The Navy decommissioned two Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers as Fiscal Year 2026 closed on Sept. 30, leaving the service with five cruisers in its fleet.
USS Shiloh (CG-67) was formally decommissioned Sept. 30 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, after 34 years of service. USS Lake Erie (CG-70) was decommissioned on Friday after 33 years of service during a ceremony in San Diego.
The decommissioning of Lake Erie and Shiloh leaves the Navy with five cruisers in service: USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), USS Princeton (CG-59), USS Gettysburg (CG-64), USS Chosin (CG-65) and USS Cape St. George (CG-71).
Also decommissioned as the fiscal year closed was Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD-42), which was decommissioned Sept. 24 in San Diego after 40 years of service. Germantown was the first dock landing ship to conduct Landing Craft Air Cushion amphibious operations and served during Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Other ships decommissioned in 2026 included Los Angeles-class submarine USS Alexandria (SSN-757) on June 29 and Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) on July 29. Military Sealift Command inactivated three replenishment oilers, two roll-on/roll-off ships and one offshore petroleum distribution system ship. Los Angeles-class submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750) and Watson-class vehicle cargo ship USNS Red Cloud (T-AKR-313) had their active service extended after being slated for decommissioning in 2026.
USS Robert Smalls departed Yokosuka, Japan, on Sept. 26 for a permanent homeport change to San Diego, ending its forward-deployed tour to U.S. 7th Fleet and Carrier Strike Group 5. The ship was replaced by Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89). Robert Smalls is expected to be decommissioned in Fiscal Year 2027.
The Navy extended the service life of three cruisers — Gettysburg, Cape St. George and Chosin — which completed the cruiser modernization plan. The extensions added a cumulative total of 10 years of service from fiscal years 2026-29. Gettysburg, Chosin, Princeton and Robert Smalls are set to be decommissioned in FY 2027 and Cape St. George in FY 2028, according to the Navy’s Shipbuilding Plan.
“This is our sayonara, leaving Japan for the last time” Capt. Francisco Garza, commanding officer of Robert Smalls, said in a news release. “This crew, and the crews that came before us on this hull, earned the trust of our Japanese partners and of the strike group.”
Sources: DVIDS News · USNI News