The Mobile Bay, commissioned in 1987, is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser named for the 1864 Civil War battle where Admiral Farragut gave his famous order: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" She deployed to the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm and launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iraqi targets—honoring the aggressive spirit of her name. Throughout her career she served as the AEGIS air defense platform for carrier strike groups in both the Atlantic and Pacific.