For nearly a century and a half, U.S. Navy cruisers have cut imposing silhouettes on the world’s oceans, their steel hulls and formidable arsenals symbolizing American sea power. As the Navy approaches its 250th anniversary this October, the storied era of these mighty ships draws to a close, with the last cruisers set to retire by 2029. In San Diego, a city deeply intertwined with naval history, the news stirs both nostalgia and reflection among veterans and sailors who once called these vessels home.
Dave Hatzenbuehler remembers the moment he fell in love with the Navy. It was the late 1970s, and he was vacationing in San Diego when he first glimpsed the USS Long Beach. At 721 feet, the world’s first nuclear-powered missile cruiser was an awe-inspiring sight. “It was so powerful and sleek and beautiful,” he recalled, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I joined the Navy as soon as I went home to Dallas. I wanted to be on a ship like that.”
This sentiment resonates with generations who served aboard cruisers, ships that have shielded aircraft carriers, attacked distant enemies, and patrolled the seas as lone wolves since the 1880s. Their legacy is woven into every major chapter of U.S. naval history—from the transition from sail to steam, to pivotal roles in World War II, and tense standoffs during the Cold War.
But time has caught up with these titans of the sea. As of August 2025, only nine of the 27 Ticonderoga-class cruisers commissioned during the Cold War remain in service. That number will dwindle to three by 2027 and finally reach zero in 2029, the Navy confirms. Among the next to go is the 36-year-old USS Princeton, returning to San Diego after a nine-month deployment protecting the carrier USS Carl Vinson. The USS Cape St. George is also expected to be among the last to retire, though the exact date remains uncertain as the Navy grapples with maintenance backlogs.
“Cruisers represented the pinnacle of naval power in the world,” said Delbert Worrell, a Ramona, California veteran who served on the USS Long Beach. “I’m proud I served on one.”
Yet the end of the cruiser era is not without controversy. A 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office sharply criticized a $1.84 billion modernization effort that failed to deliver as promised. Only three cruisers are expected to receive complete upgrades, and they’ll spend less time on patrol than initially forecast. The GAO called the project a “waste,” a verdict that stings for many veterans who prefer to focus on the ships’ storied past rather than bureaucratic missteps.
The history of cruisers is, indeed, storied. The USS San Diego (CL-53) earned 18 battle stars during World War II and was the first major Allied warship to enter Tokyo Bay when the conflict ended. The USS Indianapolis, another cruiser, played a fateful role in 1945 by delivering components of the atomic bomb “Little Boy” to Tinian Island—only to be sunk by a Japanese submarine days later, resulting in the loss of 880 sailors and Marines.
As the decades rolled on, cruisers continued to serve at the front lines of American military action. In August 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the USS Antietam was dispatched to the northern Persian Gulf. “We were directed to immediately go to the northern Persian Gulf, because the U.S. needed an adult in the room – which is how people thought about cruisers and their commanders,” said naval author and veteran Kevin Eyer, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The ship’s advanced AEGIS Combat System gave it a crucial edge, coordinating weapons systems for maximum defensive and offensive power.
The Gulf War saw cruisers like the USS Mobile Bay and USS Bunker Hill among the first to fire cruise missiles at Iraq during Operation Desert Storm on January 16, 1991. Later, on October 7, 2001, the USS John Paul Jones became the first American warship to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan, marking the start of the U.S. response to the September 11 attacks.
But as these ships aged, cracks appeared—literally and figuratively. Some developed structural issues, and the Navy ultimately decided not to pursue a new class of cruisers, mirroring the earlier retirement of the last frigates a decade ago. The proposed DDG(X) destroyer is intended to fill the void left by the cruisers and older Burke-class destroyers, but there’s no firm timetable or budget for the project. “Right now, I do not know,” said Eyer, when asked if DDG(X) would become a reality.
The legacy of the Navy’s capital ships is not only found in steel and gunpowder, but also in the lives of those who served aboard them. One such story is being honored this August at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum in Massachusetts, where the 71st Lights for Peace flag flies in memory of Chief Warrant Officer Ronald S. Plourde. Born in New Bedford in 1938, Plourde enlisted in the Navy in 1956 and spent over 20 years in uniform, including service aboard the USS New Jersey (BB-62)—the most decorated battleship in Navy history.
Plourde’s time on the USS New Jersey was marked by harrowing action during the Vietnam War. In 1968, the battleship left Philadelphia, passed through the Panama Canal, and arrived at Long Beach, California, before steaming to Vietnam. There, it bombarded enemy positions in the Demilitarized Zone and southern North Vietnam, destroying bunkers, tunnels, and supply dumps. On November 25-26, 1968, the New Jersey destroyed or heavily damaged more than 300 enemy structures. Marines credited the ship with saving “thousands of American lives,” and Commandant Leonard Chapman estimated it saved 100 lives every day it was on station.
After returning to Long Beach in May 1969, the New Jersey had fired nearly twelve million pounds of shells over six months. Plourde’s Navy career spanned 16 years of active duty and continued in the Naval Reserve until his retirement as a Chief Warrant Officer in 1976. He received the Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Ribbon for his service. Beyond his military career, Plourde was a dedicated volunteer at the Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Military Museum and a Revolutionary War reenactor. He died on January 7, 2025, at age 86, bequeathing his military memorabilia to the museum to preserve his legacy.
As the Navy retires its last cruisers, the echoes of their service—and the sacrifices of those who served aboard—endure in museums, memories, and the very fabric of cities like San Diego and New Bedford. The ships may soon vanish from the seas, but their stories remain, a testament to the enduring spirit of those who sailed them.
