Amendments passed to the FY 2023 defense spending bill meant that the U.S. Navy would retire four Freedom-class littoral combat ships. The original bill proposed retiring nine, a response to the ship’s many mechanical problems, and rapid obsolescence in light of the rise of China and a more aggressive Russia, and as the U.S. moves away from prioritizing combatting terrorism. One might assume that a ship class on the verge of mass retirement would be an outdated relic, possibly from the Cold War, but in fact the littoral combat ships are among the newest ships in the fleet.
Although the United States does not currently have the largest navy presence, it ranks as the world’s strongest naval power. (This is the world’s largest navy.) The U.S. Navy by itself boasts a fleet of over 240 ships and submarines. The biggest and oldest assets in the fleet are the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which were a stabilizing factor throughout the Cold War. The U.S. owns 11 aircraft carriers overall, while countries like Russia and China only have one and three, respectively.
Looking ahead, the Nimitz-class carriers are starting to age out, as most are 30 years and older, and the U.S. is replacing them with the newer Ford-class supercarriers. The newest is the Gerald R. Ford which is just five years old. The Navy is replacing aircraft carriers on a one-for-one basis as they age out. (This is the world’s largest warship.)
To determine America’s newest warships, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the military data site World Directory of Modern Military Warships’ directory of all active ships in the U.S. and cross-referenced with data from the Naval Vessel Register. We compiled data on all ships and submarines — 33 in total — that have been commissioned in the service of the U.S. Navy for five years or less and ranked them by age.
Currently, the bulk of the U.S. Navy is made up primarily of the destroyer fleet, which accounts for nearly 30% of all naval vessels. The submarine fleet comes in a close second, accounting for roughly another quarter of the total strength of the force. Beyond this, an aging fleet of cruisers followed by littoral combat ships and amphibious assault support ships accounts for the rest of the naval vessels.
Here’s a look at the newest ships and submarines in the U.S. Navy.
33. USS Omaha
> Commission date: 2/3/2018
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
32. USS Colorado
> Commission date: 3/17/2018
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
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31. USS Ralph Johnson
> Commission date: 3/24/2018
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
30. USS Manchester
> Commission date: 5/26/2018
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
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29. USS Indiana
> Commission date: 9/29/2018
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
Source: usnavy / Flickr
28. USS Sioux City
> Commission date: 11/17/2018
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
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Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
27. USS Thomas Hudner
> Commission date: 12/1/2018
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
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26. USS Wichita
> Commission date: 1/12/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
25. USS Michael Monsoor
> Commission date: 1/26/2019
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Zumwalt-class
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
24. USS South Dakota
> Commission date: 2/2/2019
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
23. USS Tulsa
> Commission date: 2/16/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
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22. USS Charleston
> Commission date: 3/2/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
21. USS Paul Ignatius
> Commission date: 7/27/2019
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
20. USS Billings
> Commission date: 8/3/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
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19. USS Cincinnati
> Commission date: 10/5/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
18. USS Indianapolis
> Commission date: 10/26/2019
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
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Source: usnavy / Flickr
17. USS Hershel “Woody” Williams
> Commission date: 3/7/2020
> Unit type: Expeditionary mobile base
> Class: Lewis B. Puller-class
16. USS Delaware
> Commission date: 4/4/2020
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
15. USS Vermont
> Commission date: 4/18/2020
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
14. USS Kansas City
> Commission date: 6/20/2020
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
Source: viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
13. USS Tripoli
> Commission date: 7/15/2020
> Unit type: Amphibious assault ship
> Class: America-class
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. USS St. Louis
> Commission date: 8/8/2020
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
11. USS Delbert D. Black
> Commission date: 9/26/2020
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. USS Oakland
> Commission date: 4/17/2021
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
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9. USS Miguel Keith
> Commission date: 5/8/2021
> Unit type: Expeditionary mobile base
> Class: Lewis B. Puller-class
Source: usnavy / Flickr
8. USS Mobile
> Commission date: 5/22/2021
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
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7. USS Daniel Inouye
> Commission date: 12/8/2021
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
6. USS Savannah
> Commission date: 2/5/2022
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Independence-class
5. USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.
> Commission date: 5/14/2022
> Unit type: Destroyer
> Class: Arleigh Burke-class
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4. USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul
> Commission date: 5/21/2022
> Unit type: Littoral combat ship
> Class: Freedom-class
3. USS Oregon
> Commission date: 5/28/2022
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2. USS Montana
> Commission date: 6/25/2022
> Unit type: Attack submarine
> Class: Virginia-class
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
1. USS Fort Lauderdale
> Commission date: 7/30/2022
> Unit type: Amphibious transport dock
> Class: San Antonio-class
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