 She was launched on 25 April 1965 sponsored by Mrs. Richard W. Wainwright; and commissioned on 8 January 1966 at the Boston Naval Shipyard with Captain Robert P. Foreman in command.Between January and May, the guided missile cruiser completed her outfitting at Boston, Massachusetts.On 21 May, she departed Boston, initially to test the Navy's newest sonar equipment and then to proceed to her home port, Charleston, South Carolina.