The USS Georgia at sea in the Great Lakes region in July 2012. The Georgia will be decommissioned on Friday, after 42 years of service. (US Navy/Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class James Kimber)

One of the Oldest US Navy Cruise-Missile Submarines to Be Retired

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The USS Georgia is one of four Ohio-class submarines retroactively decertified from carrying nuclear weapons, in accordance with treaty limits.

The United States Navy’s Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) passed through the East River and returned to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, earlier this week.

That journey marked the final return of the nuclear-powered submarine to the base, as it is set to be decommissioned on Friday after more than 42 years of active service.

America Has Nuclear-Missile Submarines That Don’t Shoot Nuclear Missiles

The boat is one of the four Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to be converted to an SSGN at the end of the Cold War, and the first of that subgroup to be retired.

The remaining three vessels in the class—the USS Ohio (SSGN-726), the USS Michigan (SSGN-727), and the USS Florida (SSGN-728)—are all scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of the decade. Their retirements will result in a significant capability gap for the US Navy, as it reduces total missile firepower and specialized support for special operations. Each SSGN can........

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