Construction of Electric Boat submarines begins at the Quonset Point, R.I., Facility, located on the shore of Naragansett Bay 50 miles east of Groton, Conn. Established in November 1973 at the soon-to-be-closed Quonset Point Naval Air Station, the Quonset Point Facility produces submarine hull cylinders up to 42 feet in diameter at its Automated Frame and Cylinder Manufacturing Facility. The hull sections are produced using a fraction of the manpower once required to form a traditional hull.

Major submarine components are manufactured using digitally controlled machines for cutting, machining and bending. This precision process, bolstered by the completion of the new Automated Steel Processing Center in 2001, is driven by the digital design data transmitted electronically from the Groton design team.

The completed submarine hull cylinders are outfitted with tanks, propulsion and auxiliary machinery, cruise missile and torpedo tubes, piping, wiring and lighting, and are then barged to Groton or Northrop Grumman Newport News for completion.