USS England (DLG-22)

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USS England (CG-22)
History
US
NameEngland
NamesakeJohn C. England
BuilderTodd Shipbuilding, San Pedro, California
Laid down4 October 1960
Launched6 March 1962
AcquiredJune 16 1971
Commissioned7 December 1963
Decommissioned21 January 1994
Stricken21 January 1994
Fatescrapped, 2004
General characteristics
Class and typeLeahy class cruiser
Displacement7,903 tons
Length533 ft
Beam53 ft
Draft24 ft 6 in
Propulsion
Speed34 kts
Range8,000 nm at 20 knots
Complement400 officers and enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
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AN/SLQ-32
Mark 36 SRBOC
Armament
Aircraft carriedNone

The second USS England (DLG/CG-22), a Leahy-class guided missile cruiser, was a ship of the United States Navy named in honor of Ensign John C. England. Originally called a "destroyer leader" or frigate, in 1975 she was re-designated a cruiser in the Navy's 1975 ship reclassification.

Ensign John Charles England was born in Harris, Mo., on December 11, 1920. He attended Pasadena City College, in Pasadena, California and was on the pep-squad there. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve on September 6, 1940 and was commissioned ensign on June 6, 1941. On September 3, 1941 he reported for duty on the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and was killed while saving others on board during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

CG/DLG-22 was the second USS England. The first was DE-635, the ship that sunk six enemy submarines in 12 days in May 1944. That act caused the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest King, to declare "There’ll always be an England in the United States Navy." DE-635 was decommissioned in 1945.

To fulfill Admiral King’s promise, USS England DLG-22 was built by Todd Shipbuilding. The keel was laid on October 4, 1960, launched March 6, 1962, and commissioned on December 07, 1963. Her designation was changed in 1976 to CG-22 at Bremerton Naval Shipyard during an overhaul.

The USS England served in every major Pacific engagement from Vietnam to Desert Storm, from rescuing pilots, performing as plane guard or picket, to showing force around the globe. She was decommissioned on January 21, 1994, and is now part of the ghost fleet in the Suisun Bay near Benicia, California.

External links