Submarines: Stumbling Through Submarine Repairs
March 9, 2024: The U.S. Navy has finally started repair work on an SSN (nuclear attack submarine) that returned damaged from its last time at sea nine years ago. The Newport News Shipbuilding firm is to carry out a $1.24 billion overhaul of Los Angeles-class submarine USS Boise at a shipyard in Virginia. The work will be completed by 2029.
The work includes maintenance and restoration of hull structure, tanks, propulsion systems, electric plant, auxiliary systems, armament, and furnishings in addition to many useful alterations.
The delays in doing the work on the USS Boise were caused by submarine maintenance backlogs resulting from not enough shipyards. The Boise was originally supposed to have this work done in 2016, but for eight years there were not enough shipyards available to do the work.
SSNs have lower maintenance priority than SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines) and aircraft carriers. If repairs on SSBNs and carriers take longer, the SSNs have to wait. USS Bosie was idle at the Naval Station Norfolk so long that it eventually lost its dive certification in 2017. That meant any repairs and maintenance had to be followed by extensive efforts to certify that the SSN was capable of operating effectively and capable of submerging safely.
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