Navy to extend service lives of three Ticonderoga-class cruisers

The Navy will extend the service lives of three Ticonderoga-class cruisers, adding a cumulative 10 years of ship use from fiscal year 2026 to 2029, according to a Monday announcement.

The three vessels -- Gettysburg (CG-64), Chosin (CG-65), and Cape St. George (CG-71) -- have all received hull, mechanical, engineering and combat system upgrades in recent years as part of an extended modernization program, the notice states.

"After learning hard lessons from the cruiser modernization program, we are only extending ships that have completed modernization and have the material readiness needed to continue advancing our Navy's mission,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement included in the release.

Gettysburg and Chosin finished their maintenance periods in FY-23 and FY-24 respectively, while Cape St. George is expected to complete its modernization in FY-25.

Chosin was used in a recent at-sea demonstration of the Transferrable Reload At-sea Method (TRAM), a developing technology intended to enable the replenishment of warship missile tubes while the vessels are underway, the announcement notes.

The news follows an Oct. 31 Navy announcement indicating 12 Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will have their service lives extended by up to five years each, adding a cumulative 48 ship-years of service life between 2028 and 2035.