NOT WEEKS, NOT MONTHS – HOW LONG IT ACTUALLY TAKES TO REFUEL A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE
BY JONATHAN H. KANTOR JULY 26, 2025 5:15 AM EST
U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons
Every military submarine operated by the United States Navy is nuclear-powered, and this has many advantages as well as some disadvantages. The advantages are clear in that a nuclear sub can typically operate for decades without refueling. To do so, they require a Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) process that is complex and sees the submarine not only refuel the reactor during this time, but the Navy also augments the boat's capabilities, improves systems, and modernizes wherever possible during the boat's midlife point.
The ROH ensures that U.S. nuclear submarines can operate for as long as possible, but it's neither quick, cheap, nor easy. It doesn't take a few months to conduct an ROH — it can take years. Not only that, but the time required varies wildly, depending on what needs to be done. Submarines can take anywhere from one to two years to undergo a complete ROH, which is one of the main reasons they undergo a refit after a decade or two during the boat's midlife point.
A submarine can undergo an ROH and return to operational service for just as long as it did previously. An ROH doesn't usually take much more than a couple of years to complete, but it can take longer. The USS Louisiana (SSBN-743), an Ohio-class nuclear submarine, completed its mid-life Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO) in a total of 870,000 resource days, which took place over a period of 40 months. EROs are done to refuel a boat, modernize parts, and perform maintenance without conducting major overhauls of technology, and are meant to extend the life of a submarine, though COVID-19 extended the USS Louisiana's considerably.
How the refueling process takes place
Read More:
https://www.slashgear.com/1919912/how-long-it-takes-to-refuel-a-nuclear-submarine/
