The Ticonderoga -class cruisers are equipped with the Aegis Combat System and Bunker Hill was the first of the class to be equipped with the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System VLS in place of the previous ships' twin-arm Mark 26 missile launchers , which greatly improved the flexibility and firepower of the ships by allowing them to fire BGM Tomahawk cruise missiles for land attack missions. Other missions include ballistic missile defence and capital ship escort for anti-aircraft defense.
Bunker Hill saw service in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War and deployed off the Somalian coast to prevent piracy. The cruiser had forward deployed to Yokosuka , Japan and performed missions in the Pacific, including monitoring missions during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis.
Seventh Fleet. She made her first deployment in July , nearly one year ahead of schedule. During the deployment she provided an anti-air warfare umbrella inside the Persian Gulf for Missouri and other US-flagged tankers and ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. She then deployed with the Midway group for four months with the Seventh Fleet, for which she was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
She was also awarded her first Battle Efficiency Award. Following the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War , Bunker Hill participated in organizing and establishing Operation Southern Watch , the complex enforcement of the United Nations -established no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
Bunker Hill made a historical visit to the Russian city Vladivostok in , and then one year later she made a port visit to Qingdao in the People's Republic of China.
