Fifth Stop of the USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) Cruise in Palma

The guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) has been docked at the port of Palma de Mallorca since this morning, marking its fifth visit since its first in 1994, reports our collaborator Manuel Aguilera Panadero, the author of the accompanying photos. Since August 2022, it has been deployed in the Mediterranean.

This ship is of the Ticonderoga class, named in honor of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. Built at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, it entered service in September 1987, after just over two years of construction, armament, and various tests.

It saw combat for the first time in 1991 during the Gulf War, firing Tomahawk cruise missiles at land targets in Iraq. In 1992, it participated in Operation Provide Comfort and in 1999 was part of the naval air group for Operation Allied Force in the former Yugoslavia. In 2001, it appeared in the support fleet for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Throughout its naval career, it has been involved in two significant incidents. In October 1996, it collided with the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and in 2019, it repeated the action with the logistics support ship USS Robert E. Peary.

Since August 2022, it has been deployed in the Mediterranean

Photos: Manuel Aguilera Panadero for puentedemando.com