Electric Boat Lands Massive, $9.5 Billion Submarine Contract

GROTON, CT — General Dynamics Electric Boat has been awarded a $9.5 billion contract by the U.S. Navy to build Columbia-class submarines. Electric Boat will be responsible for construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia class, as well as associated design and engineering support.

The new submarines will replace the aging Ohio class of ballistic missile submarines. Electric Boat will perform about 78% of the construction of the Columbia class and recently shifted the program to full-scale construction at the company's manufacturing complex in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, according to a statement from the company.

Construction of four of the six "supermodules" will take place at Electric Boat's Quonset Point facility. The supermodules will then be transported by barge to the company's Final Test and Assembly yard in Groton, Connecticut, where the components will be assembled into a complete submarine in a 200,000-square-foot facility now under construction specifically for the Columbia class.

"Electric Boat has been making preparations for construction of the Columbia class for nearly a decade, including advancing the design of this critical Navy asset, hiring and training thousands of skilled tradespeople, modernizing our facilities and helping to bolster the supply base. As a result, Columbia's design is more advanced than that of any previous submarine program," Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat said in a statement. "We are grateful for the unwavering support of the Navy and Congress in securing funding to avoid disruption of this critical program."

At 560 feet long with a displacement of nearly 21,000 tons, the submarines of the Columbia class will be the largest ever built by the United States.