U.S. Navy Prepares to Decommission 3 More Cruisers This Month

Sailors assigned to the USS Monterey (CG-61) depart the ship for the final time during its decommissioning ceremony Sept. 16 in Norfolk, Va. US Navy Photo
The Navy decommissioned the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG-61) in a ceremony on Friday as the service continues to take Ticonderoga-class cruisers out of inventory.Monterey, built at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine, was commissioned on June 16, 1990, in Mayport, Fla., The ship served 32 years, according to a Navy news release from the decommissioning ceremony.
The cruiser is the third ship to be named after the Battle of Monterey, which was fought on Sept. 20, 1846. During its service in the Navy, Monterey went through 14 deployments, according to the statement …