During the course of this week, the United States Navy has established its schedule for the decommissioning of its last thirteen Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers, with plans to retire the final two ships, the USS Chosin (CG 65) and the Cape St. George (CG 71), by the year 2027. This will mark the end of the operational life of a class with over three decades of service, notable for being the first to integrate the AEGIS combat management systems.
According to the outlet Naval News, the US Navy’s decision comes shortly after canceling the modernization work under the US Navy’s Cruiser Modernization Program, thus breaking with the orders from the US Congress, which had advocated for maintaining the project. Tensions between politicians and naval officers regarding the fate of these cruisers are not new. In 2022, senior US naval officials had requested the decommissioning of thirty-nine ships, including the Ticonderoga-class vessels, but faced parliamentary resistance that forced them to keep the thirteen ships, which will now be retired in the near future, in service.
Initially, the Cruiser Modernization Program planned to refurbish seven cruisers, of which only two were returned to the fleet (the USS Gettysburg and the USS Chosin). Meanwhile, the ships Hue City (CG 66) and Anzio (CG 68) were withdrawn due to poor condition and work schedule delays. Financially, the failed modernization plan cost the United States around one billion dollars. The US Navy’s earlier request to retire the entire Ticonderoga class cited significant challenges that such a process would entail.
Below is the detailed schedule for each planned decommissioning, ordered by their projected dates: the USS Vicksburg (CG 69) will be retired at the end of this month, the USS Cowpens (CG 63) will follow at the end of August, and the USS Antietam (CG 54) and the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) will be retired by September of this year. The cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Shiloh (CG 67), and USS Lake Erie (CG 70) are projected to be retired in 2025. The ships USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), and USS Gettysburg (CG 64) will meet their end in 2026. The remaining two ships, as mentioned earlier, are planned for retirement in 2027.
Regarding the fate of the thirteen ships to be decommissioned, the US Navy has indicated that by September 30, 2027, all units will be converted into logistical support assets, which means they will be scrapped for spare parts and equipment for other ships. Any ships still afloat after these processes will also be used in sinking exercises (SINKEX). According to the US Navy, the vessels that will replace the Ticonderoga-class once they are retired will be the Arleigh Burke Flight III-class destroyers, of which only one is currently in service.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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