Navy
GalleryGuided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg decommissioned in Norfolk
Stars and Stripes
July 3, 2024
Sailors stand at attention during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg was decommissioned last week in Norfolk, Va., ending its 30-plus years of service.
Hundreds gathered to celebrate the ship’s distinguished history of Naval service. Vicksburg’s former commanding officer, retired Capt. Chip Swicker, spoke of the bond between sailors and their ships and the lives shaped aboard.
“These sailors brought Vicksburg to life for 32 years under 17 commanding officers,” Swicker said. “This ship was their schoolhouse, their training field, their home and their powerful weapon as they stood fast between good people and bad things night and day, in good weather and bad, close to home and far over the horizon for more than three decades.”
Cmdr. Christopher M. Stolle, the commanding officer, paid tribute to the ship’s history and shared his admiration for the crew, both current and former.
“To all former shipmates, you have been trailblazers in sensor integration, tactical development, the bolstering of regional partners, and prepping the battlefield to ensure that America’s Navy has a home-field advantage anywhere in the world,” Stolle said. “Today we decommission Vicksburg, but the legacy of her crews will live on indefinitely.”
Cmdr. Christopher M. Stolle, the commanding officer, gives a speech during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
The Color guard marches during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
Cmdr. Christopher M. Stolle, the commanding officer, poses with a ceremonial gladius during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
Sailors lower the ensign during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
Sailors man the rails during the decommissioning ceremony of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), June 28, 2024, in Nolfolk, Va. The ceremony commemorated the history of the ship. (Charles Blaine/U.S. Navy)
The Vicksburg (CG 69) was commissioned on Nov. 14, 1992.
For the first mission, in 1994, Vicksburg was assigned to the USS Saratoga battle group stationed off the coast of Montenegro. In following years, Vicksburg was deployed all around the world, from the Mediterranean, to the Middle East, to Europe to the Asia-Pacific region.
Vicksburg was one of the ships on the Navy’s decommissioning list as part of the 2024 budget proposal. At the time, Vicksburg was in the BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair yard, where modernization efforts were about 85% complete.
In March, the Navy announced plans to inactivate Vicksburg in June. All modernization work had stopped by early this year. By April 11, Vicksburg had been stripped of topside gear and antennas and towed from BAE Systems shipyard to Naval Station Norfolk.