California-class (CGN-36)

The California class consisted of two nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers constructed for the United States Navy between 1970 and 1974. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, the class followed the nuclear-powered designs of the Long Beach, Bainbridge, and Truxtun classes. California and South Carolina were the fourth and fifth nuclear-powered cruisers operated by the United States. The class was preceded by the Truxtun and Belknap classes and succeeded by the Virginia class.

The design provided high-endurance escort capability for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, whose range was otherwise limited by conventionally powered escorts requiring frequent refueling. The vessels shared characteristics with the Belknap class but utilized nuclear propulsion and lacked helicopter hangars. Primary systems included fore and aft launchers for surface-to-air missiles, Harpoon missile launchers, and rapid-fire guns. Anti-submarine equipment initially included an ASROC launcher, torpedo tubes, and bow-mounted sonar. For aviation, the class featured an aft helicopter deck capable of accommodating SH-2, SH-3, and CH-46 aircraft. A magazine space beneath the flight deck was originally intended for a surface-launched version of the Mark 48 torpedo, but the vessels retained the space for other uses as that torpedo variant was never produced.

Both ships entered service in the mid-1970s and remained in commission until 1999. In the early 1990s, the vessels underwent mid-life refueling and overhauls. This modernization included the installation of the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) to improve anti-aircraft warfare capabilities and the replacement of D2G reactor plants with D2W reactor cores. During this period, the ships' anti-submarine warfare capability was removed, which involved the deactivation of sonar systems and the removal of ASROC launchers and their associated magazines. External modifications during this overhaul included the installation of new radar antennas. Despite the modernization, the vessels remained limited to firing SM-2MR missiles, and high operational costs led to retirement earlier than the projected 2010 service life. Both vessels were deactivated in 1998 and decommissioned in 1999. They were subsequently disposed of through the Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton.