Columbia Class
THE NATION’S TOP STRATEGIC DEFENSE PRIORITY
Electric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and construction of the 12-ship Columbia class and will perform about 78% of the construction. Huntington-Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia is handling the remaining workload focused on construction of the bow and stern.
Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines will replace the aging Ohio-class nuclear ballistic submarine force due to begin to retire from service in 2027. Arguably the most complex machines ever made, submarines of the Columbia class will be the largest ever built by the United States at two-and-a-half-times the size of the existing Virginia-class attack submarines.
The Columbia class represents an evolution of submarine technology. Ships of the class will have a life-of-ship reactor, eliminating the need for refueling and making each ship more cost-effective to operate while maximizing time of deployment. Superior acoustical performance and state-of-the-art sensors make the Columbia class the quietest, stealthiest and most capable submarines ever built. When fully deployed, the Columbia class will carry 70% of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
The Columbia class are the first ballistic-missile submarines designed for modular construction. Construction is underway at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point facility in Rhode Island and the Groton, Connecticut, shipyard, with the support of more than 3,000 suppliers from around the country. To prepare for Columbia, Electric Boat is hiring and training thousands of new skilled tradespeople and collaborating with suppliers to prepare for the expanded demand in support of construction. General Dynamics invested nearly $2 billion in new facilities to support this crucial program for our nation’s defense.
Ship statistics
- Displacement:
- 20,810 long tons (submerged)
- Length:
- 560 feet
- Hull Diameter:
- 43 feet
- Speed:
- 20+ knots
- Diving Depth:
- 800+ feet
- Missile Tubes:
- 16
- Weapons System:
- Trident II D5 (LE)
- Propulsion:
- Nuclear, Electric Drive
Priorities
- Maintain Design/Construction/Lifecycle Cost Targets
- Leverage VIRGINIA technology, Supplier base, Lessons learned
- Leverage Virginia-class technology, the submarine supplier base and lessons learned
New QUAD Pack Modular Construction Technique
Our new modular construction technique outfits four missile tubes in factory environment to increase missile compartment modular construction from 2% during OHIO SSBN construction in the 1970’s to more than 85% on the Columbia SSBN. Once the four-tube section is assembled, this quad pack is completed with a hull section, joined with additional quad packs, and then outfitted as a complete missile compartment with decks, systems and other equipment.