The Navy’s deep problems designing and building warships in a timely way have led it to extend the service life of three aging Cold War-era cruisers, including the San Diego-based USS Chosin.
The Navy announced the decision Friday, less than two weeks after it said it would extend the life of 12 older Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including three that are homeported in San Diego.
The 33-year-old Chosin will see extended duty with two other Ticonderoga-class cruisers, the USS Gettysburg (33) and USS Cape St. George (31). The Navy said the decision would collectively add 10 years of ship service life.
The cruisers were originally designed to last 35 years. But all three of the ships have undergone modernization.
“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,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement.
The decision represents a reversal of fortune for the Navy, which had planned to decommission all of its Ticonderoga cruisers by 2027.
The Navy is experiencing a shortage in new ships partly because it hasn’t maintained a sufficiently large, nimble and well-equipped design workforce, according to a report that the General Accountability Office released in May.
GAO also says the Navy doesn’t have a streamlined process for designing ships. Some shipyards also have had trouble hiring all of the personnel they need to build Navy vessels.
These and other problems have resulted in construction backlogs, notably in the Navy’s new Constellation-class guided-missile frigates. The first of those ships won’t be ready until 2029, three years late.
Many of the new frigates will be based in San Diego, home of the largest Navy installation on the West Coast.
