The Columbia class will replace the US Navy’s Ohio class submarines which will present the world’s most advanced technology – Columbia class submarines have the deadliest nuclear missiles in the world. The movement of this ship is very difficult for the enemy to detect because it can work very quietly.
The keel of the future USS District of Columbia, SSBN 826, and the first of the United States Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines was laid by General Dynamics Electric Boat, a renowned shipbuilder in the United States. The function was held at the shipyard owned by General Electric in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
The Columbia-class, the newest type of submarines in the US Navy, will have twelve hulls in total. They will take the place of the fourteen Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines now deployed by the U.S. Navy as part of the country’s nuclear triad.
According to a press release from General Dynamics Electric Boat, president Kevin Graney said, “With the Columbia-class program, the Navy has entrusted Electric Boat to deliver the next sixty years of nuclear deterrence for our country, continuing the company’s legacy of delivering the finest, most technologically advanced submarines in the world.”
These submarines will represent the dedication to quality that our shipbuilders bring to their work each and every day and are essential for our country’s defense.
The first Columbia-class designs, according to General Electric, “began in 2007 when the Navy asked Electric Boat to assist in the conceptual design of a successor for the aging Ohio class, which entered service in the early 1980s. Twelve ships in the Columbia class, each carrying 16 missiles, will account for almost 70% of the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Submarines, out of the country’s nuclear trinity of land, air, and sea-based nuclear weapons, are the stealthiest and most resilient.
The USS District of Columbia will be the biggest submarine the US Navy has ever employed. It will also be the most capable since “its reactor will not require refueling during the length of intended operation,” making the ship more cost-effective to run and extending its time at sea.
Additionally, it will retain the strong anti-ship and anti-submarine capabilities that existing submarines have in addition to carrying the majority of the United States’ nuclear arsenal when it is deployed. The submarine will also be equipped with Mk 48 torpedoes, have improved acoustic performance, and cutting-edge sensors, making it the most capable and silent submarine ever constructed, according to the manufacturer.
The Columbia class “is likely to have a service life into the 2080s,” even though the USS District of Columbia “is planned for delivery in 2027 and expected to begin its first deployment in 2030.” The Columbia-class submarines will also be the most powerful and stealthy class of submarines ever when they are in service.