Their nuclear reactors will not require refueling during the entire planned service life. Each will be 560 feet long and displace 20,810 tons, making them the largest submarines to come out of a U.S. Their construction will render them the quietest subs ever built. The new boats will carry 16 missiles each, representing roughly 70 percent of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. The idea is to ensure that enough submarines - at least 10 ideally - are on patrol at any given time. This would happen only if propulsion plants and overall condition are good enough to make such extensions a low-risk proposition. There is a chance that service lives of some Ohios may be extended a bit longer if necessary, he added. Meanwhile, work to extend the Ohios’ service life to 41 years from the 20 that were called for when they were built is nearly complete, Pappano said. “The first Ohio class will be going offline in fiscal year 2027, and we will start heel-to-toe replacements with the Columbia class coming right behind that,” Pappano said. Huntington-Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia is handling the remaining 20 percent of the workload, with a focus on construction of the bow and stern.ĭistrict of Columbia and the 11 future vessels in its class are slated to replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. We’ve gotten off to a good start, tracking actually ahead of where the Virginia was in her build-out as a lead ship.”Įighty percent of the Columbia class’s construction is taking place at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and Groton, Connecticut, facilities. We’ve learned a lot about the modular-construction business. “Columbia is two and a half times the size of a Virginia,” Snider told National Defense. The plan calls for one Columbia and two Virginia subs to be delivered per year - a considerably more accelerated pace than when the fast-attack class’s namesake - SSN-774 - was produced. The contractor is about 20 percent into construction on the lead boat and has also started advanced construction and procurement for the second in the class, the USS Wisconsin SSBN827, said Pappano.Įric Snider, vice president of the Columbia-class program at General Dynamics Electric Boat, expressed confidence in the process - even as construction of the new boat is taking place at the same time and shipyard where the company is building the next Virginia-class fast-attack submarines. Nonetheless, both the Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat - the contractor building the Columbia class - say the project is progressing according to plan. Scott Pappano, the program executive officer for strategic submarines, during a Hudson Institute seminar in June. “That is a must-meet requirement for that class,” said Rear Adm. Any glitch in the schedule could have rippling effects across the service’s entire shipbuilding operations, senior Navy leaders have said. The USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) - the first of 12 such vessels - is scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and ready to patrol by 2031, even as the service has to move forward with other projects. The service considers replenishment of the nation’s undersea leg of the nuclear triad as its highest priority. Still, the work has begun for the Columbia-class submarine and must go on, said Navy officials. The Trident submarines it would replace are going to be pressed into service for years after their initial projected life expectancy. The estimated $15.2 billion price tag for the first boat, a lack of skilled labor, supply chain concerns and a tight timetable are key hurdles. The design and construction of the next ballistic missile submarine entails addressing a host of unprecedented challenges for the Navy, according to service officials and experts.
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