USS Georgia Set for Decommissioning After Over Four Decades of Service

The USS Georgia (SSGN-729), an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, completed its final voyage to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and will be formally decommissioned on Friday, concluding more than 42 years of service. Converted from a ballistic-missile platform after the Cold War, Georgia was one of four Ohio-class boats re-configured to carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and support special-operations forces. Its retirement marks the first withdrawal of this subclass, creating a reduction of 616 vertical launch tubes across the fleet.

The submarine operated with two alternating crews, Blue and Gold, a system that maximized deployment time while reducing crew fatigue. While the new Block V Virginia-class submarines with the Virginia Payload Module will eventually replenish some capability, production setbacks mean the Navy will operate below its current missile volume for several years. The move underscores a transition in the U.S. undersea strike force as older platforms are phased out.