NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — With submarine construction increasing with the construction of a new class of subs, Newport News Shipbuilding is equipping itself for the additional work.
Their parent company - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) - announced Thursday that they've broken ground on a "Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility," which they say is one of three new facilities that will support construction and delivery of Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines.
The Virginia-class boats have been in the pipeline for many years now, with 21 having been delivered to the U.S. Navy so far.
The Columbia-class boats, which are a replacement for the aging Ohio-class ballistic missile subs, are primarily being built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, CT, with Newport News Shipbuilding building and delivering components for their construction.
Construction of the first of the Columbia-class submarines - the District of Columbia - began with its keel-laying last April.
Prior to the awarding of the Columbia-class' primary contract to Electric Boat, the two shipyard traded places swapping out as primary builder of the Virginia-class boats. Now, Newport News Shipbuilding will become the primary contractor for the Virginia-class subs.
“The Navy has made it clear how important both the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs are to our nation’s defense,” said Brandi Smith, NNS vice president of Columbia-class submarine construction.
“The Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility is an intentional investment to accelerate our efforts to deliver the highest quality submarines our Navy needs," she said.
Work on the two other facilities NNS intends to build to support submarine construction should begin later this year.
