Navy to decommission the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth

The U.S. Navy will retire the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) in a ceremony scheduled for July 29 at 10 a.m. PDT at Naval Base San Diego.

Gordon England, a former Secretary of the Navy, is slated to deliver the principal address. Additional remarks are expected from Rear Adm. Matthew Kawas; Jill J.R. Labbe, appearing as the proxy for the ship’s sponsor; and retired Capt. Warren Cupps.

Commissioned as both an operational unit and a test platform, Fort Worth and its crews helped shape how today’s littoral combat ships are configured and deployed. The ceremony will recognize the ship’s service and the commitment of its Sailors and their families.

Littoral combat ships are designed for speed and flexible manning, tailored to specific missions in both near-shore and open-ocean environments. They integrate with joint and combined forces, as well as manned and unmanned systems, to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.

The LCS program includes two variants—Freedom and Independence—built by separate industry teams. Fort Worth is a Freedom-class hull constructed in Marinette, Wisconsin. Austal USA leads construction of the Independence variant in Mobile, Alabama, beginning with LCS 6 and subsequent even-numbered ships.

With the retirement of early-hull test platforms such as Fort Worth, the Navy plans to shift resources to upgrade the remaining LCS inventory with new capabilities. Program officials characterize the approach as a way to keep active ships relevant, combat-credible, and reliable through their service lives while sustaining the broader LCS effort.

Navy leaders frame the move within a long-standing posture of global naval operations and a drive to maintain continuous capability, emphasizing a future-focused fleet to meet ongoing demands.