The USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) seen during exercises in the South China Sea in July 2015. The USS Fort Worth was formally decommissioned today, although significant mechanical damage in 2016 made its early retirement inevitable. (US Navy)

US Navy to Decommission Another Warship Years Ahead of Schedule

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Though the USS Fort Worth’s mechanical damage made its early retirement a foregone conclusion, the decommissioning of one of America’s newest—and most expensive—warships has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the United States Navy decommissioned the Freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) at a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego. The Fort Worth is one of 14 warships that will be decommissioned or inactivated in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).

However, unlike the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD-42) or the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750)—both of which are also headed for the scrap heap this year after decades of service—LCS-3 was only commissioned in September 2012, making it a mere 13 years old at the time of its decommissioning. It is a rare example of a military vessel that is being retired from service even as it is younger than its entire crew—and stands in remarkable contrast to platforms like the United States Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic aircraft, which are........

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