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Chronology - U.S.S. Galveston CL-93 / CLG-3

Note: This information on this page is based on the best available information. If you have verifiable corrections or additions, please feel free to forward them to either the Webmaster - Bob@ussgalveston.org or to Art Tilley - Galveston Historian.

To view table of Commanding Officers click here or scroll to the bottom

1944

20 Feb 44
Keel laid (as CL-93), at Cramp Shipbuilding, Philadelphia, Pa.  

1945

22 Apr 45
CL-93 launched, Cramp Shipbuilding, Philadelphia, Pa.
15 Aug 45 VJ Day, Ending World War II

1946

24 May 46 Moved from Cramp Shipbuilding to Philadelphia Navy Yard
Photo

24 Jun 46

Construction suspended (WW II demobilization)

 

1947

6 May 47
Assigned to the Philadelphia Group - Atlantic Reserve Fleet  

1956

4 Feb 56 Reclassified CLG-93  

Aug 56

Rework begins to convert to a Guided Missile Cruiser

 

1957

23 May 57
Reclassified to CLG-3  

1958

May 58

Final fitting out at Philadlphia Navy Yard

 
28 May 58
Commissioned at Philadelphia, Captain J. B Colwell in command
30 Jun 58 Departed Philadelphia for builder's trials and tests of Talos missile  
18 Nov 58 Capt. David D. Scott relieves Capt. Colwell.  
31 Dec 58 Galveston finished out the year with operations in the Norfolk area.  

1959

16 Jan 59

Arrived San Juan, Puerto Rico for training and evaluation operations.

 
24 Feb 59 Launched first Talos missile ever fired at sea.
17 Mar 59 Set course for Norfolk  and a special yard period in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.  
Jul 59 Conducted shakedown and acceptance trials in the Virginia Capes area, refresher training off Cuba, and war games with the U.S. Air Force.

1960

4 Jan 60

Departed Norfolk for Charleston, S.C., Florida coast, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

 
11 Feb 60 Captain Leslie M. Slack assumes command of USS Galveston
15 Feb 60 Begin four day visit in namesake city, Galveston, Texas
16 Feb 60 Open house aboard ship for Galveston, TX residents .
Feb-Mar 60 Shock tests off the Bahamas, then returning to Norfolk  
25 Mar 60 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a yard period that extended into fall  
21-22 May 60 Armed Forces Day. USS Galveston at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA  
24 Oct 60 Departed for Virginia Capes, successfully completing her first missile transfer at sea.  

1961

6 Jan 61 Departed Norfolk for Bureau of Naval Weapons technical evaluation of Talos off Jacksonville, Fla., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  
4 Feb 61 Capt. John Henderson Cotten assumes command of Galveston  
Feb 61 Longest range Talos firing at sea.
1 Mar 61 Departed San Juan for RefTra and final acceptance trial out of Guantanamo Bay  

9 Apr 61

Returned Norfolk  
Apr 61 Departed for Jacksonville, Fla  
8 May 61 Began duty under the Operational Technical Evaluation Force
May 61 Cape Canaveral Armed Forces weekend  
Jun-Jul 61 First Talos two missile salvo at sea  
21 Jul 61 Completed evaluation exercises in the Caribbean  
? Visited Bayonne, N.J., where her missile fire-control radars were removed preparatory to overhaul of Talos Fire Control system  
30 Aug 61 Begin overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard with modifications to the Talos Fire Control system  

1962

April 62

Inclining experiments at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Departed Philadelphia
 
4 Apr 62 Capt. Gerald Patrick Joyce assumes command of USS Galveston
23 Jul 62 Departed Philadelphia, PA for new home port of San Diego, CA  
4 Aug 62 Arrive at Galveston, TX
? Balboa, Canal Zone  
? Transited the Panama Canal  
? Acapulco, Mexico  
24 Aug 62 Arrived San Diego, Calif. and joined Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 9, U.S. Pacific Fleet  
14 Oct 62 Cuban Missile Crisis begins  
20 Nov 62 Cuban Missile Crisis ends  

1963

Jan 63 Embarked COMCRUDESFLOT NINE  
Jun 1, 63 Capt. Thomas J. Rudden Jr. assumes command of the Galveston
Jun 63 Complete development tests of Talos missile  
17 Oct 63 Departed for 1st WestPac cruise. Served as flagship. During the next 6 months she operated in the Far East with the 7th Fleet off Japan, Taiwan, and Okinawa.  
Jul-Aug 63 Refresher Training  
Oct 63 Operating with USS Kitty Hawk CVA-63  
Oct 63 Operating with USS Perkins DD-877  
? Pearl Harbor, Hawaii  
? Subic Bay, Luzon, Phillipines
? Yokosuka, Japan  
22 Nov 63 President John F. Kennedy is assassinated  
25 Nov 63

JFK memorial service held on the Galveston fantail

? Kagoshima, Japan  
? Yokohama, Japan  
? Tokyo, Japan  
? Hong Kong - While in Hong Kong flooding of the Area 3 Missile Space (Missile / Booster stowage) occurs. Faulty valve is at fault.  
? Captain Gerald P. Joyce assumes command of USS Galveston  

