[2] October 1992 - April 1993, maiden deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in support of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) carrier battle group; along with sister ship Leyte Gulf.

On 30 November 1994, Gettysburg and guided missile frigate Halyburton were dispatched to assist the cruise ship Achille Lauro, which was on fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.

[7] Gettysburg, Captain Philip C. Davidson in command, and with a Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 Detachment 5 and a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) embarked, sailed from Naval Station Mayport, on a two-part counter narcotics deployment to the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, 11 October–23 December 2005 and 1 January–4 April 2006.

The cruiser deployed two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to battle the blaze, but the intense, fuel-fed flames overwhelmed Divi and she sank.

[2] Gettysburg patrolled an area about 1,750 nautical miles (3,240 km; 2,010 mi) west of the Galapagos Islands when a Lockheed P-3C Orion directed her to query fishing boat William, on 24 February 2006.

[2] Amphibious assault ship Boxer, which operated as the afloat staging base for Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, coordinated the apprehension of six pirates in the Gulf of Aden on 20 March 2009.

Gettysburg's embarked SH-60B from HSL-46 spotted the pirates throwing objects overboard, and a visit, board, search, and seizure team from the cruiser seized the suspects, who were then transferred to Boxer for questioning.

Gettysburg rescued another ship during her busy deployment when a Seahawk from the cruiser responded to Yemeni MV Alaseb and her 11 passengers, adrift in the Gulf of Aden on 26 May.

[13] On 22 December 2024, Gettysburg shot down a F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11) and flying off the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).

[14] USCENTCOM stated that both the pilot and weapon systems officer ejected and were recovered safely shortly after, with only one receiving minor injuries after an initial assessment.

[15][16][17][18] In Tom Clancy's novel The Bear and the Dragon, Gettysburg, with President Jack Ryan onboard, successfully defended Washington, D.C. against an incoming ICBM launched by the People's Republic of China using the Aegis missile system she carries.