The Ticonderoga Class ship was first conceived as a low cost, large production number vessel
with a hull based on the Spruance Class Destroyer but later redesigned as a cruiser. Over
time the Ticonderoga Class evolved in to one of the most advanced ships in the USN inventory, being the first combat surface ship to be equipped with the AEGIS Weapon System that can detect threats 200 miles away and provide defence. Originally 27 ships were built but 5 have been retired.
The USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) was the fifth USN vessel to bear this name, inspired by the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775I. The keel was laid on January 21, 1980 and on May 16, 1981 the First Lady Nancy Reagan performed the christening. On January 22, 1983 USS Ticonderoga was
commissioned and after being based at Norfolk Virginia until 1996, relocated to Pascagoula, Mississippi. USS Ticonderoga. CG-47 was decommissioned on September 30, 2004.