USS Belknap's appearance at the 1989 Malta Summit shows an older missile cruiser serving a diplomatic role near the end of the Cold War. President George H. W. Bush and his advisers used Belknap, while the Soviet delegation used Slava. The meetings took place aboard the Soviet cruise ship Maxim Gorky in Valletta. The choice of Belknap may have avoided raising tensions with a newer or nuclear-powered cruiser, though that explanation is offered only as a possibility.
Notable Point · 27:10-29:09
Belknap at the Malta Summit
USS Belknap carried President George H. W. Bush's party at the 1989 Malta Summit, opposite the Soviet cruiser Slava.