The U.S. Navy is getting ready to say goodbye to three long‑serving workhorses of the Pacific fleet this summer and early fall, including a Los Angeles‑class attack submarine based at Naval Base Point Loma and two surface ships long tied to San Diego. The retirements, laid out in the Navy’s FY‑2026 inactivation schedule, will shuffle pieces of the local fleet and ripple through shipyards and civilian support businesses around the bay.
Which ships are scheduled to leave and when
The FY‑2026 inactivation list gives the official dates. Los Angeles‑class submarine USS Alexandria (SSN‑757) is slated for inactivation on Aug. 4 at Naval Base Point Loma. Whidbey Island‑class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD‑42) is scheduled to follow on Sept. 29, with Ticonderoga‑class guided‑missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG‑70) right behind it on Sept. 30.
Those dates, along with a broader slate of support‑ship retirements, appear in the Navy’s inactivation schedule and in reporting by USNI News.
San Diego ties and shipyard work
All three ships have deep local roots. USS Alexandria is assigned to Submarine Squadron 11 at Naval Base Point Loma and drew a visit from California state lawmakers in January, underscoring how closely Sacramento watches the San Diego waterfront.
The same Navy inactivation list also flags several Military Sealift Command roll‑on/roll‑off cargo ships built at GD NASSCO that are expected to leave service between April and September 2026. At the same time, NASSCO’s Barrio Logan yard is staying busy, turning out follow‑on support ships that include the future expeditionary sea base USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., according to DVIDS, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and a Naval Sea Systems Command release…