The nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser is not “historic” enough, according to a recent Navy review.

Although there were calls to preserve the United States Navy’s now-retired USS Enterprise (CVN-65) aircraft carrier as a floating museum, the warship is now being recycled—a process that is expected to take several years. A Navy evaluation of the prospects of turning the Enterprise into a museum ship determined that removing the vessel’s eight nuclear reactors would have essentially required disassembling the ship and then rebuilding it from the keel up. The complexity of the work, as well as the cost, meant that it simply wasn’t to be.

Another nuclear-powered surface vessel is also on the chopping block, but for a very different reason: the Navy simply deemed it not historically significant enough to merit its salvation from the scrapyard.

USS Long Beach Isn’t Worth Saving, According to the Navy

The former USS Enterprise had the distinction of being the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. However, she was not the US Navy’s first nuclear-powered surface ship. That distinction actually goes to the former USS Long Beach (CGN-9), which was also the final guided-missile cruiser built for the US Navy on a cruiser design rather than on the scaled-up destroyer hulls.

The 17,000-ton warship was the first cruiser built for the US Navy since the end of World War II. Commissioned in 1961, its design was a mix of the old and new, featuring a classic cruiser design but equipped with a nuclear power plant. As an experimental platform, the USS Long Beach was also the only ship of her class.

CGN-9 was powered by two C1W nuclear reactors, one for each propeller shaft, which provided 59.68 MW of power. The cruiser was capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots and had essentially unlimited range. Notably, because of the placement of the nuclear reactors, the USS Long Beach had a visually striking bridge structure—the highest of any warship smaller than an aircraft carrier.

Long Beach Not Eligible for “National Register of Historic Places”

USS Long Beach was formally deactivated on May 1, 1995, after more than 33 years of operational service. Although the US Navy found nuclear power well-suited for submarines and aircraft carriers, it was deemed too expensive for surface ships smaller than aircraft carriers due to defense budget cutbacks after the end of the Cold War.

Still, given the uniqueness of CGN-9, it is somewhat surprising that no organized effort was made to save the vessel. The same issues of removing the nuclear reactors are at the core of the issue, but there is more to the story.

On April 7, the United States Navy rejected calls to add USS Long Beach to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the official list of historic places worthy of preservation.

“The Navy conducted a Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation to assess eligibility of ex-Long Beach for listing in the NRHP and determined the ship to be ineligible,” a Navy statement read.

The Navy added that public comment on the decision would remain open for through June 7. Members of the public can submit comments via email to usn.shipdisposal.outreach@us.navy.mil.

How the Navy Decided the Long Beach’s Fate

According to the US Navy’s Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation, which was conducted in December, USS Long Beach is still at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, waiting to be recycled.

Efforts began in 2025, which “resulted in removal of the bow and stern of the vessel,” meaning that CGN-9 remains in situ in a partially dismantled state.

The review added that although USS Long Beach took part in several noteworthy events, the retired warship failed to meet the crucial criteria for preservation. The finding does shed some light on what the sea service continues to make worthy contributions when considering whether a warship should be saved from the scrapyard.

Notably, the Long Beach was never awarded an individual Presidential Unit Citation, and no act of heroism occurred that resulted in a crew member being awarded the Medal of Honor or the Navy Cross. No former president served on the ship.

The US Navy did acknowledge that USS Long Beach was the sole vessel of her class, and the “last cruiser built for the United States Navy to a cruiser design. … [The] ship was designed as an experimental platform for testing new sonar systems.”

Still, the service found that no “other historic or socially significant event” occurred on CGN-9.

The Historical Evaluation Conclusion also noted that “major alterations [had] been made in design that do not maintain the historic design of the vessel (loss of the superstructure and major hull elements),” suggesting that it could not reasonably be claimed that the vessel was worth preserving on account of its historic design.

“Character-defining features of [a] USN warship have been lost, such as main armament, superstructure, bow, and stern,” the Navy wrote. “[It] does not evoke the aesthetic of a 20th-century USN warship.”

In other words, it seems the efforts to save the ship have come too late. Still, given the difficulty of safely dismantling nuclear reactors—a challenge now bedeviling the scrappers of the USS Enterprise, and soon to follow with the USS Nimitz following its decommissioning in 2027—the USS Long Beach will likely continue to exist for some time still.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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