USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51) is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser in the United States Navy. The warship is named after Thomas S. Gates, Secretary of Defense in the last years of the Eisenhower Administration (1959–1961). Thomas S. Gates was laid down 31 August 1984 at Bath Iron Works, Maine and sponsored by Anne Gates, daughter of the ships namesake. Thomas S. Gates was launched 14 December 1985, purchased 22 June 1987 and was commissioned 22 August 1987.
Due to Hurricane Katrina, her last deployment was cut short. The crew was given leave to take care of their families and other personal business. The Navy decommissioned her on 15 December 2005, four months earlier than the planned March, 2006 date. She was stricken the same date and is now berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, PA. She is slated to be dismantled in the next five years along with her sisters Vincennes and Yorktown.
In March 2003 Thomas S. Gates, homeported at Pascagoula, was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 6.