The Vicksburg, commissioned in 1992, is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser named for the 1863 Civil War siege that gave the Union control of the Mississippi River—the campaign Grant called the key to the whole war. She served in both Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, deploying to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf as an AEGIS air defense platform. Quiet and professional, the Vicksburg got the job done cruise after cruise, much like the campaign her name commemorates.