EST 13 OCT 1775
USS Virginia (CGN-38)
"Semper Fortis"
"SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS"-
USS Virginia (CGN-38) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, the lead ship of her class, and the eighth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She was commissioned in 1976.
During her early years, the USS Virginia conducted tests, training, and local operations along the eastern US coast and the West Indies. In 1978, she participated in a NATO exercise called Exercise Northern Wedding in northern Europe. The Virginia saw action in the Mediterranean during the 1980s, providing assistance during the Beirut Marine barracks bombing and undergoing a major overhaul in 1984. In 1990, she supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Mediterranean, commanding a strike group and firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. The USS Virginia (CGN-38) was decommissioned shortly after, in 1994.
