Editing Virginia-class cruiser (section)

==Class description==
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) elevated starboard view.jpg|thumb|''Virginia'' underway off the coast of Cape Henry, Virginia (VA)]]
[[File:CGN-42 artist impression.jpg|thumb|Artist's impression of CGN-42, the planned AEGIS version of the ''Virginia''-class]]
The ships were derived from the earlier [[California-class cruiser|''California''-class nuclear cruiser]] (CGN-36 class). Three of the four ''Virginia''-class ships were authorized as guided-missile frigates (in the pre-1975 definition); they were redesignated as cruisers before commissioning or launching. The last ship, ''Arkansas'', was authorized, laid down, launched, and commissioned as a guided-missile cruiser. A fifth member of the class, CGN-42, was canceled before being named or laid down.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CGN-42 AEGIS Modified Virginia |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-42.htm |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

With their nuclear power plants and the resulting capability of steaming at high speeds for long periods, these ships were excellent escorts for the fast nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]]s, such as the {{sclass|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|4}}. They also had superb [[flagship]] facilities. Their primary mission was as air-defense ships, while they also had capabilities as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships, surface-to-surface warfare (SSW) ships, and in gun and missile bombardment of shore targets.

The ''Virginia'' class, as designed, carried one [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] helicopter aft of the superstructure with a flight deck. In a unique arrangement in the U.S. Navy, the hangars were below deck,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia class guided missile cruiser DLGN CGN 38 US Navy |url=https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/cgn/Virginia-class.htm |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.seaforces.org}}</ref> with an electro-mechanical elevator covered by a telescopic hatch. This improved over the preceding ''California'' class, which only had a landing pad aft and basic refueling equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D-Mitch |title=WARSHIPS OF THE PAST: Virginia class nuclear-powered cruisers of the United States Navy |url=https://www.navalanalyses.com/2015/06/warships-of-past-vriginia-class-nuclear.html |access-date=2022-12-23}}</ref>

[[File:USS Arkansas (CGN-41) shock trials.jpg|thumb|left|A shock trial of ''Arkansas'' in 1982]]
It was found that, while it was possible to mass-produce nuclear-powered warships, the ships were less cost-efficient than conventionally powered warships. Also, the new gas turbine-powered ships then entering the fleet—the {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer}}s—required much less manpower. While eleven ships of the ''Virginia'' class were planned, only four were produced, and the remainder were canceled. Following the completion of the final member of the class, ''Arkansas'', the U.S. Navy continued conventional destroyer/cruiser production, and it redesignated the DDG-47 class of guided-missile destroyers as the CG-47 {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}s.

===Refit===
[[File:Virginia-class-cruiser in task-group.jpg|thumb|''Mississippi'' and ''Texas'' (second and third from left) underway with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|2}} and cruiser {{USS|Biddle|CG-34|2}} in the Mediterranean Sea, August 1981]]

In the 1980s, the class received a [[New Threat Upgrade]] electronics overhaul to better suit them to modern threats. Their rapid-fire Mk&nbsp;26 launchers could fire the powerful Standard SM-2MR medium-range [[surface-to-air missile]]—earlier decommissioned cruisers used the slower-firing Mk&nbsp;10 launchers, which required manual fitting of the missiles' fins prior to launch.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Nevertheless, the CGN-38-class cruisers, with their missile magazines and Mk&nbsp;26 missile launchers, were incapable of carrying the [[RIM-67 Standard|SM-2ER]] long-range surface-to-air missile; they were restricted to the [[RIM-66 Standard|SM-2MR]] medium-range surface-to-air missile. This was a significant limitation in their capabilities.

Each member of the class also received [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk]] cruise missile armored box launchers. The Tomahawk missiles were installed, even though this meant the removal of the [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] [[helicopter]] as it was found that the elevator and below-deck hangar proved problematic during aviation operations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CGN-38 Virginia Class |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-38.htm |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

===Early decommissioning===
[[File:USS Virginia (CGN-38) in dry dock for nuclear core removal.jpg|thumb|''Virginia'' in drydock at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth Virginia]]; the ship's superstructure has been removed and replaced by containment vessels to allow the safe removal of her nuclear reactors]]
All four vessels were decommissioned as part of the early 1990s "[[peace dividend]]" after the [[Cold War]] ended, considered by naval standards an early retirement given their designed service life of 38 years. Despite being of a modern design with a recent refit, what doomed the ''Virginia'' nuclear-powered cruisers was a lack of resources, as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military faced major budget cutbacks after the Cold War. The ships of the class were coming due for their first nuclear refuelings, mid-life overhauls, and NTU refittings, which were all budgeted projects, together costing about half the price of a new ship. Further, they required relatively large crews, straining the operating budget. The 1996 Navy Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC) study determined the annual operating cost of a ''Virginia''-class cruiser at $40&nbsp;million, compared to $28&nbsp;million for a ''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser, or $20&nbsp;million for an {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|1}}, the latter two classes designed with the much more capable [[Aegis Combat System]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cg-47-specs.htm CG-47 Ticonderoga-class<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Given a lower requirement for cruisers, it was decided to retire the ''Virginia'' class and other nuclear-powered ships as a money-saving measure, a decision made while ''Texas'' was in the middle of her refueling overhaul. The early ''Ticonderoga''-class cruisers, which lacked the Vertical Launch System, had equally short careers, serving between 18 and 21 years.<ref>{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CG51|title=CG-51}} - 18 years. {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CG47|title=CG-47}} - 21 years.</ref>