Nuclear-powered cruisers of the United States Navy

In the early 1960s, the United States Navy was the world's first to have nuclear-powered cruisers as part of its fleet.

While Long Beach was a 'true cruiser', meaning she was designed and built as a cruiser, Bainbridge began life as a frigate, though at that time the Navy was using the hull code "DLGN" for "destroyer leader, guided missile, nuclear".

In the summer of 1964, Long Beach and Bainbridge would meet up with USS Enterprise (CVAN-65), the Navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier,[1] to form Task Force One, an all-nuclear-powered naval unit.

It was a remarkable achievement for its time, a naval group capable of sailing over 48,000 kilometers (26,000 nmi; 30,000 mi) in just 65 days, without replenishment.

[citation needed] Ultimately, these nuclear-powered cruisers would prove to be too costly to maintain,[3] and they would all be retired between 1993 and 1999.