Courtney Statement on USS District of Columbia Bow Delivery to Electric Boat in Groton
NORWICH, CT – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, released the following statement on the delivery of the USS District of Columbia’s bow to Electric Boat’s South Yard assembly building in Groton, CT, where final assembly of the boat will occur. The USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) is the lead boat in the new Columbia-class fleet of ballistic missile submarines. Columbia-class submarines will weigh 21,000 tons – 2½ times the size of Virginia-class submarines.
“The arrival of the USS District of Columbia bow in Groton is breakthrough milestone for the Columbia program. This module completes the delivery of all major modules for the District of Columbia. For the first time, all modules are together in one yard,” Courtney said. “This delivery, combined with the turbine power generator delivery from Northrop Grumman in recent weeks, resolves two of the biggest supply chain delays for the boat. Last week, Electric Boat also successfully installed the submarine’s motor into the stern, another first for the lead ship in the Columbia class.”
“This milestone is a culmination of work by an industrial base of over 2,500 suppliers, spanning all 50 states. It is also the result of the over $10 billion investment by Congress into the U.S. submarine industrial base over the last seven years,” Courtney continued. “While submarine shipyards are working with tonnage levels equal the peak of the Cold War, this investment from Congress has grown the submarine workforce, supply chain, and facilities to meet the demand of both the Navy's and the Pentagon’s ‘number one acquisition priority’ alongside increased construction of Virginia-class submarines.”
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