Lake Erie’s best-known mission came in February 2008, when it fired an SM-3 missile to destroy the U.S. reconnaissance satellite USA-193. Officials cited concern that hydrazine aboard the satellite could cause environmental harm if it reached Earth.
The Ticonderoga-class cruiser was ordered in 1988 and entered service on July 24, 1993. It operated around the world and spent its final months on missions in Central American waters linked to countering the drug trade.
Germantown, a Whidbey Island-class ship, was commissioned on February 8, 1986, after being ordered in 1982. It carried U.S. Marine Corps equipment on deployments that included operations in the Middle East and also supported humanitarian relief after natural disasters.
Both retirements form part of a broader reduction in their respective ship classes. Whidbey Island-class ships are being replaced by newer San Antonio-class amphibious vessels, while only six of the 27 Ticonderoga-class cruisers built remain in service, according to the source article.
