What Does The US Navy Do With Decommissioned Ships?

Ships in the United States Navy can fulfill their service for anywhere between 25 to 53 years, depending on the vessel. If a ship retires, it's turned over to the Navy Inactive Ships Office which will oversee its inactivation, storage, maintenance, and disposal. The decommissioning process starts with the ship's name being struck from the Navy Vessel Register. A ship can remain inactive for years before it's finally removed from the Navy's inventory completely. The decommissioning of the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, started in 2012. Its name wasn't struck until 2017 and remains inactive as of this writing, waiting to be dismantled. 

Being dismantled is only one of the multiple possible outcomes for a U.S. Navy vessel. Any ship that's been classified as historically significant may be donated to any state in the country through the Navy's Ship Donation Program. Displaying a ship at a museum commemorates naval heritage and promotes interest in national defense. Also, a decommissioned ship's usefulness can extend beyond its active service life as part of the SINKEX Program (Sink Exercise). Through this initiative, a decommissioned vessel can participate in multi-national exercises and allow armed forces to test weapon capabilities.

Alternatively, decommissioned ships may be sold to private ship-dismantling contractors. Once the ship's hull is demilitarized, the contractors will tow the ship to their facility, remove and dismantle any hazardous materials, and break the vessel down into scrap metal.

When the Inactive Ships Office decides a vessel can be donated, it will announce its availability in the Federal Register for organizations to apply.  An organization must be either a non-profit organization or a "State, Commonwealth, or possession of the United States, or any municipal corporation or political subdivision thereof, including the District of Columbia," according to the Maritime Administration. Once approved, the organization assumes ownership of the vessel and all costs for maintaining it.

All across the country, there are vessels of all types on display for inquisitive minds to explore. The Maritime Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire hosts the third USS Albacore, an Auxiliary General Submarine that served the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1980. Aircraft carriers are retired in much the same way, typically through donation processes and museum displays. The USS Midway sits in San Diego Bay for visitors to explore and learn about all its accomplishments. Exhibits on the flight deck, in the hangar bay, and throughout the carrier show what it takes to live and work on a floating air base. 

The Navy doesn't only put its decommissioned warships on display. In some cases, such as the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, it creates a museum for those lost in combat, as well.

Sometimes the Navy gets creative with the disposal of its retired vessels. Since the 1970s, the U.S. government has worked with states to turn decommissioned warships into artificial reefs. There are dozens off the coasts of Florida and Texas. Sinking large aircraft carriers like the USS Oriskany, the first naval warship to become a reef, and the USS Mohawk create a new and expansive habitat for marine life. This method doesn't just allow the Navy to offload its inventory of inactive ships, it also boosts the local economy by encouraging tourists to dive or fish around the reef. Some of these vessels-turned-reef have an interesting story, such as the USS Spiegel Grove, a former landing ship.

The Navy planned to sink the Spiegel Grove, but it ended up sinking six hours prematurely some six miles off the coast of Key Largo, hitting the seabed upside down with much of its bow protruding from the water. Eventually, the Resolve Marine Group pulled together to sink the bow, at which point the whole ship tipped over and fell onto its starboard side, no longer sticking out of the ocean like a sentinel watching over the surface. Three years later, Hurricane Dennis struck. An intense current ended up shifting the Spiegel Grove upright as originally intended and now sits 130 feet below the surface. Divers only need to dive around 45 feet before they see the coral-encased 510-foot ship.