San Diego warship USS Fort Worth being decommissioned more than a decade early

Gary Robbins, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Jul 28, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SAN DIEGO — The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth will be decommissioned more than a decade early on Wednesday in San Diego in an effort by the Navy to save money on a vessel that’s been plagued by costly mechanical problems and structural defects.

The ship was expected to be in service for 25 years when it was commissioned in 2012. It was designed to be an agile, high-speed vessel that could carry out security patrols and other missions in shallow, near-shore waters.

But Fort Worth developed serious propulsion problems. And a 2022 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the ship and other littoral vessels were not well enough designed to withstand an enemy attack. Government reviews also have found that littoral ships are far more expensive to operate than anticipated.

The Navy built 35 littoral combat ships, seven of which have been decommissioned early. More than a dozen of these vessels are currently homeported in San Diego.

_____