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CLASS - VIRGINIA Displacement 11,000 Tons (full), Dimensions, 585' (oa) x 63' x 31' (Max) Armament 2 MK-26 SAM/ASW (68 Missiles) 2 x 5"/54RF, 6 x12.75" TT. Machinery, 60,000 SHP; 2 G.E. Reactors (D2G), Geared Turbines, 2 screws Speed, 30+ Knots, Crew 500. Operational and Building Data Keel laid on 18 AUG 1973 at Newport News Shipyard, Newport News, VA Reclassified CGN 39 on 30 June 1975 Launched 09 AUG 1975 Commissioned 10 SEP 1977 Decommissioned 16 JUL 1993 Stricken 10 NOV 1994 Fate: Disposed - Hulk recycled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 20 OCT 2001 |
Patch
image contributed by Mike Smolinski |
| Click On Image For Full Size Image |
Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
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335k | Launch Booklet, 09 AUG 1975 | Robert M. Cieri | |
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396k | Mrs. Dolph Briscoe, wife of then governor of Texas, christening Texas CGN 39 on 09 August, 1975. | Dale Hargrave | |
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94k | August 1975, launch ceremony at Newport News | USN | |
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218k | Commissioning Booklet, 10 SEP 1977 | Tom Langford | |
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86k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. | Dale Hargrave | |
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54k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. | Dale Hargrave | |
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81k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. Admiral Hyman Rickover speaking. | Dale Hargrave | |
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90k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. Mrs. Dolph Briscoe, the ship's sponsor. | Dale Hargrave | |
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91k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. Texas governor Dolph Briscoe presenting a silver service to the ship. | Dale Hargrave | |
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59k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. | Dale Hargrave | |
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72k | Commissioning at Norfolk Naval Station, 10 September 1977. | Dale Hargrave | |
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25k | Starboard bow view, (Poor) | USN | |
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18k | (Very small) Port bow view. | USN | |
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23k | Starboard bow view, (poor) | USN | |
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80k | Two views of the Virginia class nuclear powered cruiser. White marking on the bow is a target for underway replenishment helicopters. Equipped with a helicopter pad aft, there is also a hanger in the fantail, reminiscent of her WW2 predecessors. The door/elevator reportedly leaked badly and were not liked by her crews. | USN | |
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67k | See above. | USN | |
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113k | Undated starboard bow view | Newport News Shipbuilding | |
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143k |
Undated port side view. U.S. Navy Photo |
Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr | |
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138k | Undated port side photo of USS Arkansas (CGN 41), USS Mississippi (CGN 40), and USS Texas (CGN 39) (bottom to top). | Robert Hirsh | |
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51k |
Port bow view, date and location unknown. U.S. Navy photo. |
David Buell | |
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342k | Port quarter view while underway in the Chesapeake Bay, 6 JUL 1977. | Robert M. Cieri | |
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293k | Welcome Aboard booklet, circa 1979 | Robert M. Cieri | |
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50k | Starboard side view from USS California (CGN 36) while underway in the Indian Ocean Jan 1980. | Michael Boyd | |
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41k |
An aerial starboard bow view of six nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers underway in formation during exercise READEX 1-81. The ships are, from left to right: USS TEXAS (CGN 39), USS MISSISSIPPI (CGN 40), USS CALIFORNIA (CGN 36), USS SOUTH CAROLINA (CGN 37), USS VIRGINIA (CGN 38) and USS ARKANSAS (CGN 41). Photo taken 26 February 1981 by PH1 Anthony Alleyne. DOD Photo #DN-SC-87-08333 |
Steve Dietrich | |
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98k | Aerial stern view of (left to right) the nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier USS
Nimitz (CVN 68), the nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers USS
Mississippi (CGN 40) and USS Texas (CGN 39), and the guided
missile cruiser USS Biddle (CG 34),
underway in the Mediterranean Sea, August 1981.
On August 19, 1981 two F-14A Tomcats from VF-41 "Black Aces," based on Nimitz, used Sidewinder missiles to shoot down two Lybian, Soviet-built SU-22 Fitters over the Gulf of Sidra, after one of the Lybian jets fired an Atoll heat-seeking missile. This incident marked the first Navy air combat confrontation since the Vietnam War and the first ever for the F-14A Tomcat. US Navy photo by PH3 Cruz (DVIC id.: DNSC8501964). |
Defense Visual Information Center | |
![]() 04013920 |
215k |
1 August 1981 - An aerial starboard beam view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and the nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser USS Texas (CGN 39) underway. U.S. Navy photo #DN-SC-85-01960 by: PH3 Cruz. |
Robert M. Cieri | |
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258k | Departing La Spezia, Italy, 15 December 1981. | Carlo Martinelli | |
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120k | Moored in Waitemata Harbour, 5 August 1983, Auckland NZ. | Chris Howell | |
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328k | Moored in Waitemata Harbour, 7 August 1983, Auckland NZ. | Chris Howell | |
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196k | Ship's PAO handout. Note the Tomahawk Armored Box Launchers on the fantail which indicate that this drawing was made after the 1987 overhaul. | Robert M. Cieri | |
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392k | Starboard quarter view while underway in the Gulf of Alaska, 1987 | Robert M. Cieri | |
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319k | Welcome Aboard booklet, circa 1988 | Robert M. Cieri | |
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96k | Moored in Pearl Harbor, July 1988. | Robert M. Cieri | |
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94k |
1 July 1988 - Crewmen work on the foc'sle of the nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser USS Texas (CGN 39) during deployment. U.S. Navy photo #DN-SC-92-04473 by: OS2 John Bouvia. |
Robert M. Cieri | |
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Commanding
Officers
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| Name/Rank | Final Rank | Dates |
| Fiedler Jr., Peter Bernard, CAPT | 09/10/77 - 01/27/79 | |
| Owens, Ramon Ronald, CAPT | 01/27/79 - 03/19/82 | |
| Andress Jr., William Dozier, CAPT | 03/19/82 - 07/0585 | |
| Miller III, George M., CAPT | 07/0585 - 08/06/88 | |
| Gautier, William K., CAPT | 08/06/88 - 06/26/91 | |
| Brennan, Neil Maxwell, CAPT | 06/26/91 - 07/16/93 | |
(Courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves - Photos courtesy of Bill Gonyo)
The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
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