US Navy marks 250th birthday, names T-AGOS Explorer-class ships

The US Navy and US Marine Corps commenced the first of many celebrations in 2025, marking their 250th birthdays at the 10th Annual Commodore Stephen Decatur Celebration. Secretary of the US Navy Carlos Del Toro also named two of the T-AGOS ocean surveillance ships of the Explorer class.

In his keynote remarks, Secretary Del Toro noted the US Navy and Marine Corps had stood the watch and defended the nation’s values for the past 250 years.

From the “shores of Tripoli” to the depths of the Pacific, the US Navy and Marine Corps’ have “embodied American strength and resilience”, he added.

“This year marks 250 years of unparalleled service,” Secretary Del Toro said.

“For 250 years, our Sailors and Marines have answered the call to defend liberty—whether in the jungles of Iwo Jima or the deserts of the Middle East.”

Del Toro emphasized that the US Navy and Marine Corps’ future success would depend on continuing to uphold the high standards set by past leaders, including President Jimmy Carter and Commodore Stephen Decatur.

Meanwhile, on January 10, 2025, Del Toro named two T-AGOS ocean surveillance ships USNS Don Walsh (T-AGOS 25) and USNS Victor Vescovo (T-AGOS 26). He made the announcement during a ship naming ceremony amongst members of Congress, National Geographic Explorers, local civic leaders, educators, scientists, and a wide multitude of explorers at the US Naval Academy in Maryland.

In 2022, the US Navy procured the first of seven larger, faster surveillance ships known as T-AGOS 25.

T-AGOS 25-class ships will be 110 meters long and feature a steel small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) design.

The upper section of the ship is supported by two struts that reach down to a set of submerged hulls resembling those of a submarine. The struts feature a slender profile where they meet the waterline, resulting in a minimal waterplane area.

The ships will have an 8,500-ton displacement and accommodation for 68 personnel. They will
support the navy’s integrated undersea surveillance system (IUSS) for collecting underwater acoustical data, using surveillance towed-array sensor system (SURTASS) equipment. 

Operated by the Military Sea Lift Command, the Explorer-class vessels will play an integral role in the US Navy’s anti-submarine warfare operations, the navy concluded.