February 12, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Navy Says Columbia-class Sub Construction Schedule Improving
SAN DIEGO — The Navy and shipbuilders working on the first Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine are striving to accelerate delivery of the first boat after confirming a series of production delays last...
Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. US Navy image SAN DIEGO — The Navy and shipbuilders working on the first Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine are striving to accelerate delivery of the first boat after confirming a series of production delays last year. District of Columbia (SSBN-826) is now about 65 percent complete, and shipbuilders General Dynamic Electric Boat and at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding are working to deliver the submarine in 2028, Program Executive Officer Strategic Submarines Rear Adm.
Todd Weeks said Wednesday at a panel during WEST 2026. “We sat down with our shipbuilding partners, and we realized that we were not where we needed to be on District of Columbia. We were not making the progress we needed to be making,” Weeks said.