USS Belknap (CG-26)

USS Belknap (CG-26): Rebuilt and Back to Flagship

Commissioned on 7 November 1964, USS Belknap was the lead ship of the nine-ship Belknap class, an improved Leahy design that reintroduced a 5-inch gun forward alongside the Terrier missile battery aft. Combat experience had already shown that surface combatants needed some gun capability for tasks that missiles could not economically perform. Belknap's mixed armament reflected that lesson and set the standard for subsequent American cruiser and destroyer design.

She served as Sixth Fleet flagship in the Mediterranean, a prestigious and demanding assignment that placed her at the center of American naval diplomacy in the waters bordering NATO's southern flank. As flagship she carried admirals and hosted NATO coordination that went far beyond the tactical combat role of a typical cruiser. The Mediterranean in the 1960s and 1970s was one of the most strategically contested bodies of water on earth, and Belknap was the visible American presence in it.

On 22 November 1975, a catastrophic collision with the carrier USS John F. Kennedy during night flight operations set Belknap ablaze. Aviation fuel from Kennedy's flight deck cascaded onto Belknap's superstructure and ignited fires that burned through her aluminum structure down to the main deck. Eight men were killed and dozens wounded. The ship was gutted above the waterline.

What happened next is the actual Belknap story. The Navy decided to rebuild her. After years of reconstruction at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Belknap returned to service in 1980, rebuilt nearly from scratch above the main deck, incorporating improvements that made her more capable than when she was first commissioned. She returned to service as Sixth Fleet flagship. The ship that should have been scrapped came back as the Mediterranean commander's platform.

She was decommissioned on 26 March 1995. Three Vietnam battle stars, flagship service, a catastrophic fire, and a complete rebuild. Tactically Acquired's USS Belknap (CG-26) collection honors a ship that came back from the fire stronger than before.