Operational deployment for US Navy USS Philippine Sea CG 58 Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser.

According to news published by the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on August 14, 3020, the U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, Aug. 14, for an independent deployment to maintain maritime stability and security and ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests around the globe.
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U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea CG 58. (Picture source U.S. Navy)

This operational deployment is the culmination of months of intensive training and preparation. The Philippine Sea crew has worked hard to get here, successfully honing our skills across warfare areas through a challenging Basic Phase and demanding Integrated Phase, said apt. Kevin J. Hoffman, the Philippine Sea’s commanding officer.

USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) is a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser on active service in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II and is the second ship to bear the name. 

The Philippine Sea was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Her keel was laid on 8 April 1986 and she was launched on 12 July 1987. Upon completion of her sea-trials after construction, the Philippine Sea transferred to the Atlantic Fleet and was commissioned on 18 March 1989 in Portland, Maine.

The Ticonderoga class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. The class uses passive phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers. The Ticonderoga class, similarly to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, is equipped with the Aegis Combat System, which integrates the ship’s electronic sensors and weapons systems to engage anti-ship missile threats.

The Ticonderoga class propulsion system consists of four LM 2500 gas turbine engines from General Electric, which provide 86,000hp. The engines drive two shafts with controllable-pitch propellers. The propulsion system provides a maximum speed over 30 k. At an economical speed of 20 k, the ship has a range over 6,000 miles.

The ship can carry two Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk helicopters fitted with the LAMPS mission avionics integrated by Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, to conduct anti-submarine warfare. 

The armament of the USS Philippine Sea includes two 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems containing 122 × mix of, RIM-66M-5 Standard SM-2MR Block IIIB, RIM-156A SM-2ER Block IV, RIM-161 SM-3, RIM-162A ESSM, RIM-174A Standard ERAM, BGM-109 Tomahawk, RUM-139A VL-ASROC, eight RGM-84 Harpoon missiles, two 5 in (127 mm)/62 caliber Mark 45 Mod 4 lightweight gun, two 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 gun, four  .50 in (12.7 mm) cal. machine gun, two Phalanx CIWS Block 1B and two Mk 32 12.75 in (324 mm) triple torpedo tubes.