in Spain, Portugal, Norway, and across the Caribbean Sea, reinforcing ties during diplomatic initiatives such as the NATO of 1967–1979 era.

Modernizations and refits

Throughout her service, Wainwright underwent periodic overhauls at shipyards including Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Norfolk Naval Shipyard to maintain combat systems and hull integrity. Major modernization efforts addressed missile system upgrades from the original Terrier setup to later Standard Missile variants, fire-control and radar improvements reflecting advances from Raytheon and other defense contractors, and installation of close-in defenses like the Phalanx CIWS after lessons from conflicts demonstrating anti-ship missile vulnerability. Engineering refurbishments renewed boiler and turbine plant components following standards from Naval Sea Systems Command, while habitability and electronic warfare suites were updated to incorporate integrated electronic countermeasures developed during the 1970s and 1980s.

Decommissioning and fate

Following the end of the Cold War and subsequent fleet reductions under defense restructuring initiatives, Wainwright was decommissioned on 30 October 1993 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 January 1995. She was held in reserve pending final disposition while programs such as the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility processed retired hulls. Ultimately, the ship was sold for scrapping in accordance with federal disposal regulations and recycled in a commercial yard, concluding a service life that spanned major geopolitical shifts from the Vietnam War era through the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Category:Belknap-class cruisers Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine Category:Cold War cruisers of the United States Category:1963 ships