[2] While Mississippi steamed with Nimitz and guided missile cruiser Arkansas off the coast of Lebanon, she received a distress call from Greek cargo vessel Andalusia, at 00:30 on 3 December 1982).

Mississippi had deployed as part of the Sixth Fleet's Med 3–89 Battle Force and was visiting Haifa, Israel, when the crisis began.

Midway had originally been scheduled to participate in Pacific Exercise-89, but sailed to fill a carrier commitment in the Indian Ocean, where she operated until mid-October.

The importance of that day and break-neck speed to arrive on it was due to uncertainty about Yemen's position on the war, getting the carrier beyond shore batteries and short range patrol boats in the narrow straights was a priority before hostilities could commence on (16 January).

Mississippi then waited off the coast of Yemen to escort the engine room troubled Nitro through the Bab-el-Mandeb (18 January) and out beyond the Gulf of Aden.

Mississippi fired three BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) at Iraqi strategic and military targets (25 January 1991) and two more the following day.

The ship then operated as the local anti-air warfare screen commander for the Red Sea Battle Force (27 January – 24 February).

[2][3] NATO and the UN carried out Operations: Provide Promise to provide humanitarian relief for people displaced by the fighting in former Yugoslavia (2 July 1992 – 9 January 1996); Deny Flight to monitor the air space over Bosnia-Herzegovina to prevent the warring parties from using their air strength (12 April 1993 – 21 December 1995); and Sharp Guard to enforce the arms embargo against the combatants (15 June 1993 – 2 October 1996).

After serving just 18 years in commissioned service, Mississippi was deactivated on 6 September 1996 at Norfolk and was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 28 July 1997.

The Military Sealift Command fleet tug USNS Mohawk executed the initial tow until the decommissioned cruiser was moored at Rodman Naval Station, Panama.