A key milestone has been reached in the ongoing construction of the future USS District of Columbia, the lead boat of the U.S. Navy’s next-generation ballistic missile submarines.
Construction of the bow section of the submarine has been completed at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, and it has now been delivered to General Dynamics Electric Boat’s yard in Groton, Connecticut.
All the major modules of the next-generation Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) have now been delivered, as per a social media post from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
In total 12 of the nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed boats are planned; they are intended to replace the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class submarines. At 171 metres, they will be a similar length to their predecessors, but a metre wider, with a beam of about 13 metres.
They will displace almost 21,000 tons and carry 16 Trident D5 nuclear missiles. Each boat is projected to cost an average of over $10 billion to build; the lead boat is currently scheduled to be completed in 2030 and to enter active service the following year.
As per NAVSEA’s post: “The future of submarine sea power is taking shape! The bow section of the future District of Columbia, built by HII’s Shipbuilding division, has arrived at General Dynamics Electric Boat for final assembly and testing.
“This marks the completion of the majority of Newport News Shipbuilding division’s work on this critical next-generation submarine. With all major modules at Electric Boat, we’re one step closer to delivering this vital asset to our nation’s fleet.”
- You can see more images on NAVSEA’s social media post