Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that 12 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers have been certified to stay in the fleet beyond their 35-year expected lifespan.
The secretary also announced three cruisers will remain active beyond their expected life, as part of a Navy effort to boost the number of ships.
Extending the life of the 15 ships will result in an additional 58 years of cumulative ship service life by 2035, according to the Navy.
In Norfolk, the destroyers USS Gonzalez, USS Cole, USS Laboon and USS Stout, along with the cruiser USS Gettysburg will continue to operate beyond what would have been their expected life.
"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," Del Toro said. "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.”
The Navy made the decision after inspecting each hull, according to the Navy.
The ships, particularly the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, are the workhorses of the Navy’s fleet, typically deploying more frequently than air craft carriers. The destroyers deployed with the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group to the Red Sea, engaging multiple times with Houthi Rebels in Yemen, at times at relatively close range.
The decision comes as the Navy presses the ambitious goal of increasing the fleet to 381 ships. There are currently only 296 active ships.
Compounding the problem, the shipbuilding industry, including Huntington Ingalls Industry in Newport News, has remained chronically behind schedule in producing new ships for the fleet over the last decade. Supply chain issues after the pandemic and shortage of experienced shipbuilders have compounded the problem, according to a recent report by The Congressional Research Service.
In 2016, the Navy set the goal of having a 355 ship fleet, though the total number of ships has hovered around 300 since the plan was released. Last year, the Navy increased the target to 381 ships, as part of a new 30 year plan. The idea has been to counter China, which by some measures now has a larger fleet than the U.S. Navy, the report states.
Before the announcement, the Navy projected bringing 10 new ships on line in 2025, while retiring 19 ships.
