SAN DIEGO -- The USS John Young was decommissioned Thursday during a ceremony to mark what the Navy calls the destroyer's 24 years of distinguished service.

The ceremony took place at the San Diego Naval Station at 32nd Street said Lt. j.g. D. Baughman, the vessel's public affairs officer said.

The John Young was commissioned in 1978 and designed as a modern antisubmarine warfare ship, Baughman said.

Earlier this year, the John Young served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom by searching for al-Qaida terrorists who may have been trying to escape from Afghanistan. It also took part in interdiction operations in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. warships are assigned to prevent Iraq from exporting oil in violation of international sanctions.

"It's saddening to see a ship go away, and way before its time," Senior Chief Petty Officer Charlie Slagle told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "You're leaving a perfectly good ship to waste."

The Navy told the newspaper that keeping the ship in service was more expensive than the effort would be worth.

"We're in a battle for dollars," according to Cmdr. Tim Smith, the ship's skipper.

The John Young is one of 19 remaining Spruance-class destroyers, all of which are slated for decommissioning over the next four years in what Navy officials say could save about $1.25 billion in maintenance and modernization costs.

"The Navy has made the decision that it's more important to have modernization and a force you can maintain than having the facade of having a large force that's not well-maintained," Smith told the Union-Tribune.