By 2027, No More Ticonderoga-Class Cruisers in the US Navy

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In September 2027, all remaining 13 from 24 Ticonderoga-class cruisers of the United States Navy will be decommissioned or placed into the nation’s war reserve assets.

Some of these cruisers will also be used as targets in Sinking Exercises (SINKEX) for live-fire training.

The retirement of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers marks the end of a 35-year operational lifespan for the first U.S. Navy ships equipped with the AEGIS combat system.

This June and in the coming months, four Ticonderoga-class cruisers, including USS Vicksburg (CG 69), will be decommissioned, followed by USS Cowpens (CG 64) in August, and both USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) in September of this year.

The U.S. Navy plans to replace these cruisers with Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers after 35 years of service.

Construction of Ticonderoga-class cruisers began in 1981 and continued until 1992, during which 27 of these powerful naval vessels were built.

The Ticonderoga-class cruisers, capable of carrying more than 330 crew members, can reach speeds up to 30 knots and cover 6,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 20 knots.

Designed for a variety of long-range defense missions such as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW), Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), and Electronic Warfare (EW), these cruisers are also equipped to engage land targets.

Ia can also perform long-range patrols and surveillance, escorting high-value assets like aircraft carriers and amphibious ships.

In terms of armament, Ticonderoga-class cruisers are outfitted with multiple cannons ranging from 127mm to 12.7mm machine guns and are capable of launching a variety of guided missiles from their 122 Mk41 vertical launching cells for air defense, anti-ship attacks, and land strikes.

 These include several variants of the Standard Missile (SM), Sea Sparrow, Anti-Ballistic Missile, ESSM, Tomahawk cruise missiles, ASROC (anti-submarine rocket), and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Additionally, they feature an array of sensors including radar, optronic, sonar, communication, navigation, decoys, countermeasures, and jammers.

Apart from USS Vicksburg, USS Cowpens, USS Antietam, and USS Leyte Gulf, set for decommissioning this year, other ships like USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS Normandy (CG 60), among others, are scheduled for decommissioning in the coming years, culminating with USS Chosin (CG 65) and USS Cape St George (CG 71) in 2027.

 Since 2004, a total of 14 Ticonderoga-class cruisers have been gradually phased out, with the lead ship, USS Ticonderoga, decommissioned in 2013 after approximately 30 years of service. — DSA