The U.S. Navy Won’t Bring Back Mothballed Ships to Boost the Fleet

Today, the mothball fleet is maintained at Bremerton, Washington, Philadelphia, and Pearl Harbor. There are three Perry-class frigates at Bremerton plus the aircraft carriers Kitty Hawk and Enterprise, and their age and cost means the carriers will absolutely not come back. Philadelphia has 15 Perry-class frigates, a pair of older Ticonderoga-class cruisers (see headline image), and a handful of old amphibious ships. Pearl Harbor has three Perrys, five amphibious ships, and what appears to be a pair of old fleet support ships, likely oilers or ammunition ships. The Ticonderogas are likely the ships being cannibalized as there are still approximately 22 newer versions of the cruisers still in service.