In December, the US Navy https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/0/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF" rel="nofollow - released its 30-year ship-building plan, which called for building 404 new vessels to reach a 541-ship fleet by 2051, with 304 current vessels retired over that period.

Fourteen of the vessels to be retired are nuclear-powered and thus need to be recycled as part of the Navy's https://carrierdisposaleis.com/Portals/carrierdisposaleis/files/Green_Book_U.S._NAVAL_NUCLEAR_POWERED_SHIP_INACTIVATION_DISPOSAL_AND_RECYCLING_2019.pdf" rel="nofollow - Ship-Submarine Recycling Program to ensure safe disposal of their nuclear reactors and fuel.

Those ships include https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-to-recycle-uss-nimitz-one-of-first-supercarriers-2021-2" rel="nofollow - the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and 13 https://www.businessinsider.com/how-us-navy-nuclear-powered-submarines-dominate-the-seas-2021-1" rel="nofollow - nuclear submarines : 11 Los Angeles-class attack subs and two https://www.csp.navy.mil/SUBPAC-Commands/Submarines/Guided-Missile-Submarines/" rel="nofollow - Ohio-class cruise-missile submarines, known as SSGNs.

https://www.csp.navy.mil/ohio/About/" rel="nofollow - USS Ohio , lead ship of the class, will be one of the two SSGNs recycled. It will be the end of a four-decade career for the first sub of its kind.