Last Japan-based cruiser departs Yokosuka as Navy phases out Ticonderoga class

The Navy’s last cruiser based at the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet departed, ending a long-running presence as the service retires its aging Ticonderoga-class fleet. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls sits in port at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 19, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Navy’s last cruiser based at the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet departed last week, ending a long-running presence as the service retires its aging Ticonderoga-class fleet. The USS Robert Smalls, a 37-year-old guided-missile cruiser, left Thursday for a new homeport in San Diego ahead of its planned decommissioning later this fiscal year, according to an Oct.

1 Navy news release and the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 force structure changes report. Robert Smalls had been assigned to 7th Fleet and Carrier Strike Group 5 and will soon join Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Its departure comes as the Navy approaches the end of the Ticonderoga class. Two cruisers — USS Shiloh and USS Lake Erie — were decommissioned in the past week, leaving five in the fleet. The Navy plans to retire the entire class by 2029. The service ultimately plans to replace the cruisers with its next generation of guided-missile destroyers, according to a January Congressional Research Service report. Robert Smalls’ departure also leaves Yokosuka