Groton-Based Electric Boat To Hire 2,200 This Year

GROTON, CT — Groton-based submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat plans to hire 2,200 people this year, according to a statement from President Kevin Graney. Graney said the company hired 2,000 people last year and plans to add to that number.

"These new hires have an opportunity for a career with competitive wages and benefits at a company with an absolutely critical mission," Graney said in the statement.

He said that there's an "increasing importance of submarines to the U.S. Navy due to the Great Power Competition that you’ve heard about–the threats we face from Russia and China. These threats are driving a demand signal for more and more capable submarines with advanced sensors, stealth and increased payloads."

There have been discussions about expanding Electric Boat's production of Virginia-class submarines from two to three per year. The company is gearing up for a "once-in-a-generation level of production."

In November, the company was 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.

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.

See related: Electric Boat Lands Massive, $9.5 Billion Submarine Contract