USS Anzio (CG-68)

History

2000s

On 6 April 2000, Anzio, along with another cruiser and the aircraft carrier , was participating in an exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, about 250 mi off the coast of Israel. In an unannounced missile test, the Israel Defense Forces fired a Jericho-1 medium-range ballistic missile from a test facility in Yavne, which landed 40 mi from the ship. The missile was detected by the ship's radar, and the crew briefly thought that they were under attack.

On 9 January 2003, Anzio was pre-deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ordered first to the eastern Mediterranean Sea for the initial phase of President George W. Bush's Shock and Awe strategy (during which the U.S. Navy deployed to defeat the Iraq military before ground forces were sent in). Once Anzio completed her mission in the eastern Mediterranean, she forward-deployed to the Persian Gulf. Once Anzio arrived in the Persian Gulf, she had marked her 45th straight day at sea. In the Persian Gulf, Anzio continued carrier-flight support operations and coastal surveillance. After President Bush announced major combat had concluded in the Iraq War, on 1 May 2003, Anzio was relieved of her duties, returning home on 3 July 2003, after 175 days at sea. In March 2003, she was assigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight.

On 16 February 2007, Anzio was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.

Anzio has served as the flagship of the Horn of Africa international anti-piracy Combined Task Force 151. On 15 October 2009 a team from the cruiser working with United States Coast Guard personnel from Maritime Safety and Security Team 91104 seized a skiff carrying an estimated 4 tons of hashish worth an estimated $28 million about 170 nmi southwest of Salalah, Oman. The boarding team destroyed the drugs by dumping them into the ocean and released the skiff's crew.

2010s

Anzio was tentatively scheduled to be decommissioned and designated for disposal on 31 March 2013. However, Anzio was retained under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

On 13 January 2016, ten U.S. Navy sailors were picked up by Anzio for transport and medical evaluations after being held in Iranian custody. The sailors were captured by Iran on 12 January 2016 after their two naval boats entered Iranian waters. "The evidence suggests that they unintentionally entered the Iranian waters because of the failure of their navigational system," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ramazan Sharif said on Press TV. Anzio was also involved in a replenishment at sea operation with , , , , and .

2020s

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 2022.

On 22 September 2022, Anzio was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia after 30 years of service.

Notable crew

References

References

1. (22 September 2022). "USS Anzio Decommissioned After 30 Years of Service". United States Navy.
2. (22 September 2022). "Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (SURFLANT)". surflant.usff.navy.mil.
3. Ricks, Thomas E.. (2 May 2000). "Pentagon Questions Israeli Missile Test Near Navy". [[The Washington Post]].
4. Quigley, Craig. (2 May 2000). "DoD News Briefing".
5. Toppan, Andrew. (10 March 2003). "World Navies Today: US Navy Aircraft Carriers & Surface Combatants".
6. Ludwick, Paula M.. (19 February 2007). "Surface Force Ships, Crews Earn Battle "E"".
7. Jones, Iain. (13 August 2009). "U.S. Assumes Command of Counter-piracy Task Force".
8. Jones, Iain. (21 October 2009). "USS Anzio Seizes 4 Tons of Narcotics".
9. (15 October 2009). "MSST 91104 stops drugs in Gulf of Aden".
10. (21 October 2009). "Navy seizes 4 tons of narcotics at sea". [[Stars and Stripes (newspaper).
11. (12 March 2012). "FY13 Projected Ship Inactivation Schedule".
12. (27 September 2012). "US Navy to retain four Ticonderoga-class cruisers in service".
13. "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013".
14. Brown, George. (13 January 2016). "10 American sailors detained by Iran freed".
15. (21 January 2016). "Defender refuels for counter-Daesh operations".
16. (9 December 2020). "Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels". Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
17. (2015-09-10). "Cruiser Anzio skipper canned for alleged misconduct". [[Navy Times]].
18. (2014-11-24). "Gordon James Klingenschmitt v. The United States of America". [[United States Court of Federal Claims]].