Long Beach-class (CGN-9)

Ordered in 1956 and commissioned in 1961, USS Long Beach was the first nuclear-powered surface combatant. Built by Bethlehem Steel Co. at the Fore River Shipyard, the vessel was the sole member of its class. While initially planned as a smaller frigate, it was redesigned with a cruiser hull. It was the final cruiser built for the United States Navy using a cruiser hull form rather than a scaled-up destroyer design.

The ship’s design featured a tall, box-like superstructure housing the SCANFAR system, consisting of phased array radars. These systems were experimental precursors to later Aegis phased array technologies. Propulsion was provided by nuclear reactors. Although originally designed with an all-missile armament, the ship was fitted with 5-inch gun mounts amidships. The construction incorporated structural aluminum, which resulted in the voice radio call sign "Alcoa." Over its service life, the weapons suite was updated, replacing the original Terrier and Talos missiles with Standard missiles, and adding Harpoon and Tomahawk missile launchers alongside Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems.

Operational service began in the Atlantic Fleet, where the vessel participated in Operation Sea Orbit in 1964. This world cruise, conducted alongside USS Enterprise and USS Bainbridge, formed the first all-nuclear task group and demonstrated the mobility of nuclear-powered surface forces. In 1966, the ship transferred to the Pacific Fleet. During the Vietnam War, it served as a Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone unit in the Gulf of Tonkin. In 1968, the vessel recorded the first aircraft shoot-downs by a ship using surface-to-air missiles, destroying two MiGs with Talos missiles.

During the 1980s, the Long Beach underwent a mid-life conversion that included the removal of the SCANFAR radars and the installation of updated sensor suites and cruise missiles. During this decade, it provided anti-aircraft cover for Operation Nimble Archer in the Persian Gulf. In the early 1990s, the ship served as an escort following the Gulf War and participated in Operation Fiery Vigil, evacuating personnel during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. The Navy decommissioned the vessel in 1995, citing the high cost of nuclear surface operations and post-Cold War budget reductions. The superstructure was removed and the reactors defueled before the hull was moved to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for recycling.