Home » Military Personnel » Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Vella Gulf Back Underway After Almost 2 Months of Repairs Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Vella Gulf Back Underway After Almost 2 Months of Repairs April 21, 2021 5:40 PM USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) sails alongside the supply ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE-8) during a replenishment-at-sea on April 28, 2020. US Navy Photo A guided-missile cruiser that has been sidelined since February for emergency repairs is back underway for a shakedown cruise, the Navy confirmed to USNI News on Wednesday. “ Vella Gulf returned to sea today to conduct sea trials following repairs to a recent engineering casualty. Sea trials will test the ship’s system efficiency and ensure proficiency at sea,” U.S. 2nd Fleet spokeswoman Lt. Marycate Walsh told USNI News on Wednesday.