U.S. Begins Construction on Columbia Class Submarines

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The United States has begun construction on its new class of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. The USS Columbia is being constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries with the vessel expected to enter service in the year 2031. Columbia, along with her sister ships, will help form part of the United States nuclear triad, a group of submarines sailing undetected for months at a time in order to provide a powerful deterrent against nuclear threats.

The first steel plate to be used on Columbia was cut on May 23rd, three weeks ahead of schedule. The construction of the submarine will be the first time the shipyard will use all digital blueprints to assist with construction.

The United States Navy currently operates and maintains 14 Ohio class submarines. Constructed in the 80s and 90s, the submarines weigh 18,750 tons and are over 550 feet long, making them some of the largest submarines in the world. Each submarine is capable of launching up to 20 Trident D-5 ballistic missiles, with each missile being able to carry several warheads.

At any given time, the U.S. Navy has several ballistic missile submarines deployed under the ocean. The submarines are always active, with two sets of crews switching shifts with one another. This 24/7 readiness allows the U.S. to always be able to respond to any threat, even if the U.S. mainland is bombarded with nukes.

Named after the District of Columbia, the new Columbia class of submarines are intended to replace the aging Ohio class subs, with 12 Columbias replacing 14 Ohios. The Columbia class subs will be the same length as the Ohio, but they will weigh 2,000 tons more than the previous submarines.

The nuclear powered submarines will have an expected service life of 42 years. Since the submarine is nuclear powered, it will not need to refuel once throughout the lifetime of the submarine.

Each Columbia submarine will have 16 launch tubes for Trident D-5 missiles.

Popularmechanics.com mentions that the 12 submarines that are going to be constructed will cost a sum of $109 billion.