YORKTOWN — Forty years ago, USS Yorktown (CG-48) was commissioned, and on Oct. 18, her commissioning anniversary was celebrated by former crew members and their families at the Mathews grave at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
The USS Yorktown was a Ticonderoga-class cruiser in the United States Navy from 1984 to 2004. Named for the 1781 Battle of Yorktown, which effectively ended the American Revolution and secured independence for the United States, she was the fifth ship of the U.S. Navy named Yorktown.
The ship was christened in 1983, with Mary Mathews, a naturalized citizen, renowned restauranteur, and patriot from Yorktown serving as Sponsor, and the ship was commissioned on July 4, 1984 at the Ammunition Pier of the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. Yorktown featured the AEGIS Weapon System, which the Navy describes as a centralized, automated, command-and-control (C2) and weapons control system that was designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill. The vessel’s armament included surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship/anti-submarine missiles, torpedo launchers, and a mounted cannon.
During her career, the Yorktown participated in many significant naval operations, including the Achille Lauro hijacker intercept; Black Sea excursions; NATO and multinational exercises; and counter-narcotic operations in the Caribbean. In 1988, the Soviet Burevestnik M-class frigate Bezzavetnyy intentionally rammed Yorktown in international waters, creating an intense political and military incident. For her service, the Yorktown received numerous prestigious awards for excellence in warfare and national defense. The Yorktown was decommissioned in 2004.
The 40th-anniversary celebration saw various guests provided remarks, including the ship’s first commanding officer, Capt. Carl Anderson.
Anderson shared anecdotes of his relationship with Mathews, the somber day of the ship’s commissioning, as Mary’s husband Nick had died the day before, and praised his crew.
“When you are in command of a ship, you never truly leave it. People always ask me, do you miss the Navy? And I do. I would take command of another ship in a minute. Why? Because of the crew. You can feel that camaraderie,” Anderson said.
Those who were berthed on the ship were known as “Mary’s Boys.” A wreath was also laid at the gravesite in honor of her service to all those who served aboard the USS Yorktown, and to honor Mathews, the former crew also marched in the Yorktown Day parade on Oct. 19.
To learn more about the USS Yorktown, visit ussyorktowncg48association.org.