finance
Decommissioned USS Juneau Sunk by Japanese Submarine in Valiant Shield Exercise
The Austin-class amphibious transport dock was struck by multiple weapons during a June 27 SINKEX in the Philippine Sea. A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine delivered the final torpedo hit after strikes from a B-2 bomber and P-8A aircraft.
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The decommissioned USS Juneau (LPD-10) was sunk on June 27, 2026, during Exercise Valiant Shield in the Philippine Sea, Forbes reported. An unidentified Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fired the torpedo that sent the ship to the bottom after it had already been struck by an AGM-158C LRASM from a B-2 Spirit bomber and an AGM-84D Harpoon missile from a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
The Austin-class amphibious transport dock had been commissioned in July 1969 and decommissioned in 2008 before entering the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The sinking formed part of a SINKEX live-fire training event that allows allied forces to practice with real ordnance against a retired warship. The event echoed an earlier loss.
The first USS Juneau (CL-52), an Atlanta-class light cruiser, was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-26 in November 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal, resulting in the deaths of all five Sullivan brothers among the crew. Two additional retired U.S. Navy vessels are scheduled for similar sinkings during RIMPAC 2026, which continues through the end of July.
The ex-USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) and ex-USS Peleliu (LHA-5) will be used as targets in the biennial exercise, Forbes reported.