1964

3 Feb 64
Talos missile shoot - Okinawa Missile Range  
? Imabari, Japan  
? Yokosuk, Japan  
? Kaohsiung, Taiwan  
? Kobe, Japan  
? Nagasaki, Japan  
4 Mar 64 Operation Backpack  
? Sasebo, Japan
16 Apr 64 Returned to San Diego and resumed West Coast training.
At sea
 
May 64 Ship's Open House at Foot of Broadway Piers, San Diego
19 Jun 64 Capt. Lloyd Verne Young Assumes Command
Oct 64 Began 4-month overhaul  

1965

Jan 65 Inclining experiments Long Beach Naval Shipyard  

Feb 65

End 4-month overhaul
 
4 Jun 65 Departed San Diego for 2nd WestPac cruise. Naval support in South Vietnam.  
21 Jun 65 Arrived Subic Bay, Philippines, then sailed to join the 7th Fleet in the South China Sea. During the next 5 months she ranged the Southeast Asian waters from the Gulf of Thailand to the Gulf of Tonkin  
08 Jul 65 Off Chu Lai, Vietnam. Galveston fires 12 rounds. Investigated Vietnamese junk  
18 Jul 65 Capt. Alexander Scott Goodfellow arrives  
19 Jul 65 Officers hold a ceremony honoring Capt. Young at "O" Club  
20 July 65 Capt. Alexander Scott Goodfellow assumes command
1 Aug 65 Fired 115 rounds of gunfire support north of Da Nang
2 Aug 65 Fired 224 rounds of gunfire support south of Da Nang  
3-4 Aug 65 Fired 275 rounds of gunfire support south of Saigon  
5-11 Aug 65 Conducting UnReps and operating with carriers  
12 Aug 65 Fired 72 rounds of gunfire support off of Da Nang  
16 Aug 65 Fired 145 rounds of gunfire support north of Qui Nohn  

18 Aug 65

Operation Starlite. Amphibious assault on the Van Tuong Peninsula, Vietnam. Supported by marine air and naval gunfire from the cruiser USS Galveston.
23 Aug 65 Conducting a junk and sampan patrol in support of US Marines Amphibious Operations ashore between Nui Gay Tac and Pointe de Phuoc Thien
28 Aug 65 Arrive Hong Kong  
3 Sep 65 Depart Hong Kong. Begin 43 consecutive days at sea!  
10 Sep 65 Fired illumination rounds to assist crew of a downed helo with salvage operations  
11 Sep 65 Fired 197 rounds. Destroyed 13 structures, damaged 34  
23 Sep 65 Shore bombardment, I Corps area South Vietnam, ship's 6"/47 guns fire over 440 rounds at Viet Cong targets. Spotter reports 13 Viet Cong KIA, 50 structures and five guns destroyed.  
24 Sep 65 Fired 419 rounds of 6" in two hours. Then 133 more rounds  
25 Sep 65 Fired on and destroyed pillbox  
3 Oct 65 Fired 231 rounds, damaging 60 structures  
16-24 Oct 65 Yokosuka, Japan  
? Oct 65 Fired 93 rounds of 6" ammo near Chu Lai  
10 Nov 65 Marines celebrate USMC 190th birthday!  
25 Nov 65 Thanksgiving Day in port - Hong Kong.  
2 Dec 65 Capt. Robert Edward Adamson assumes command from Capt. Goodfellow - Departed Philippines
18 Dec 65 Arrived San Diego.  

1966

Jan 66
Resumed operations out of San Diego  
  Midshipmans' Cruise  
05 Feb 66 At San Diego with USS Chicago, CG-11  
Jun 66 Hawaii  
July 66 San Francisco, CA; San Diego,CA; Long Beach, CA  
31 Jul 66 Begin modernization overhaul, Long Beach  
5 Nov 66 End overhaul and return to San Diego for sea trials. Many new crew members boarded and received brochure included in link at right..
Dec 66 Continue Sea exercises out of San Diego

1967

28 Jan 67 Change of Command, M.H. Sappington relieves R.E. Adamson Jr.
13 Feb 67
Departed San Diego to Operate with 6th Fleet in Mediterranean  
19 Feb 67 Arrive Panama City, Canal Zone  
20 Feb 67 Transit the Panama Canal  
25 Feb-
2 Mar 67
Newport, Rhode Island  
12 Mar Palma, Mallorca  
25-31 Mar 67 Naples, Italy  
8-17 Apr 67 Palermos, Sicilly  
24-26 Apr 67 Barcelona, Spain  

