Bainbridge (CGN-25)

USS Bainbridge began life as DLGN-25, a nuclear-powered guided missile frigate or destroyer leader, and was later reclassified CGN-25. Naval History and Heritage Command identifies her as the third U.S. Navy ship named Bainbridge and records her long service career. The ship was part of the early nuclear surface-combatant era, intended to operate with nuclear-powered carriers and maintain high-speed endurance across global deployments.

Bainbridge's design paired nuclear propulsion with guided-missile escort capability. Nuclear power removed the need for frequent refueling, while missile launchers and sensors allowed fleet air defense and anti-submarine support. The ship's later upgrades reflected changing threats and weapons. She was not as large as later cruisers, but her propulsion and combat system made her a major step in U.S. surface-fleet experimentation.

In service, USS Bainbridge operated across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean, including Vietnam War-era and later deployments. Her value was endurance and integration with carrier groups, but nuclear surface combatants were expensive to build and maintain. The ship's career is therefore useful context for why the U.S. Navy eventually concentrated nuclear propulsion in carriers and submarines rather than most escorts.