The first ship to employ the Vertical Launch System (VLS), USS Bunker Hill was given the nickname "Vertical Swordsman".  The ship's mission is to protect Navy battle groups from a variety of threats.  Besides the VLS, the cruiser is equipped with the AEGIS Combat System along with the AN/SPY-1A radar.

Bunker Hill was commissioned September 20, 1986, in Boston, MA, within sight of the historic monument commemorating her namesake battle.

In early 1988, Bunker Hill was awarded her first Battle Efficiency "E" Award and has since earned seven Battle "E" Awards, including the Golden Battle "E," given when a ship earns five such awards consecutively.

In August, 1988, she shifted homeports from San Diego, CA, to Yokosuka, Japan, to join the USS MIDWAY (CV 41) Battle Group.

In November 1990, Bunker Hill sailed in support of Operation DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM and served as the multinational Anti-Air Warfare Commander (AAWC), directing the tactical employment of 26 ships and over 300 combat aircraft. It was one of the first ships to launch TOMAHAWK Land Attack Missiles against Iraqi forces. It would eventually launch a total of 28 Tomahawks.

In March 1992, Bunker Hill was part of the last battle group to visit the U.S. Naval Base at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. The following month, Bunker Hill left Yokosuka for a seven month deployment to the Arabian Gulf where its crew helped in organizing and establishing Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, the vigilant guard over Southern Iraq.

Over the years, the crew of Bunker Hill has seen and participated in many special events, including engaging in various multinational operations in the South East Asian region. She has participated in training evolutions involving the military forces of Thailand, South Korea, India, Malaysia, and Japan. In 1993, Bunker Hill made a historic visit to the Russian city Vladivostok. One year later, she made a port visit to Qingdao in the People’s Republic of China, the first U.S. Navy ship to have visited the PRC since 1989.

In March 1996, China fired a series of TBMs into the ocean near Taiwan. Bunker Hill, was called on short notice to reposition and track the TBMs using its SPY-1A radar.  The Bunker Hill's Aegis Combat System recorded each missile flight in detail.

USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) too part in the 6-day long Exercise ANNUALEX USS headed by the USS Independence (CV 62) Battle Group. The exercise also involved approximately 120 ships and 180 aircraft from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) in the waters surrounding Japan. The exercise aimed at testing the capabilities for coordinated/bilateral operations in defense of Japan.

The Bunker Hill deployed to the Arabian Gulf from January to June 1998.

In August 1998, Bunker Hill returned to the homeport she left ten years earlier.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bunker Hill was one of the first warships to conduct Tomahawk strikes against leadership targets in Iraq. Its embarked LAMPS (Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helicopter detachment, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 45 "the Wolfpack," supported the rescue of United Nations workers being forcibly removed from oil platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf and provided medical evacuations from Umm Qasr.

This Bunker Hill model features:

- Plank-on-frame, hollow hull construction.   (Solid hull is unrealistic and will crack.)
 
- All parts are wood and metal. 

41" L x 14" T x 4.5" W         Sale   $990           S & H is $80


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