The Navy is expected to lose another 14 ships by the end of the fiscal year, many without immediate replacements.

The United States Navy is already the smallest it has been at any time since before World War I, but it could end fiscal year 2026 (FY26) on September 30 with more than a dozen fewer ships. Newly released documents list 14 additional vessels the sea service would like to retire before the end of the fiscal year.

The list includes three nuclear-powered submarines, two cruisers, one littoral combat ship, one dock landing ship, and six support ships. The inactivation dates range from this past January to September.

Three Submarines Are Well Past Their Sell-By Date

The three nuclear-powered boats the Navy plans to retire include:

• The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750), commissioned in June 1989;
• The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN-757), commissioned in June 1991; and
• The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729), commissioned in February 1984.

The US Navy is now phasing out its oldest Los Angeles-class boats, which have been in service for more than 40 years, and replacing them with newer Virginia-class submarines.

SSGN-729 will be the first of the four Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) converted to cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). All four of the modified boats are set to be retired by 2028, having served far past their intended design lives.

The Navy Is Losing Two Ticonderoga-Class Cruisers

Two Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers will also be cruising to retirement—the USS Shiloh (CG-67) and USS Lake Erie (CG-70). The former was commissioned at a ceremony at Bath Iron Works, Maine, in July 1992, and the latter in Pearl Harbor two years later, in July 1993.

Although built at Bath Iron Works, CG-70 became the first US Navy warship commissioned in Hawaii in modern times.

A total of 27 Ticonderoga-class cruisers were built for the US Navy between 1983 and 1994. Named for the famed Revolutionary War fortress whose guns were seized and brought to Boston by Henry Knox, these were the last class of such warships built for the service, with their roles now transitioning to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. However, three cruisers, the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), USS Chosin (CG-65), and USS Cape St. George (CG-71), were selected for life extension due to their recently completed modernization and have had their service lives extended to 2029–2030.

Still, as of May 2026, just seven of the vessels remain in the active fleet.

One Fewer “Little Crappy Ship”

The US Navy has struggled for years to find a role for its Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), and while the Independence-class variants could take on a mine countermeasure role, the course for the Freedom-class remains less clear. That explains why the Freedom-class USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), the first ship to be named for the city in Texas, is now scheduled to be inactivated in San Diego on July 31. She is the oldest of the active ships of her class.

“The Freedom-class has been plagued by mechanical problems, failed weapons systems and ballooning maintenance costs,” the Navy Times wrote. Due to these and other issues, the warships have earned the colorful moniker “Little Crappy Ships” among some who have served on them.

The USS Fort Worth is only the latest LCS to face the chopping block. The lead ship of the class, USS Freedom (LCS-1), along with USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), and USS Sioux City (LCS-11), have already been retired, years ahead of schedule. LCS-7 and LCS-9 have previously been placed on hold for foreign military sales (FMS).

What is notable is that even as six Freedom-class LCS will be decommissioned, the final ship, the future USS Cleveland (LCS-31), has not even entered service yet—with its formal commissioning set for later this month.

Logistical Ships Are Also Being Cut

The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD-42) will be decommissioned at the end of September, as will the Military Sealift Command’s Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off (LMSR) ship USNS Red Cloud (T-AKR-313).

Two other LMSRs, the USNS Watkins (T-AKR-315) and USNS Pomeroy (T-AKR-316), will also be retired this year, along with the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oilers USNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194), USNS Pecos (T-AO-197), and USNS Big Horn (T-AO-198), and the Offshore Petroleum Distribution System vessel USNS Vadm. K. R. Wheeler (T-AG-5001).

Plans call for all three of the submarines to be recycled and for LCS-3 to be dismantled. T-AKR-313, T-AKR-315, T-AKR-316, T-AG-5001, and T-AO-197 will be transferred to the Office of Strategic Sealift at the Maritime Administration (MARAD)—where they could be used to bolster the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), recycled, or even used to create an artificial reef.

The remaining vessels will become “logistics support assets” (LSA), and according to the US Navy, “will be used as a primary means of cannibalization and equipment removal for ships. Cannibalizations and equipment removal from these vessels are authorized without replacement.” 

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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