Fleet hails and farewells for 2014

The fleet is gaining some of the latest amphibious ships in 2014, but also saying goodbye to some stalwarts, including seven frigates, an attack submarine, an amphibious transport dock and a minesweeper. Here’s a look at some of the fleet changes slated for the coming year:

New ships.
Three state-of-the-art amphibious ships are set to enter service in the remainder of fiscal 2014: The amphibious transport dock Somerset in March; littoral combat ship Coronado in April; and amphibious assault ship America in September.

Decommissionings.
The service plans to retire a total of 12 ships in fiscal 2014, including seven frigates, an attack submarine, an amphibious transport dock and a minesweeper.

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