USS ANTIETAM CG-54 US Navy Ship is the eighth ship in
the
TICONDEROGA Class of guided missile cruisers and the
third ship in the US Navy to bear the Antietam name.
The USS Antietam CG-54 Shield:
Dark blue and gold are the traditional colors associated
with the Navy and symbolize the sea and excellence. The
trident, symbol of sea power, represents the ANTIETAM's
capabilities in the three dimensions of naval warfare: air,
surface and subsurface. The broken chain symbolizes the
Emancipation Proclamation, the most positive outcome of the
Civil War Battle of Antietam. The red field refers to the
sacrifice and heroism of the battle, the single bloodiest
day of the Civil War. The Burnside Bridge is the
battlefield's best known landmark. The two gold stars
represent the aircraft carrier USS
ANTIETAM (CVS
36) which earned two battle stars for its service in the
Korean conflict.
The
USS Antietam CG-54 Crest:
The serpent has a fourfold meaning: it was on the first
Navy Jack; its wavy shape, movements and tongue allude to
the new sensor systems (AN/SQQ-89, SLQ-32(V)3, SPY-1, CCSS,
LAMPS MK III) on the ANTIETAM; it is similar to the
copperhead found in the State of Maryland, site of the Civil
War battle; its striking position reinforces the quick
striking capabilities of ANTIETAM. The parrot guns with the
modern missile represent the continuity in ordnance. The
upright position of the missile also suggests the
vertically-launched cruise missile capability of the
cruiser. The gold laurel wreath is symbolic of the
ANTIETAM's excellence in accomplishing its mission.
USS Antietam CG-54 General Characteristics:
Awarded: June 20, 1983
Keel laid: November 15, 1984
Launched: February 14, 1986
Commissioned: June 6, 1987
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss.
Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
Propellers: two Blades on each Propeller: five Length: 567 feet (173 meters)
Beam: 55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft: 34 feet (10.2 meters)
Displacement: approx. 9,600 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots Cost: about $1 billion
Aircraft: two SH-60 Sea Hawk
(LAMPS 3)
Armament: Mk 41 VLS for
Standard missiles,
Tomahawk, ASROC; Mk 46
torpedoes, Harpoon
missile launchers, two Mk 45
5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns, two
Phalanx CIWS
Homeport: San Diego, Calif.
Crew: 33 Officers, 27 Chief Petty Officers and approx. 340 Enlisted.
In naming this cruiser USS ANTIETAM CG-54, the U. S. Navy
commemorates a site along Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg,
Maryland, at which a major Civil War battle was fought.
ANTIETAM is the third American warship named in remembrance
of this battle. The Battle of Antietam, on 17 September
1862, climaxed the first of Confederate General Robert E.
Lee's two attempts to carry the war from the South into the
North. Some 41,000 Southerners were pitted against the
87,000-man Federal Army of the Potomac under General George
B. McClellan. After his great victory at Manassas in August,
Lee had marched his Army of Northern Virginia into western
Maryland, hoping to find vitally needed men and supplies.
McClellan moved his army westward to cut off Lee and protect
Washington and Baltimore from being separated. McClellan
followed Lee, first to Frederick, where through rare good
fortune, a copy of Lee's battle plan fell into his hands,
then westward twelve miles to the passes of South Mountain.
There, on 14 September, Lee tried to block the Union troops.
McClellan forced his way through the out-manned Southern
ranks. Over the next two days, new battle lines were drawn
west and east of Antietam Creek. The battle opened at dawn
on the 17th and moved to three different locations
throughout the day. More Americans were killed or wounded in
the Battle of Antietam than on any other single day in
American history. Federal losses were 12,410 and Confederate
losses were 10,700. Although neither side gained a decisive
victory, Lee's failure to carry the war effort effectively
into the North caused Great Britain to postpone recognition
of the Confederate government. The battle also gave
President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the
Emancipation Proclamation.