An entire class of combat vessels has been retired after less than 5 years of service.
The coastal combat ship Sioux City, designed to serve for 25 years, has been decommissioned after just 5 years of service, as reported by Sarbaz.kz citing Navy Times.
This marked the culmination of retiring the entire class of ships. The Freedom class, conceived at the beginning of the century as the future of the fleet, proved noncompetitive due to issues with installing new modules, engine problems, and hull stability.
Lieutenant Commander David Carter, a spokesperson for Naval Surface Force Atlantic, stated on Wednesday that the decision to retire the ship was not due to its material condition. However, the ships were removed from the fleet to optimize the budget and maintain the fleet's combat readiness.
The US Navy announced its intention to decommission the Sioux City and eight other Freedom-class ships in the early spring of 2022, as an effort to reallocate funds towards other more relevant developments.
These ships have also sparked congressional ire in recent years. The Freedom-class vessels have frequently been criticized for their poor construction quality and limited combat capability.
