USS San Jacinto CG 56 – History of the U.S. Navy's Aegis Guided Missile Cruiser & Navy Decals

USS San Jacinto CG 56 – History, Service Record & Navy Decals

The USS San Jacinto (CG-56) was the tenth ship of the Ticonderoga class of Aegis guided missile cruisers, serving the Atlantic Fleet through more than two decades of distinguished active service that included one of the most historically significant combat firings of the post-Cold War era. Named for the Battle of San Jacinto — fought on April 21, 1836, near present-day Houston, Texas — the decisive 18-minute battle in which General Sam Houston's Texian Army destroyed the Mexican Army of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, captured Santa Anna himself, and won the independence of the Republic of Texas in one of the most consequential and dramatically swift military victories in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

The Battle of San Jacinto

The Battle of San Jacinto was the culmination of one of the most remarkable and emotionally charged military campaigns in American history — a campaign driven by rage, loss, and an almost reckless desire for vengeance. In the weeks before San Jacinto, Santa Anna had massacred the garrison of the Alamo on March 6, 1836 — killing every defender including Jim Bowie, William Barret Travis, and Davy Crockett — and had executed some 400 Texian prisoners at Goliad on March 27 in what became known as the Goliad Massacre. The battle cry that galvanized the Texian Army was simple and unforgettable: “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!”

On the afternoon of April 21, 1836, while Santa Anna's army rested during their siesta hour — believing Houston's retreating army was not a threat — Houston launched a surprise attack across the open plain at San Jacinto. The battle lasted 18 minutes. The Mexican Army, caught completely off guard, was overwhelmed in one of the most one-sided engagements in military history: 630 Mexican soldiers killed, 730 captured — including Santa Anna himself, found hiding in the grass the following day disguised as a common soldier, identified when his own captured troops instinctively called out “El Presidente!” Texian casualties: 9 killed, 30 wounded. The Republic of Texas was born. Eventually, Texas would join the United States, triggering the Mexican-American War and the acquisition of the American Southwest — the consequences of those 18 minutes at San Jacinto reshaping the map of North America permanently. USS San Jacinto carried that legacy of decisive, swift, and consequential military victory throughout her distinguished career.

Keel, Launch & Commissioning

San Jacinto's keel was laid down on July 24, 1986, at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was launched on November 14, 1987, and commissioned into the U.S. Navy on January 23, 1988, as the tenth ship of the Ticonderoga class under hull designation CG-56.

Class & Design

USS San Jacinto was one of 27 Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided missile cruisers, equipped with the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) carrying a mixed load of Standard Missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and ASROC across 122 cells. At approximately 567 feet in length and displacing approximately 9,600 tons fully loaded, she also carried two 5-inch/54 caliber guns, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, two Phalanx close-in weapon systems, and torpedo tubes, paired with the full AN/SPY-1 Aegis radar and combat system.

Operation Iraqi Freedom – Opening Tomahawk Salvo, 2003

USS San Jacinto earned a permanent place in the history of American naval warfare on March 20, 2003, when she fired Tomahawk cruise missiles in the opening salvo of Operation Iraqi Freedom — the Coalition campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. San Jacinto was among the first ships to fire when the air and missile campaign against Iraq began, her Tomahawks targeted against leadership and command-and-control targets in Baghdad as part of the “Shock and Awe” campaign that opened the war. The precision and reach of the Tomahawk — demonstrated again in Iraqi Freedom as it had been in Desert Storm twelve years earlier — confirmed that the surface combatant had been transformed into a strategic strike platform capable of reaching targets deep inland from hundreds of miles at sea. USS San Jacinto was at the forefront of that demonstration.

Atlantic Fleet Career

Homeported at Mayport, Florida, USS San Jacinto served the Atlantic Fleet throughout her career, deploying to the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet, to the Persian Gulf, and across the full range of Atlantic Fleet operational areas. She participated in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, firing Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi targets in the Gulf War's opening campaign — making her one of the rare ships with confirmed Tomahawk combat firings in both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, a distinction that speaks to her operational longevity and repeated deployment to the most consequential naval theaters of the post-Cold War era.

Following Iraqi Freedom, USS San Jacinto continued her Atlantic Fleet career through additional Mediterranean deployments, carrier strike group escort missions, and the full range of post-Iraqi Freedom naval operations — maintaining the American forward naval presence in the Mediterranean and beyond that remained the foundation of American strategic commitments across the Atlantic and into the Middle East.

Decommissioning

USS San Jacinto was decommissioned on June 30, 2021, after more than 33 years of commissioned service — another extraordinarily long career for a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, spanning the Cold War's final years, Desert Storm, the post-Cold War era, Iraqi Freedom, and nearly two decades of subsequent operations.

Legacy

For the sailors who served aboard San Jacinto — the Aegis system operators, VLS technicians, combat systems specialists, and surface warfare professionals who kept this Atlantic Fleet cruiser at the cutting edge of American naval power through more than 33 years of service — she represents a career of exceptional distinction. Named for Sam Houston's 18-minute victory that won Texas independence with the battle cry “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!”, USS San Jacinto brought that same tradition of swift, decisive, and consequential action to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean — firing the opening shots of two of America's most significant post-Cold War conflicts and earning a combat record that matched the fighting legacy of her extraordinary name.

Shop USS San Jacinto CG 56 Navy Gifts & Decals

Honor your service or give a meaningful gift to a USS San Jacinto veteran with our full line of USS San Jacinto CG 56 products:

• USS San Jacinto CG 56 Aluminum License Plate — Show your Navy pride on the road.
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