US Navy plans to extend lives of three guided-missile cruisers

USS Gettysburg is one of three cruisers identified by the US Navy for extended life operations. (US Navy)

The US Navy (USN) intends to extend the operational lives of three Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers (CGs), the service confirmed on 4 November.

The USN plans to operate USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Chosin (CG 65), and USS Cape St George (CG 71) beyond their expected service lives, the service said.

This decision adds 10 years of cumulative ship service life from fiscal year (FY) 2026 to 2029, the USN noted.

The extension follows in the wake of plans confirmed in October to extend the lives of 12 Arleigh Burke-class Flight I guided-missile destroyers. Extending the lives of the ships will bolster the fleet as new ships are built, USN officials said.

All three cruisers received extensive hull, mechanical and engineering, as well as combat system upgrades as part of an extended modernisation programme, the USN noted.

Gettysburg and Chosin completed modernisation in FY 2023 and FY 2024 respectively. Cape St George is scheduled to complete modernisation this FY.

“We are only extending ships that have completed modernisation and have the material readiness needed,” USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement.

Chosin was used on 11 October to demonstrate the Transferrable Reload At-sea Mechanism (TRAM), marking it the first time the navy transferred missile canisters from a replenishment ship to a warship while at sea.

This logistics capability enables USN ships to rearm without needing to pull into port, service officials said.

For more information on TRAM operations, please seeSpecial Report: US Navy augments contested logistics force to meet operational needs.