USS Montpelier
USS San Jacinto
No sailors were injured in a collision between a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine and an Aegis cruiser, which collided during routine training off the East Coast Saturday afternoon.
The submarine, the USS Montpelier and the cruiser, the USS San Jacinto, were able to continue operating under their own power, and the incident remains under investigation – and there will probably be some sailors who will have a lot of explaining to do.
The Montpelier, a nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class fast attack sub, first launched in 1991 and recently underwent millions of dollars in restorations. The San Jacinto, an Aegis-class missile cruiser, was commissioned in 1988.
The San Jacinto (CG-56) was named for the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Its major claim to fame is that it fired the opening shots for Operation Desert Storm with the launch of two BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, the Montpelier was the third U.S. Navy ship to be named for Montpelier, Vt. It was the first submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles in Operation Iraqi Freedom.