27 Apr-
2 May 67

Toulon, France  
11-15 May 67 Valletta, Malta
5 Jun 1967 Beginning of Six Day War  
8 Jun 67 USS Liberty attacked by Israeli jet and torpedo boats
10 Jun 67 End of Six Day War  
15-21 Jun 67 Soudha Bay, Crete  
27-30 Jun 67 Valletta, Malta
7-16 Jul 67 Naples, Italy  
25 Jul-
2 Aug 67
Marseille, France
16-22 Aug 67 Palma, Mallorca  
30 Aug 67 Newport, Rhode Island  
5 Sep 67 Cristobal, Canal Zone  
11 Sep 67 Return to San Diego -- gone so long a Guide to San Diego was issued

1968

Mar 68 Capt. Robert B. Pettitt assumes command of USS Galveston
?
Entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for overhaul  
4 Apr 68 Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated  
17 May 68 Inclining experiments at Long Beach Naval Shipyard  
6 Jun 68 Robert Kennedy Assassinated  
Oct 68 In and out of San Diego for Sea Trials
17 Oct 68 Depart San Diego for third WestPac deployment  
22 Oct 68 Arrive Pearl Harbor, Hawaii  
25 Oct 68 Depart Pearl Harbor  
6 Nov 68 Arrive Subic Bay, Phillipines. Moored at Alava Wharf
11 Nov 68 Depart Subic Bay  
14 Nov 68 Anchored at Da Nang Harbor, South Vietnam  
15 Nov 68 COMCRUDESFORPAC RADM Freeman visits Galveston  
Nov 68 Expended 3565 rounds of 5” and 6” ammo in gunfire support
23 Nov 68 USS New Jersy relieves Galveston. Galveston to Gulf of Tonkin in accordance with instructions from Commander Task Unit 70.8.9  
30 Nov 68 Depart for Sasebo, Japan  
4 Dec 68 Arrive Sasebo  
12 Dec 68 Depart Sasebo  
25 Dec 68 Christmas at sea  

1969

8 Jan 69 VertRep by helos from USS Mars AFS-1  
10 Jan 69
Arrive Hong Kong, BC: Mooered at Buoy 1, Man of War Anchorage  
2 Feb 69 Arrive San Diego, CA; Moored Pier 16  
9 Apr 69 Depart San Diego. Underway for Panama Canal  
14 Apr 69 Arrive Rodman Naval Station, Panama Canal Zone  
15 Apr 69 Transit Panama Canal  
19 Apr 69 Arrive Galveston, TX; Moored Pier 15, Galveston Channel.  
26 Apr 69 Arrive Norfolk, VA; COMCRUDESFLOT 8 RADM F.H. Price embarked.  
May 69 Rota, Spain  
12 May 69 Arrive Barcelona, Spain  
17 May 69 Barcelona, Spain: Capt. James W. Montgomery relieved Capt. Robert B. Pettitt as CO
26 May 69 Arrive Valletta, Malta; Moored Buoy 9 fwd and Buoy 8 aft  
May 69 Athens, Greece; Anchorage B-1 Phalaron Bay  
May 69 Villefranche-Sur-Mer , France  
20 Jul 69 Appolo 11, 1st Moon Landing
21 Jul 69 Arrive Naples, Italy; Moored stern to (Med Moor) at Berth Q73  
14 Aug 69 Palma, Mallorca  
? Taranto, Itally  
? Soudha Bay, Crete  
? Argostoli, Greece  
? Sep 69 Valetta, Malta  
? Naples, Italy  
? Rota, Spain  
? Norfolk, VA. COMCRUDESFLOT 8 disembarked  
? Panama Canal transit  
9 Nov 69 Retrun to San Diego, CA  

1970

25 May 70
USS Galveston CLG3 Decommissioned  

1973

21 Dec 73
USS Galveston CLG3; stricken from the US Navy Ships Register  

1975

30 Apr 75 Saigon falls to North Vietnam and becomes Ho Chi Minh City.
30 Apr 75
USS Galveston Offered for Scrap Sale- Appraisal Value $400,000
(Bid Detail Booklet - click on Info)
1 Jun 75 Navy Reports Change of Ship's Status - SOLD More Information

Commanding Officers
Name/Rank Final Rank
Dates
Colwell, John Barr, CAPT
VADM
05/28/58 - 11/18/58
Scott, David Darwin, CAPT
11/18/58 - 02/11/60
Slack, Leslie Martin, CAPT
02/11/60 - 02/04/61
Cotten, John Henderson, CAPT
02/04/61 - 04/11/62
Joyce, Gerald Patrick (Gerry), CAPT
04/11/62 - 06/01/63
Rudden Jr., Thomas Joseph, CAPT
RADM
06/01/63 - 06/10/64
Young, Lloyd Verne, CAPT
06/10/64 - 07/20/65
Goodfellow, Alexander Scott, CAPT
RADM
07/20/65 - 12/02/65
Adamson Jr., Robert Edward, CAPT
VADM
12/02/65 - 01/28/67
Sappington, Merrill Homer, CAPT
VADM
01/28/67 - 03/22/68
Pettitt, Robert Buel, CAPT
Capt.
03/22/68 - 05/17/69
Montgomery, James Ward, CAPT
RADM
05/17/69 - 05/25/70