Wainwright links a naval family to two combat eras

USS Wainwright commemorated several members of an American naval family, including officers from the Civil War and Spanish-American War and a Medal of Honor recipient. The cruiser then built her own operational record through repeated Pacific deployments. Her duties included positive identification radar advisory zone work in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War and participation in Operation Praying Mantis. Together, the namesake and service record span several generations of American naval warfare.