View source for USS Princeton (CG-59)

{{Short description|Ticonderoga-class cruiser}}
{{Other ships|USS Princeton}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
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|Ship image=Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Princeton is underway..jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Princeton'' in July 2012
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship name=''Princeton''
|Ship namesake=[[Battle of Princeton]]
|Ship ordered= 16 December 1983
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|Ship builder=[[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
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|Ship laid down= 15 October 1986
|Ship launched= 2 October 1987
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|Ship commissioned= 11 February 1989
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|Ship homeport=[[Naval Base San Diego|San Diego]]
|Ship identification=*{{MMSI Number|338824000}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NDIH
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Hotel}}
*[[Hull number]]: CG-59
|Ship motto=''Honor and Glory''
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|Ship status={{Ship in active service}}
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|Ship badge=[[File:USS Princeton CG-59 Crest.png|150px]]
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class={{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{Ticonderoga class cruiser displacement}}
|Ship length={{Ticonderoga class cruiser length}}
|Ship beam={{Ticonderoga class cruiser beam}}
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|Ship draft={{Ticonderoga class cruiser draft}}
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|Ship armament={{Ticonderoga class cruiser armament mark 41}}
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'''USS ''Princeton'' (CG-59)''' is a {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[guided missile]] [[cruiser]] serving in the [[United States Navy]]. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She was previously home to two [[SH-60 Seahawk|SH-60B LAMPS Mk III Seahawk]] helicopters and now carries a pair of the [[SH-60 Seahawk|MH-60R]] version of the Seahawk. This warship is named for the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] victories over the British by [[George Washington]] in and around the town of [[Princeton, New Jersey]].

''Princeton'' was the first ''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser to carry the upgraded AN/SPY-1B radar system.

==Operational history==
{{stack|[[File:USS TEXAS (CGN-39) and USS PRINCETON (CG-59).jpg|thumb|upright|USS ''Princeton'' follows {{USS|Texas|CGN-39|2}} during the RimPac '90 multinational exercise.]]}}
The ship was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 11 February 1989 in the [[Ingalls Shipbuilding|Ingalls shipyard]] in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]]. After traveling through the [[Panama Canal]], ''Princeton'' was home-ported at the [[Long Beach Naval Station]], [[California]].

===Vladivostok port visit===
In 1990, ''Princeton'' served as the [[flagship]] for the first US Navy visit to the [[Soviet Union]]'s Pacific port of [[Vladivostok]] since before [[World War II]].  She sailed with {{USS|Reuben James|FFG-57|2}}.  Before the visit was completed, the crew received word that their Pacific cruise was canceled.  They returned to Long Beach and joined the {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|2}} Battle Group preparing to deploy to the [[Persian Gulf]].

===Mine strike===
[[File:USS Princeton (CG-59) hull crack.jpg|thumb|left|A hull crack caused by the mine that detonated underneath ''Princeton''.]]
On the morning of 18 February 1991, during [[Operation Desert Storm]], ''Princeton'' was patrolling {{convert|28|nmi|km}} off [[Failaka Island]] in the [[Persian Gulf]], on the west side of the decoy [[United States Marine Corps]] and naval invasion forces afloat. At exactly 7:15 AM local time two [[Italy|Italian]]-made MN103 Manta bottom-mounted [[influence mine]]s detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, the second explosion most likely being a [[sympathetic detonation]] caused by the first. The blasts cracked the [[superstructure]], buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Three crewmembers were injured, one seriously. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.

At great peril, the Canadian destroyer {{HMCS|Athabaskan|DDG 282|6}} moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged ''Princeton'', which remained on station for 31 hours until she was relieved. ''Princeton''{{'}}s commanding officer, Captain Edward Hontz, specifically requested the assistance of ''Athabaskan'' despite the latter not originally assigned to the area. Unlike most ships of her size, ''Athabaskan'' could simultaneously operate two large [[CH-124 Sea King]] helicopters, which could search out mines for long periods. As a gesture of solidarity, ''Athabaskan'' winched over several cases of beer for the crew of ''Princeton'', since [[United States Navy]] vessels were dry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helicoptersmagazine.com/operations/saluting-the-king-4121|title = Saluting the King|date = 15 May 2013}}</ref>

''Princeton'', which suffered from a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided through the minefield by the minesweeper {{USS|Adroit|MSO-509|2}}. Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of [[Jebel Ali]] near Dubai by the duty [[destroyer tender]] {{USS|Acadia|AD-42|2}}, and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, ''Princeton'' returned to the United States under the ship's power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the [[Combat Action Ribbon]].

