U.S. Army Robert. The USS Smalls sails away from Japan, and the era of cruiser deployment in Japan will come to an end.

The Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser USS Robert Smalls sailed away from Japan, leaving the U.S. military in Japan no longer stationed with cruisers. The picture shows the ship's visit to Hong Kong in 2018. (European News Agency file photo)

The "Ticonderoga-class" Aegis cruisers that have been in service for many years in the U.S. Navy have been retired one after another. The last ship of the same class, the USS Robert Smalls, deployed at Yokosuka Base in Japan, recently left Japan and transferred to San Diego, the United States. It is expected to be decommissioned later this fiscal year, symbolizing that the era of long-term deployment of U.S. cruisers to the 7th Fleet homeport is coming to an end.

Foreign media "Stars and Stripes" reported that the "Robert S. Smith", which has served for 37 years, was originally affiliated with the 7th Fleet and the 5th Carrier Strike Group. After leaving Yokosuka, it will be transferred to the surface forces of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. After this warship leaves Japan, Yokosuka will no longer deploy cruisers, and its position will be taken over by the Burke-class Aegis destroyer USS Mustin in the future.

The U.S. military has been accelerating the elimination of "Ticonderoga-class" Aegis cruisers in recent years. In the past week alone, the "USS Shiloh" and the "USS Lake Erie" have been decommissioned, leaving only five ships of the same class in active service. The U.S. Navy plans to completely decommission this type of warship by 2029, and then replace some tasks with new-generation destroyers.

The Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser has long served as the air defense and control center of the carrier strike group. It can track a large number of air, surface and underwater targets at the same time, and is equipped with air defense, sea and ground missiles, torpedoes, naval guns, close-in weapons systems and electronic countermeasures equipment.

It is worth noting that the U.S. Navy has invested approximately US$3.7 billion in the past to promote the modernization of cruisers. However, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported at the end of 2024 that only 3 of the 11 ships originally planned to be upgraded were expected to be redeployed after the project was completed, and the original five-year life extension goal was not achieved.

The "Robert S. Smalls" was still named "USS Chancellorsville" when it was stationed in Yokosuka in 2015. It was changed to its current name in 2023 to commemorate Robert Smith, who escaped slavery during the Civil War and later served as a U.S. Congressman. Smalls.