Bunker Hill was the first Ticonderoga-class cruiser to be equipped with the Mk. 41 VLS in place of the previous ships' Mk. 26 twin-arm missile launchers, greatly improving the flexibility and firepower of the ships by allowing them to fire BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles. After commissioning, Bunker Hill entered the Pacific Fleet via the Panama Canal and began short notice work-ups to deploy to the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Bunker Hill made her first deployment in July 1987, nearly one year ahead of schedule during which she provided an anti-air warfare umbrella inside the Persian Gulf for Missouri and other US flagged tankers and ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.