US Navy building its ‘largest, most advanced’ nuclear sub, as Chinese fleet expands

The USS District of Columbia heralds the introduction of a new SSBN fleet to be commissioned in 2027

The 12 Columbia-class subs will replace the ageing Ohio-class SSBNs and carry ‘70 per cent of America’s deployed nuclear arsenal’

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An artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine expected to start patrols in 2031. Photo: US Navy

Published: 7:00pm, 12 Jun 2022Updated: 7:11pm, 12 Jun 2022

The US has begun building its most advanced Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), as the country’s military tries to maintain its edge over rivals including a fast-expanding Chinese navy.

A keel-laying ceremony for the USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) took place on June 4, according to the US Naval Institute’s USNI News website. The event marked the ceremonial start to the construction of the first in a new class of ballistic missile submarines expected to be commissioned in 2027, the report said.

“The Columbia-class will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarine produced by our nation,” congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton was quoted as saying during the ceremony.

Building the 12 Columbia-class subs has been the US Navy’s top priority for the last decade, with preliminary design work starting in 2007 for what will be the largest submarines ever built by the US.

The fleet will replace the Ohio-class SSBNs as the US Navy’s number one strategic deterrent, starting with District of Columbia’s first patrol in 2031.

The Columbia class would carry “70 per cent of America’s deployed nuclear arsenal”, Navy secretary Carlos Del Toro said at the ceremony in Rhode Island, calling the subs “the smartest investment we can make” to secure the American public, USNI reported.

The US Navy operates 14 ageing Ohio class SSBNs built between 1976 and 1997. In addition, four of the oldest subs of the class were converted to cruise missile submarines (SSGN) as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.