USS Lake Champlain (CG-57)

USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. It is the third ship to be named Lake Champlain, in honor of Battle of Lake Champlain, which took place during the War of 1812.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Lake Champlain.

USS Lake Champlain (CG-57)
History
United States
Name: Lake Champlain
Namesake: Battle of Lake Champlain
Awarded: 16 December 1983
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Laid down: 3 March 1986
Launched: 3 April 1987
Acquired: 1 June 1988
Commissioned: 12 August 1988
Homeport: Naval Base San Diego
Identification:
Motto: Ingenuity Daring Discipline[1]
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Ticonderoga-class cruiser
Displacement: Approx. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load
Length: 567 feet (173 m)
Beam: 55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft: 34 feet (10.2 meters)
Propulsion:
Speed: 32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement: 30 officers and 300 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems:
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 2 × Sikorsky SH-60B or MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.

Ship history

Lake Champlain was laid down 3 March 1986, at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched 3 April 1987, and commissioned 12 August 1988, at Intrepid Pier at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, Captain Ralph K. Martin commanding. She then steamed to her homeport of San Diego, via Cape Horn, South America, losing part of her hurricane bow in heavy seas. She has been to the Persian Gulf on multiple occasions, first as a part of Operation Desert Shield, then later following Desert Storm. She aided in the evacuation of the Philippines during the Mount Pinatubo eruption while transiting to the Persian Gulf.

Lake Champlain is currently assigned to Carrier Group One.

Accidents and incidents

2007 explosion

On 10 November 2007 an explosion occurred in the ship's hull during routine maintenance in a San Diego dry dock. Six workers were injured, one of them critically. The explosion was caused when flammable gases ignited inside the fuel-tank compartment where the workers were working.[2][3] The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the incident.[4] OSHA cited NASSCO, a Navy contractor in charge of the work, for seven serious safety violations and two minor safety violations at the site.[5] The explosion occurred one day after NASSCO subcontractor Técnico Corporation fired a safety inspector who was responsible for measuring oxygen levels in enclosed worksites. The inspector subsequently filed a lawsuit against his former employer, alleging that he was a whistleblower who was fired after warning superiors that additional safety measures were needed on the ship.[3]

2017 collision

On 9 May 2017, a South Korean fishing vessel (about 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 m) in length) collided with the port side of USS Lake Champlain while the ship was underway and conducting "routine operations in international waters" off Asia. No one was injured.[6][7] The Navy ship had attempted to contact the vessel, but the fishing boat lacked a radio.[6] The fishing vessel did not respond to Lake Champlain's emergency whistle. Both the cruiser and the fishing vessel were undamaged enough to be able to sail away under their own power.[7]

See also

References
  1. Official ships history, "Ingenuity, Daring, Discipline – The Motto of LAKE CHAMPLAIN."
  2. Navy Vessel Explosion Injures Six People, Los Angeles Times, (11 November 2007).
  3. Steve Liewer, Shipyard explosion blamed on gas buildup, San Diego Union Tribune (28 December 2007).
  4. Liewer, Steve, "OSHA Investigating Explosion Aboard Navy Ship," San Diego Union-Tribune (24 November 2007).
  5. Officials Confirm Violations That Led To Ship Fire, KGTV (6 May 2008).
  6. Maya Salam, A Look at Earlier Collisions Involving Navy Vessels, New York Times (19 June 2017).
  7. Jeanette Steele, Korean fishing boat collides with San Diego Navy warship, San Diego Union Tribune (9 May 2017).

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

  • Lake Champlain conducting an emergency breakaway maneuver after completing an underway replenishment.
  • USS Lake Champlain leaving Pearl Harbor
  • Lake Champlain missing part of the hurricane bow, c.1988.
  • Lake Champlain with hurricane bow, 2004.
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