USS Thomas S. Gates CG51

• Namesake: USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51) was named after Thomas S. Gates, Jr., who served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1959 to 1961, and previously as Secretary of the Navy. • Class: The ship was a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, equipped with the advanced Aegis Combat System for air defense. • Commissioning: USS Thomas S. Gates was commissioned on 22 December 1987 at Bath, Maine, and was constructed by Bath Iron Works. • First Vertical Launch System (VLS) Cruiser: She was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to be built from the keel up with the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System, greatly enhancing her missile capabilities. • Gulf War Service: During Operation Desert Storm, the ship served as a key air defense platform in the Persian Gulf, providing protection for allied forces and enforcing the blockade of Iraq. • Bosnia Operations: In the 1990s, the cruiser participated in Operation Sharp Guard, enforcing sanctions and embargoes in the Adriatic Sea during the Yugoslav Wars. • Missile Firing Milestone: In 1998, USS Thomas S. Gates was the first ship to successfully intercept a drone target using a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block III with the Aegis Baseline 4 system. • Homeport: The ship’s primary homeport was Naval Station Pascagoula, Mississippi, before it was decommissioned. • Decommissioning: USS Thomas S. Gates was decommissioned on 15 December 2005, after 18 years of service, as part of post-Cold War naval reductions. • Legacy: The ship’s legacy lives on through her technological innovations, her crew’s distinguished service, and artifacts preserved at naval museums.