--- title: "Prized Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine USS Georgia Heading Into Retirement (Updated)" description: "The Navy's Ohio guided missile submarines are heavily in demand, but are all set to be gone from active service within the next three years." date: "2026-07-28" modified: "2026-07-28" authors: - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman.md" - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/prized-ohio-class-guided-missile-submarine-uss-georgia-heading-into-retirement" categories: - "Navies" - "Nuclear Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)" - "Ohio Class (SSGN variant)" - "Sea" - "Submarines" - "U.S. Navy" --- # Prized Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine USS Georgia Heading Into Retirement (Updated) ![After more than 42 years of service as one of America’s most potent power-projection platforms, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia has returned home from operations for the final time ahead of its retirement.]() *USS Georgia seen in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Cyprus in 2022. USN* After more than 42 years of service as one of America’s most potent power-projection platforms, the nuclear-powered submarine *USS Georgia* has returned home from operations for the final time ahead of its retirement. The boat is one of four [*Ohio* class nuclear-powered guided missile submarines](), or SSGNs. The SSGNs are some of the [most capable and in-demand submarines]() in the U.S. Navy's inventory today, but all are set to leave service before the end of the decade. ![]() *USS Georgia seen returning to its homeport of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, on July 27, 2026. *USN/Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Alston** The USS *Georgia* [returned to its homeport]() of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, on Monday. The boat is scheduled to be officially inactivated on July 31, the first step on a long road through retirement that is set to end with it [being recycled](). ![]() *Another look at the USS Georgia after its recent return to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. *USN/Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Alston** *Georgia* was first commissioned as an *Ohio* class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, or SSBN, in 1984. It was the last of the four *Ohio* class boats to be converted into a conventionally armed SSGN, returning to the fleet in its new form in 2008. However, it was used as the main testbed for proving out the concept initially, as you can read about in much more detail in [this past *TWZ* feature](). The *Ohio* class SSGNs are most widely known for their ability to carry up to 154 [Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles](). However, they typically only carry around 100 of these weapons – a still impressive amount – and are actually highly capable multi-mission platforms. These boats can be fitted with up to two [dry deck shelters](), for deploying [special operators underwater](), including in [mini-submarines](), as well as uncrewed platforms. They are also equipped to act as discreet underwater intelligence fusion nodes and command centers. ![]() *A graphic offering a very general overview of the key features of the *Ohio* class SSGN configuration. *USN** This unique mix of capabilities has led the four converted *Ohios* to become among the most heavily tasked submarines in the Navy. The public presence of one of these SSGNs, as well as [their SSBN cousins](), in any region of the world [sends powerful signals to opponents](), as well as allies and partners. Over the years, they have made [somewhat regular appearances]() during [spikes in geopolitical friction]() globally. https://twitter.com/US5thFleet/status/1341343899311370241 USS *Georgia*, specifically, has been [used for this purpose on several occasions]() in the past, [especially in the Middle East](). In late 2020 and early 2021, *Georgia* [made rare publicized trips]() on the surface through the Strait of Hormuz during periods of particular tension with Iran. In May 2021, Iranian boats harassed the submarine and its escorts during one of these transits, prompting a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat to [fire warning shots](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyXgYMwBg-o The USS *Georgia* is also very likely to have been the submarine that fired more than two dozen Tomahawks at the Iranian nuclear facility at Isfahan [as part of Operation Midnight Hammer]() in 2025. Whether or not it took part in subsequent strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury this year is unclear. Despite what the *Ohio* class SSGNs continue to bring to the table, the Navy currently plans to inactivate all of them over the next three years. The plan had previously been to have all of these boats [out of active service by 2028](). This timeline has now been just slightly extended, with the USS *Ohio*, [USS *Florida*](), and [USS *Michigan*]() set to follow *Georgia* into retirement in Fiscal Years 2027, 2028, and 2029, respectively. USS *Ohio* is also notably the lead boat in the class and, by extension, the oldest, having entered service in 1981. As it stands now, there is no direct replacement for the *Ohio* SSGNs in the Navy's shipbuilding pipeline. The service does have a number of *Virginia* class attack submarines [capable of supporting special operations missions]() in service now and is planning to acquire [enlarged Block V subvariants](). Each Block V will feature what is [known as the Virginia Payload Module]() (VPM), which gives the boat four additional larger vertical launch tubes, and will really make it more of an SSGN. Between the VPM and the existing launch tubes carried over from the Block IV design, these submarines will be able to carry up to 40 Tomahawk missiles at a time. The VPM tubes will also be able to accommodate the forthcoming [Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missile](). However, no version of the *Virginia* class is expected to provide the same level of capability, at least in some regards, as is found on the *Ohio* SSGNs, based on what is publicly known. The first Block V *Virginia* class submarine with the VPM is not expected to enter service until 2028. ![]() *A briefing slide offering a general look at the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) that will be incorporated in Block V *Virginia* class submarines. *USN** The Navy is also in the process of replacing its *Ohio* SSBNs with new *Columbia* class types. There has been talk in the past of acquiring new “[Large Payload Submarines](),” possibly based on the *Columbia* design, as a more direct replacement for the *Ohio* SSGNs. However, the *Columbia* class program has suffered [delays and cost growth](), and the [priority remains on getting the new SSBNs]() into service. It is critical for those boats to be delivered on a tight schedule to ensure there is no gap in the ability of the maritime leg of America’s nuclear triad to meet operational requirements. In the meantime, the USS *Georgia* is already heading toward retirement and, unless the Navy changes course, the last of these highly capable submarines will be out of active service by 2029. ***Update: 7/29/2026 –*** The U.S. Navy has now told *TWZ* that the timeline for the official inactivation of the USS *Georgia* has been pushed back by roughly a year from what it [was stated to be back in April](). "The Navy is committed to maintaining operational readiness while executing planned force structure changes," Navy LTJG Mackenzie Jefferies Park, a spokesperson for Submarine Group 10, told us. "USS *Georgia* (SSGN 729) will remain at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay until she changes her homeport to Norfolk for inactivation at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July 2027." *Contact the author: howard@twz.com* ## Author Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for *TWZ*. He writes frequently about conflict, focusing heavily on the Middle East and Ukraine, and interviews with military and intelligence officials and industry leaders from around the globe. He lives near Tampa, Florida, home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()