A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the United States Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but some are still on the Naval Vessel Register (NVR), while others have been struck from the register.
The ships that have been stricken from the NVR are disposed of by one of several means, including foreign military sales transfer, ship donation as a museum or memorial, domestic dismantling and recycling, artificial reefing, or use as a target vessel. Others are retention assets for possible future reactivation, which have been laid up for long-term preservation and are maintained with minimal maintenance (humidity control, corrosion control, flood/fire watch) should they need to be recalled to active duty.
The Navy has been reducing the number of inactive ships, which numbered as many as 195 in 1997, but was down to 49 by the end of 2014.[1]
The Naval Sea Systems Command's Inactive Ships Management Office (INACTSHIPOFF) is based in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2]
There are three NISMFs:
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard – Bremerton, Washington
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In addition, parts of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are designated for the storage of inactive nuclear powered vessels.[3][4]
Inactive ship facilities in Suisun Bay, James River and Beaumont, Texas are owned and operated by the Maritime Administration under the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Vessels moored at NISMFs
Following is a list of vessels currently being stored at the facilities as of 28 November 2023.[5]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Bremerton, Washington
| Ship | Class | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USNS Bridge (T-AOE-10) | Supply | Fast Combat Support Ship | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Coronado (LCS-4) | Independence | Littoral Combat Ship | Out of commission, in reserve. |
| USS Dubuque (LPD-8) | Austin | Amphibious Transport Dock | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Freedom (LCS-1) | Freedom | Littoral Combat Ship | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Independence (LCS-2) | Independence | Littoral Combat Ship | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Long Beach (CGN-9) | Long Beach | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) | Supply | Fast Combat Support Ship | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
| Ship | Class | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Cleveland (LPD-7) | Austin | Amphibious Transport Dock | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Juneau (LPD-10) | Austin | Amphibious Transport Dock | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USNS Navajo (T-ATF-169) | Powhatan | Fleet Ocean Tug | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Peleliu (LHA-5) | Tarawa | Amphibious Assault Ship | Out of commission, in reserve. |
| USS Port Royal (CG-73) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50) | Safeguard | Salvage Ship | Out of service, in reserve. |
| USNS Sioux (T-ATF-171) | Powhatan | Fleet Ocean Tug | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Tarawa (LHA-1) | Tarawa | Amphibious Assault Ship | Inactive, out of commission, in reserve. |
Past Facilities
- United States Naval Station Orange, Orange, Texas (1966-1975)
- Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bayonne, Bayonne, New Jersey [7]
- NISMF at Naval Base San Diego, San Diego, California[8]
See also
References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
- ↑ "Document: Navy's 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan to Congress for Fiscal Year 2016". USNI News. April 3, 2015.
- ↑ "NAVSEA Field Activities". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ↑ NISMF Portsmouth, Virginia
- ↑ globalsecurity.org Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- ↑ https://www.nvr.navy.mil/NVRSHIPS/SHIP_STATUS_SUMMARY.HTML
- ↑ https://www.goerie.com/story/news/local/2021/11/22/oliver-hazard-perry-class-frigate-erie-pa-presque-isle-bay-project-joe-pfadt-mike-kelly-navy/8638296002/
- ↑ NISMF Bayonne, New Jersey
- ↑ NISMF San Diego, California