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USS Port Royal is one of the most powerful warships in the U.S. Navy, packing 122 vertical missile cells. She’s a rarity—one of just five Aegis cruisers equipped with the technology to shoot down ballistic missiles.
And at just 20 year old, she’s also the youngest of America’s 22 Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers.
Port Royal could have another 20 years of useful service ahead of her. So it’s a mystery why the Navy wants to decommission the 567-foot-long vessel as fast as possible. Especially since a Congress watchdog group insists there’s nothing wrong with the ship.
Besides shooting down ballistic missiles, Port Royal is capable of a whole gamut of missions, including fending off swarms of attacking aircraft, striking enemy surface vessels, hunting submarines and blasting land targets more than 1,000 miles away with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
And at just 20 year old, she’s also the youngest of America’s 22 Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers.
Port Royal could have another 20 years of useful service ahead of her. So it’s a mystery why the Navy wants to decommission the 567-foot-long vessel as fast as possible. Especially since a Congress watchdog group insists there’s nothing wrong with the ship.
Besides shooting down ballistic missiles, Port Royal is capable of a whole gamut of missions, including fending off swarms of attacking aircraft, striking enemy surface vessels, hunting submarines and blasting land targets more than 1,000 miles away with Tomahawk cruise missiles.