Sam LaGrone – July 30, 2026 3:42 PM
Two warships have ended their service with the Navy this week, a 42-year-old nuclear guided-missile submarine and one of the first Littoral Combat Ships, the service announced.
USS Georgia (SSGN-729) returned Monday from its final deployment to Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., and is set to leave the fleet on Friday.
Georgia is one of four Ohio-class guided-missile nuclear submarines — former nuclear ballistic missile submarines retrofitted to field 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and special operations.
USS Ohio (SSGN-726), USS Michigan (SSGN-727), USS Florida (SSGN-728) and Georgia were converted into the guided-missile configuration from 2002-07 and have been key platforms for the Navy in the Mediterranean and Middle East. During its most recent patrol, Georgia was part of U.S. strikes on Iran during Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury.
The remaining three guided-missile boats are set to leave the fleet over the next two years, according to the Navy’s long-range shipbuilding plan.
The Navy is set to replace the capability with Block V and Block VI Virginia-class attack submarines equipped with the Virginia Payload Module. The new attack boats will feature six tubes of seven TLAMS for a total of 42 missiles per boat. That’s about three and a half of the new Virginia boats to make up for one Ohio SSGN.
On Wednesday, the Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding for nine Block VI boats. The first Block V boat with VPM, Arizona (SSN-8030), is set to deliver to the Navy in 2028.
Also this week, the second Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) was decommissioned Wednesday at Naval Base San Diego, Calif.
Fort Worth was part of a contract with Lockheed Martin for the first two hulls as part of the initial Freedom contracts and was commissioned in 2012. First-in-class Freedom (LCS-1) decommissioned on 2021.
“As an operational unit and test platform, Fort Worth and its crew played an important role in the defense of our nation and maritime freedom,” reads a Navy statement. “Fort Worth and its sailors were key to determining the operational configuration and deployment capabilities of today’s LCS platform.”
Sam LaGrone
Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
Email: slagrone@usni.org
Signal: SamLaGrone.13
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