Captain Edward Hontz turned over command to Captain J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in [[Dahlgren, Virginia]]. Future Chief of Naval Operations, [[Michael M. Gilday]] was serving aboard ''Princeton'' as an officer during the ordeal, and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/08/06/inside-the-historic-decision-to-deep-select-the-navys-top-officer/|title = Inside the historic decision to deep-select the Navy's top officer|date = 6 August 2019}}</ref>

When the U.S. Naval Base in Long Beach was closed due to [[Base Realignment and Closure|BRAC]] action, the home port of ''Princeton'' was moved to [[Naval Base San Diego]]. ''Princeton'' was overhauled from 1999 to 2000 in [[San Diego]], California. In 2003, the ship was assigned to [[Carrier Strike Group 3|Carrier Strike Group Three]].<ref>[http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/usa/surface.htm accessed May 2012]</ref>

===''Princeton'' aerial object incident===
While training in the Pacific Ocean, in November 2004 ''Princeton'' tracked [[UFO|unidentified flying objects]] that were capable of accelerating and maneuvering at extraordinary speeds. {{Citation needed|reason=unsubstantiated claim|date=April 2024}}  ''Princeton'' subsequently contacted two Navy [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18F fighters]] from {{USS|Nimitz||2}} who tracked and filmed their interactions with the objects. The incident was publicly disclosed in December 2017 with the revelation of the funding of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]].<ref name="NYT-20171216">{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Kean |first2=Leslie |last3=Blumenthal |first3=Ralph |title=2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen' |url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html |date=16 December 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=17 December 2017 }}{{subscription required}}</ref>

===''Hamid'' rescue===
On 21 July 2005, ''Princeton'' responded to a radio call from an Iranian [[dhow]], named ''Hamid'', that was dead in the water and in need of engineering assistance. A rescue and assistance team was dispatched to ''Hamid'' where it was determined that the engine would not start due to corroded batteries that were low on power. The batteries were removed and brought back to ''Princeton'' for maintenance, cleaning and recharging. ''Princeton'' rescue team restored power onboard ''Hamid'', restarted the engines, and then provided minor medical assistance and fresh water to the dhow's crew.<ref>{{cite web | author= Lt. Michael Panado, USN | title= ''Princeton'' Delivers Humanitarian Aid to Stranded Dhow | url= http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=19518 | work= NNS050808-16 | publisher= USS Princeton Public Affairs | date= 8 August 2005 | access-date=2011-11-27}}</ref>

===Man overboard incident===
In 2005, the warship was acting as an escort for [[Carrier Strike Group Eleven]], led by ''Nimitz'', and was featured in the documentary ''[[Carrier (documentary)|Carrier]]''.<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=36564 "Nimitz Highlighted in PBS TV Series and Premiere"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626042145/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=36564 |date=26 June 2008 }} – U.S. Navy – (c/o Navy.mil) – 4/23/2008</ref> While in the [[Persian Gulf]] on the night of 12 September 2005, or the early morning of 13 September, during the filming of the documentary, a sailor fell overboard.<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20105 "Search and Rescue Operations Underway in Persian Gulf for Missing Princeton Sailor"] – U.S. Navy – (c/o Navy.mil) – 9/14/2005</ref><ref>[http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20363 "DoD Identifies Sailor Lost at Sea"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626042013/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20363 |date=26 June 2008 }} – U.S. Navy – (c/o Navy.mil) – 9/29/2005</ref> Despite a search lasting over five days, and covering a {{convert|360|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} area, the sailor was not found.<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20176 "SAR Ops Conclude in Search for USS Princeton Sailor"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626061500/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20176 |date=26 June 2008 }} – U.S. Navy – (c/o Navy.mil) – 9/19/2005</ref>

===''Magellan Star''===
In September 2010, ''Princeton'' was involved in the rescue of the hostages aboard the pirated {{MV|Magellan Star}} in the Gulf of Aden.
<ref>{{cite web |title=Marines Recapture Ship From Pirates |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531064503/https://abcnews.go.com/International/somali-pirates-captured-ship-overtaken-marines/story?id=11592662 |archive-date=2023-05-31 |url-status=live |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/somali-pirates-captured-ship-overtaken-marines/story?id=11592662#.UNvobW_Aexw}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[Combat Action Ribbon]] – (Jan-Feb 1991)
* [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] – (Jan-Dec 1997)
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] – (Jan-Feb 1991, 16-20 Dec 1998, Sep-Dec 2001, Jan-May 2003)
* Navy [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] – (Jul-Nov 2010, Sep-Nov 2013)
* [[Battle E|Battle "E"]] – (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013)
* [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]] – (Jan-Apr 1991)
* [[Spokane Trophy]] Award – (2003, 2017)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=13274 |title=Princeton Earns Coveted Spokane Trophy |access-date=19 March 2020 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305183801/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=13274 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg59/Pages/Princeton-Excels-Earns-Distinguished-Spokane-Trophy.aspx| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200319165928/https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg59/Pages/Princeton-Excels-Earns-Distinguished-Spokane-Trophy.aspx| archive-date = 2020-03-19| title = Princeton Excels, Earns Distinguished Spokane Trophy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Naval Vessel Register}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg59 Official web site]{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg59.html USS ''Princeton'' webpage]
* [http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=200436 USS Princeton – CG 59 – Military.com]

{{Ticonderoga class cruiser}}
{{1991 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Princeton (CG-59)}}
[[Category:Ticonderoga-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:1987 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gulf War ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1991]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the United States]]