The ship was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 327, filmed in 1995.[1]
Capability
The ship is armed with guided missiles and rapid-fire guns. She also carries two Sikorsky SH-60 SeahawkLAMPS helicopters, capable of multiple missions, but primarily equipped for antisubmarine warfare (ASW).
Ship history
Antietam was one of the first vessels to take part in Operation Desert Shield, along with the rest of the USS Independence Battlegroup in August 1990, in response to the Invasion of Kuwait. Antietam then returned to the United States on 20 December 1990.[2] According to an interview in 2007 BBC documentary, The Last Flight to Kuwait, Lawrence Eddingfield, who was captain at that time stated that the vessel was involved in a helicopter rescue of two British SAS troops who had arrived on BA 149 during the invasion.[3]
Antietam operated out of her home port of San Diego, California. From February to August 2005, Antietam completed a circumnavigation of Earth, leaving San Diego to the west and returning home by way of the east. During the deployment, she had an extended stay in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From January to August 2007, Antietam deployed to the Persian Gulf. During that seven-month deployment, she visited Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Pearl Harbor before returning to home port. In 2009, she completed a six-month deployment, leaving San Diego in January 2009, and returning home in July 2009. Stops along the way included Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Guam, and Hawaii.
Antietam underway in the rough seas of the East China Sea in 2003Antietam makes a hard turn right
In February 2013, Antietam relieved Cowpens in a "hull-swap" at Yokosuka, Japan, in which the two crews swapped ships. Cowpens, previously deployed to Yokosuka, was then homeported at Naval Base San Diego, California, while Antietam took up her new homeport at Yokosuka.[5]
On 31 January 2017, Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay near her home port of Yokosuka, Japan. Antietam was anchored off the coast in 30-knot (56 km/h; 35 mph) winds and a strong tide when the crew noticed the ship was dragging her anchor. They got the ship underway, but shortly after doing so, they felt the ship shudder as she lost all pitch control in both propellers. They had run aground on a shoal with damage to both propellers and one of the propeller hubs, causing 1,100 US gallons (4,200 L) of hydraulic oil to leak into the water.[6][7] No personnel were injured during the incident.[8] Repairs cost at least $4.2 million.[9]
On 22 October 2018, she transited the Taiwan Strait along with the destroyer Curtis Wilbur.[10] On 24–25 July 2019, she again transited the Taiwan Strait.[11] On 19–20 September 2019 she transited the Taiwan Strait a third time.[12] During at least one of these transits, a Chinese WZ-7 HALE drone as well as Shenyang J-11 strike fighters followed her and warned one of their helicopters that it was flying too close to the mainland.[13]
In December 2020 the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2024.[14]
On 25 June 2023, Antietam, along with aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and cruiser Robert Smalls, paid a visit to Vietnam. They docked at Tien Sa port, Da Nang and stayed there until 30 June.[17]
On 5 February 2024, the U.S. Navy announced that USS McCampbell (DDG 85) will forward deploy to Yokosuka, Japan. McCampbell will replace USS Antietam (CG 54), which will depart Yokosuka, Japan, in January, after 11 years of forward deployed service and move to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of a scheduled rotation of forces in the Pacific.[18]
In March 2024, the Navy announced plans to inactivate Antietam on 27 September 2024.[19]
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
_underway_2004.jpg)
_underway_in_the_rough_seas_of_the_East_China_Sea.jpg)
