Ships stored at the NISMF in Bremerton, 2025; Bunker Hill, Mobile Bay, Lake Champlain, Freedom, Independence, Coronado, Rainier and Bridge.
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 14 October 2025.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[]
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Philadelphia NISMF in 1955
Philadelphia NISMF in 1995
,_USS_Mobile_(LKA-115),_USS_Charleston_(LKA-113)_and_USS_El_Paso_(LKA-117)_laid_up_at_the_Philadelphia_Naval_Inactive_Ship_Maintenance_Facility,_Pennsylvania_(USA),_21_October_2017.jpg){kind=link}
Of these four ships, only the LKA-113 remains in the basin.
Bremerton, Washington[]
The mothball fleet at Bremerton, Washington, in 1974
Aircraft carriers stored at the NISMF in Bremerton, 2012. From left to right: Independence, Kitty Hawk, Constellation and Ranger.
| 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 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[]
View of the ships in the Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 2025
| Ship | Class | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Antietam (CG-54) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| USS Cowpens (CG-63) | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | 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 | Stricken, final disposition pending. |
| 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. |
Past Facilities[]
- United States Naval Station Orange, Orange, Texas (1966-1975)
- Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bayonne, Bayonne, New Jersey[20]
- NISMF at Naval Base San Diego, San Diego, California[21]
See also[]
- National Defense Reserve Fleet
- List of current ships of the United States Navy
- List of Military Sealift Command ships
- List of Ready Reserve Force ships
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". April 3, 2015. https://news.usni.org/2015/04/03/document-navys-30-year-shipbuilding-plan-to-congress-for-fiscal-year-2016.
- ↑ "NAVSEA Field Activities". United States Navy. http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Organization/Field%20Activities.aspx.
- ↑ NISMF Portsmouth, Virginia
- ↑ globalsecurity.org Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- ↑ "Status Summary". https://www.nvr.navy.mil/NVRSHIPS/SHIP_STATUS_SUMMARY.HTML.
- ↑ Balestrieri, Steve (2025-10-14). "Warship Destroyed: The U.S. Navy Likely Just Sank One of Its Own Destroyers on Purpose" (in en-US). https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/warship-destroyed-the-u-s-navy-likely-just-sank-one-of-its-own-destroyers-on-purpose/.
- ↑ "Video shows US Navy sinking warship" (in en). 2025-10-14. https://www.newsweek.com/video-shows-us-navy-sinking-warship-10874808.
- ↑ laststandonzombieisland (2025-10-14). "USS Simpson (FFG-56) sunk 28 September 2025" (in en-US). https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2025/10/14/alas-simpson-you-deserved-better/uss-simpson-ffg-56-sunk-28-september-2025/.
- ↑ Template:Cite twitter
- ↑ Template:Cite twitter
- ↑ "Google Maps" (in en). https://www.google.com/maps/@21.3789288,-157.9917331,3a,60y,107.06h,89.44t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s1u_iBZkswEB2F5G39aLHrg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D0.5623131139676474%26panoid%3D1u_iBZkswEB2F5G39aLHrg%26yaw%3D107.05804851486832!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D.
- ↑ "USS Antietam (CG 54) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/cg54history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/cg55history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/cg58history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Cowpens (CG 63) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/cg63history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Detroit (LCS 7) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/lcs7history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Little Rock (LCS 9) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/lcs9history.htm.
- ↑ "USS Sioux City (LCS 11) history". http://www.uscarriers.net/lcs11history.htm.
- ↑ "Floating warship museum still eyed for Presque Isle Bay. Navy review, steep costs pose challenges". 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
External links[]
- U.S. Navy Inactive Ships Program Office
- Official List of Inactive U.S. Navy Ships
- Official List of Stricken U.S. Navy Ships
- NavSource
The original article can be found at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility and the edit history here.