The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) anchors in Augusta Bay, Sicily on 26 JUL 1997 after participating in exercise INVITEX 97. INVITEX was the largest joint exercise of the year bringing 13,000 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps troops together with more than 3,000 allied forces during a mock conflict in the Mediterranean Sea.

U.S. Navy photo #970726-N-3335M-005 by photographer's Mate Airman Apprentice Tara D. Mikesell.

An F/A-18 belonging to the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration team, performs a fly-by of the guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) during a Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) and Vessel Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) team training exercise in the Gulf of Mexico -7 May 2003.

U.S. Navy photo by Gary Nichols.

10 March 2004 - Sailors of the guided-missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) “man the rails” as the ship gets underway from its homeport at Naval Station Pascagoula. While deployed, the ship will take part in a variety of missions, including a circumnavigation of the South American continent. Gates' deployment will include counter-drug operations; port visits along the Eastern Atlantic seaboard and international exercises with South American Navies. Gates will be the visiting ship for the U.S. Naval Academy graduation and will also be the escort ship for the nation's newest aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as it heads for its new homeport in San Diego.

U.S. Navy photo #040310-N-4397B-002 by Stacey Byington.

Pacific Ocean, 11 July 2005 - An aerial bow on view of the guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) underway in the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Navy photo #050711-N-4374S-001 by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Michael Sandberg

Pacific Ocean, 11 July 2005 - The guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51), center, underway along side the Chilean frigate Williams (FF 19) and Peruvian frigate Carvajal (FM 51) in the Pacific Ocean. Thomas S. Gates is part of a multinational naval and coast guard force from six nations conducting UNITAS 46-05 Pacific Phase off the coasts of Colombia. The Colombian Navy in this year’s UNITAS Pacific Phase hosts Ecuador, Panama, Peru and the United States. During the two-week exercise, participating units have the opportunity to train as unified force in all aspects of naval operations, from maritime interdiction to anti-submarine and electronic warfare. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command sponsors UNITAS exercises with the objective to foster cooperation and develop interoperability among the navies of the region.

U.S. Navy photo #050711-N-4374S-005 by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Michael Sandberg

Pacific Ocean 13 July 2005 - The guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) fires a training round from an MK-45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun during a live fire exercise in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Colombia, during UNITAS 46-50.

U.S. Navy photo #050713-N-4374S-001 by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Michael Sandberg

Caribbean Sea, 18 July 2005 - The guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) joins a formation of naval and coast guard units from the United States, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Panama during UNITAS 46-05. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command sponsored UNITAS with the objective of increasing interoperability and fostering cooperation among naval forces in the region. During the two-week exercise in July, participating forces had the opportunity test their skills in areas such as anti-submarine warfare, air defense, maritime interdiction operations and surface gunnery.

U.S. Navy photo #050718-N-1159B-085 by Journalist 1st Class Brian Brannon

Panama City, Panama, 9 August 2005 - The guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) sails under the Bridge of the Americas, as it departs the port of Vasco Nunez de Balboa to conduct the at-sea portion of the PANAMAX 2005 exercise.

U.S. Air Force #050809-F-3177P-185 photo by Airman 1st Class Veronica Pierce

Caribbean Sea, 10 August 2005 - The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) is one of the several vessels participating in PANAMAX 2005. PANAMAX is a training exercise in defense of the Panama Canal involving 15 countries. The Panama Canal is critical to the free flow of trade and goods in the Western Hemisphere and the entire world. The region's economy and stability largely depend on the safe transport of several hundred million tons of cargo that transit through the canal every year.

U.S. Air Force photo #050810-F-4883S-031 by Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza