The United States is by far considered militarily the strongest nation on the planet, and this in large part is due to its navy that has over 240 ships and submarines at its disposal. The U.S. Navy is constantly in the process of building new vessels to further complement its current force, which is incredibly formidable. Even with this new influx of vessels, U.S. ships and submarines have an average hull age of roughly 24 years, with many ranging much older than that. (This country has the most military submarines.)
To determine America’s oldest warships, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the Naval Vessel Register directory of commissioned ships in the U.S. and cross-referenced with data from the World Directory of Modern Military Warships regarding the class or type of each warship. We compiled data on all ships and submarines — 23 in total — that have been commissioned in the service of the U.S. Navy for 35 years or more and ranked them by age.
Many of these vessels mentioned have reached such a long service tenure as a result of their operational effectiveness. Years within the service has proven that age is not a weakness for these ships, but instead a badge of honor.
The backbone of the U.S. Navy is the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers which were introduced to the service roughly 50 years ago. These aircraft carriers are still incredibly formidable and often deployed to global hotspots with their strike groups to stabilize these regions. However, as these carriers are reaching the end of their service life, the U.S. Navy intends to replace them with the Ford-class supercarriers.
The Ohio-class and Los Angeles-class submarines are also examples of U.S. naval vessels with an advanced age. These attack submarines carry nuclear payloads, which are capable of massive devastation and, more importantly, a key component of America’s Nuclear Triad. (These are the 19 ships and submarines of the U.S. Navy.)
Here is a look at the U.S. Navy’s oldest ships and submarines:
23. USS Tennessee
- Commission date: 12/17/1988
- Unit type: Ballistic missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
22. USS San Juan
- Commission date: 8/6/1988
- Unit type: Attack submarine
- Class: Los Angeles-class
21. USS Leyte Gulf
- Commission date: 9/26/1987
- Unit type: Cruiser
- Class: Ticonderoga-class
20. USS Key West
- Commission date: 9/12/1987
- Unit type: Attack submarine
- Class: Los Angeles-class
19. USS Helena
- Commission date: 7/11/1987
- Unit type: Attack submarine
- Class: Los Angeles-class
18. USS Antietam
- Commission date: 6/6/1987
- Unit type: Cruiser
- Class: Ticonderoga-class
17. USS Theodore Roosevelt
- Commission date: 10/25/1986
- Unit type: Aircraft carrier
- Class: Nimitz-class
16. USS Nevada
- Commission date: 8/16/1986
- Unit type: Ballistic missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
15. USS Germantown
- Commission date: 2/8/1986
- Unit type: Dock landing ship
- Class: Whidbey Island-class
14. USS Alaska
- Commission date: 1/25/1986
- Unit type: Ballistic missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
13. USS Alabama
- Commission date: 5/25/1985
- Unit type: Ballistic missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
12. USS Henry M. Jackson
- Commission date: 10/6/1984
- Unit type: Ballistic missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
11. USS Georgia
- Commission date: 2/11/1984
- Unit type: Guided missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
10. USS Florida
- Commission date: 6/18/1983
- Unit type: Guided missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
9. USS Michigan
- Commission date: 9/11/1982
- Unit type: Guided missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
8. USS Carl Vinson
- Commission date: 3/13/1982
- Unit type: Aircraft carrier
- Class: Nimitz-class
7. USS Ohio
- Commission date: 11/11/1981
- Unit type: Guided missile submarine
- Class: Ohio-class
6. USS Frank Cable
- Commission date: 10/29/1979
- Unit type: Submarine tender
- Class: Emory S. Land-class
5. USS Emory S. Land
- Commission date: 7/7/1979
- Unit type: Submarine tender
- Class: Emory S. Land-class
4. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Commission date: 10/18/1977
- Unit type: Aircraft carrier
- Class: Nimitz-class
3. USS Nimitz
- Commission date: 5/3/1975
- Unit type: Aircraft carrier
- Class: Nimitz-class
2. USS Mount Whitney
- Commission date: 1/16/1971
- Unit type: Amphibious command ship
- Class: Blue Ridge-class
1. USS Blue Ridge
- Commission date: 11/14/1970
- Unit type: Amphibious command ship
- Class: Blue Ridge-class
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