The abbreviation CGN stands for Guided Missile Cruiser (nuclear propulsion) in the military field, especially in the US. You can find more abbreviations starting with CG here. Also take a look at our list with military acronyms.
The Nuclear-Powered Cruiser
The CGN was the most powerful surface warship of the Cold War: a cruiser with guided missiles as the main armament and a nuclear reactor as the drive. Unlimited range, enormous firepower – the CGN was the prestige ship of the US Navy.
The Era of the CGN
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the US Navy operated nuclear-powered cruisers like the USS Long Beach and the Virginia class: fast enough to accompany carriers, armed with anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. With the end of the Cold War, the type was decommissioned – the last CGN left service in 1999.
CGN appears in this meaning mainly in ship lists and historical documentation. The designation follows the US Navy system: CG for the guided missile cruiser, N for nuclear propulsion – a letter combination that tells a piece of naval history.
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