The US Navy is taking final steps to decide the fate of the USS Long Beach (CGN‑9), the world’s first nuclear‑powered surface combatant commissioned in 1961. Long Beach, a Cold War icon and the first warship equipped with a nuclear propulsion plant and an early phased‑array radar, was decommissioned in 1995. After removal of its nuclear fuel and other components, the hull remained at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for decades. The Navy has now initiated the legal process to dispose of the remaining structure, marking the end of an era for America’s nuclear surface fleet.