US Navy retires USS San Juan as submarine fleet faces looming shortfall

The nuclear attack submarine USS San Juan was decommissioned, highlighting a gap between aging Los Angeles-class boats and slower Virginia-class deliveries that could shrink the fleet to about 46-47 subs by 2030.

The US Navy officially retired the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN-751) at a ceremony in Keyport, Washington, concluding a 38-year career as the lead ship of the Improved Los Angeles-class. Built by General Dynamics Electric Boat, San Juan featured advances such as retractable bow diving planes, a reinforced sail for Arctic missions, and the AN/BSY-1 combat system. Its decommissioning comes amid a widening disparity between aging Los Angeles-class hulls, which now require extensive maintenance, and the slower rollout of Virginia-class replacements, projecting the attack-submarine fleet to fall to roughly 46-47 vessels by 2030.

The Navy’s long-term need of about 66 submarines is further challenged by limited shipyard capacity, a constrained nuclear-qualified workforce, and the Columbia-class ballistic-missile program, which consumes resources equivalent to multiple Virginia boats. Additional pressure stems from AUKUS commitments that could raise annual Virginia-class demand to about 2.33 units. The retirement also coincides with the phase-out of four Ohio-class guided-missile submarines, increasing reliance on Virginia-class boats equipped with the Virginia Payload Module to maintain strike capability. These combined factors underscore a critical transition for the US undersea force as it balances aging platforms, production bottlenecks, and rising strategic demands from China and Russia.