General Dynamics has laid the keel of the US Navy’s second Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The ceremony signaled the start of the platform’s construction, which would become part of a fleet that will replace the force’s Ohio-class submarines in service since the 1980s.
The vessel will be commissioned as the USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) and is expected to enter service around the 2030s.
Once inducted, the Wisconsin will be the third US Navy system named after the Midwestern state, following an Illinois-class and an Iowa-class battleship, both of which served in the Pacific.
While the navy has not announced its home port, the submarine will likely operate from Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia, which houses most of the fleet’s nuclear-capable submarines, according to reports.
Adm. William Houston, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, said that the milestone laying underscores the service’s commitment to innovation and maritime power.
“Our ballistic missile submarines are the most survivable leg of our nation’s nuclear triad; they are the ultimate guarantee that no adversary will ever miscalculate America’s resolve,” Houston remarked.
“From this keel, the Wisconsin will rise – an intricate structure of power, precision, and purpose. And just as the keel bears the weight of the ship, this vessel bears the weight of our nation’s most solemn responsibility: to deter war and preserve peace through strength.”
Up to 12 Submarines Expected
Currently, the Department of Defense is working on the development of three Columbia hulls, with the program to produce up to 12.
General Dynamics received an initial contract to prepare the initiative’s corresponding requirements in 2017.
The company received an almost $10-billion modification three years later for the full construction of the fleet’s lead system, the USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826), and to initiate the assembly of the Wisconsin.
The Columbia System
The US Navy’s Columbia-class submarine measures 560 feet (171 meters) in length and has a beam of 43 feet (13 meters).
It will have an S1B nuclear reactor to run propulsion and electricity, and a more advanced sensing suite compared to those installed in the military’s existing attack submarines, the Virginia-class.
The ship will be armed with torpedoes and UGM-133 Trident II underwater-launched ballistic missiles, supporting its role as the sea-based leg of the Pentagon’s nuclear triad.
The submarine can carry 115 crew and reach speeds of more than 20 knots (23 miles/37 kilometers per hour).
