The Ship Model Forum

The U.S. Navy's Dangerous Nuclear Attack Submarine Shortage
Dave Majumdar

May 23, 2016

The U.S. Navy hopes to continue to build two Virginia-class attack submarines per year while also building the Ohio Replacement Program ballistic missile submarine starting in 2021. But does the United States still have the industrial capacity to build more than two nuclear submarines at a time?

The increased build rate would help to alleviate a severe shortfall in the number of available attack submarines in the Navy’s inventory—which is set to drip to 41 boats by 2029. But moreover, with the growing threat from a resurgent Russia and an increasingly hostile China, the service is recalibrating its stated requirement for 48 attack submarines.

It has become clear that the service needs more than 48 attack submarines. Even with 52 boats currently in service—four more than the stated requirement—the Navy is not able to meet the worldwide demand for submarine capability. “We have a compelling need for additional attack submarines,” Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition told the Congress in late February. “Today, we have 52 boats, a requirement for 48, we have a valley of 41 boats in the 2030s, we start falling below the line in the late 2020s.”

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I think the US Navy should build some AIP submarines which other navies are getting. They are quieter than nuclear subs and would free them up for work further from home. They would also be invaluable for training for ASW. The USN has the help of an Italian boat at the moment but I am sure more would be welcome.

US Navy Stretches Submarine Fleet in Latest Fleet Plan
Christopher P. Cavas, Defense News 9:03 a.m. EDT July 16, 2016
But sub force is still shrinking


WASHINGTON — The US Navy is stretching the lives of some of its submarines, if only by a year or two.

In the latest version of the 30-year fleet shipbuilding plan, submitted to Congress July 9, the Navy juggled the schedule for ships it plans to dispose of in the next five years. The number of ships planned for inactivation in 2017 dropped from 10 to six, and four submarines gained a modest lease on life.

But overall, the service plans to inactivate a dozen Los Angeles-class attack submarines from 2017 through 2021, reflecting a general decline in the undersea fleet. From today’s 52-ship level, the attack boat fleet drops to 48 boats in 2022 and hits a low of 41 hulls in 2029, afterwards steadily rising to 51 subs in 2046. Those levels are consistent with what the service forecast a year ago.

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After a leadership shakeup at General Dynamics, a murky future for submarine building
By: David B. Larter   3 days ago
WASHINGTON — Submarine building, the pride of the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding efforts over the past decade, is facing a mountain of uncertainty, a point underscored by the replacement of senior members of General Dynamics leadership, compounding delays with construction of the Virginia-class submarine and nagging questions about the quality of the work after a high-profile welding issue threatened to trip up the Columbia-class ballistic missile sub program at the starting line.
Adding to the uncertainty for General Dynamics, which operates the Electric Boat shipyard in Connecticut, are indications that profits from constructing Virginia-class subs may be slipping. And challenges in training new workers in the complex world of building subs as well as concerns that the Columbia program might negatively affect General Dynamics’ bottom line are impacting General Dynamics’ partner yard Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia, as well as the U.S. Navy.
Furthermore, a contract for the significantly larger Block V Virginia-class submarine, expected to be one of the largest in the Navy’s history, has been repeatedly delayed amid disputes over labor rates, sources told Defense News. That contract is more than a year past due, according to Navy budget documents.
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US Navy to slash the number of Virginia-class attack subs in long-delayed Block V contract
By: David B. Larter   6 hours ago
Shipyard workers at General Dynamics Electric Boat prepare the submarine Illinois for float-off in Groton, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy is preparing to sign a contract for nine Virginia-class attack submarines, eight of which will include a 84-foot section that boosts the boat’s strike missile capacity, which is down from 11 boats planned for in this year’s budget submission, Defense News has confirmed with sources familiar with the pending contract.
The contract will also include an option for a 10th boat if needed, sources said.
The news, which was first reported by Bloomberg, is the latest jolt to the Virginia-class program that has seen creeping delays and slipping profits in recent years caused by labor issues and a strained submarine industrial supply base. The contract was originally intended to be signed by October of last year, at the start of the 2019 fiscal year, according to Navy budget documents.
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Navy Awards Massive $22.2 Billion Contract for 9 New Attack Submarines
2 Dec 2019
The Associated Press
GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The U.S. Navy has awarded a $22.2 billion contract for the construction of nine additional Virginia class submarines.
The office of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island on Monday announced the contract for General Dynamics’ Electric Boat in Connecticut and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. in Virginia, the two companies that have been building the attack submarines in partnership.
The submarines included in the latest contract are to be delivered to the Navy between 2025 and 2029.
They also will be slightly larger and have additional capabilities compared with earlier Virginia class submarines. The newer subs will weigh about 10,200 tons and have a length of 460 feet.
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As Navy Secretary visits Electric Boat, Lawmakers Push for More Submarine Funding
22 Aug 2020
The Day, New London, Conn. | By Julia Bergman
A visit by the secretary of the Navy to Electric Boat's facilities in Connecticut and Rhode Island on Friday was as much about observing shipyard operations as it was about making the argument that two attack submarines must continue to be built annually, even as the company embarks on the once-in-a-generation task of building a new fleet of ballistic-missile submarines.
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US Navy avoided a 2022 ‘trough’ in submarine fleet size, but industry challenges threaten future growth
By Megan Eckstein
Monday, Jan 3

WASHINGTON — This fiscal year was expected to be the first in which the U.S. Navy dipped into a “trough” in its submarine force, falling below the previous requirement for 48 attack subs and facing two decades of reduced numbers, with as few as 41 at times.

Instead, the Navy is holding steady at 50 and plans to only grow the fleet, thanks to efforts to extend the lives of many aging Los Angeles-class SSNs by about three years each and to refuel five of them altogether for additional years of operations.


Still, the remaining 27 Los Angeles boats will retire by the mid-2030s, putting pressure on the industrial base to continue building at least two Virginia-class attack subs a year, if not more, as the Navy looks to grow the size of its submarine force to its new requirement of 66 to 72 SSNs.

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