Navy to extend the service life of 15 warships

Ticonderoga-class cruisers slated for life extension include USS Chosin. [U.S. Navy photograph]

In line with the intent of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s NAVPLAN 2024, which directs the Navy to “get more ready players on the field,” the Department of the Navy said on Oct. 31 that it plans to operate 12 Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51) Flight I destroyers beyond their 35-year expected service life. Then, today, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that, additionally, the Navy plans to operate three Ticonderoga-class (CG 47) cruisers beyond their expected service life.

Commenting on the DDG 51 decision, Secretary Del Toro said that it was based upon a hull-by-hull evaluation of ship material condition, combat capability, technical feasibility and lifecycle maintenance requirements and will result in an additional 48 ship-years of cumulative ship service life in the 2028 to 2035 timeframe. The Navy has proposed DDG service life extension funding in the FY26 budget request, and will update the shipbuilding plan accordingly.

“Extending these highly-capable, well-maintained destroyers will further bolster our numbers as new construction warships join the fleet,” said Secretary Del Toro. “It also speaks to their enduring role in projecting power globally, and most recently in the Red Sea, their proven ability to defend themselves, as well as our allies, partners and friends from missile and drone attacks.”

At the Secretary’s request, the Navy conducted a thorough evaluation of each DDG-51 Flight I ship (DDG 51-71) over the past ten months, and determined the 12 destroyers could and should remain operational beyond their expected service life. The final determination of each ship’s service life is based on maximizing the service life of each ship before it required another extensive and costly docking availability.

The three Ticonderoga-class (CG 47) cruisers are the USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Chosin (CG 65), and USS Cape St. George (CG 71). The life-extension decision adds 10 years of cumulative ship service life from fiscal year 2026 to 2029.

All three cruisers received extensive hull, mechanical and engineering, as well as combat system upgrades as part of an extended modernization program. USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and USS Chosin (CG 65) completed modernization in fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024, respectively. USS Cape St. George (CG 71) is on schedule to complete modernization this fiscal year.

Like the service life extension of the 12 destroyers, extending these three cruisers will bolster the Fleet as new ships are built.

“As a former cruiser sailor, I know the incredible value these highly-capable warships bring to the Fleet and I am proud of their many decades of service,” said Secretary Del Toro. “After learning hard lessons from the cruiser modernization program, we are only extending ships that have completed modernization and have the material readiness needed to continue advancing our Navy’s mission.”

The decision follows a successful re-arm at sea demonstration aboard USS Chosin on Oct. 11, 2024 (see earlier story). The Transferrable Reload At-sea Mechanism (TRAM) demonstration was the first time the Navy transferred missile canisters from a replenishment ship to a warship while at sea. This capability enables U.S. Navy ships to rearm without needing to pull into port.