The US Navy has extended the decommissioning timeline for its Los Angeles-class submarine USS Dallas (SSN 700) to 2017, from its earlier scheduled retirement in 2015.
The USS Norfolk (SSN 714) submarine, which was commissioned on 21 May 1983, will now be decommissioned in early 2015 rather than 2017.
According to the navy, this decision will save $10m in pre-inactivation restricted availability (PIRA) costs and enable the navy to focus on mission requirements and balance workload and workforce needs across the force.
Upon the completion of its last scheduled overseas deployment, which started in February, Norfolk will return to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and then undergo the decommissioning process at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, US.
Commissioned on 18 July 1981, Dallas is currently based at Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut, and completed its most recent overseas deployment last November.
Los Angeles-class submarines are capable of chasing maritime vessels, striking targets ashore and supporting special forces. They can also be used for covert surveillance and mine-warfare missions.
Of the 62 Los Angeles-class attack submarines that were built from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s, 41 are currently operational.
Image: USS Dallas has now been scheduled for decommissioning in 2017. Photo: courtesy of the US Navy.
