United States Navy USS Lake Erie Retired

Decommissioned at Naval Base San Diego on 25 September 2026, the U.S. Navy said, after more than 33 years of service. Built by Bath Iron Works and commissioned at Pearl Harbor on 24 July 1993, Lake Erie served as the Navy's test ship for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system through a long series of intercept trials, and in February 2008 shot down a failing U.S. reconnaissance satellite during Operation Burnt Frost. She deployed to the Pacific, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. Her retirement is part of the Navy's fiscal 2026 inactivation plan for the Ticonderoga class.