Navy Calls It Quits On Attack Submarine USS Boise's Never Ending Overhaul
The War Zone • • nation
Key Points:
- The U.S. Navy has decided to inactivate the Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Boise, ending a decade-long, incomplete overhaul that had become emblematic of the Navy’s maintenance and shipyard capacity challenges.
- Approximately $800 million has been spent on the overhaul, which was only 22% complete, with the total cost projected to reach $3 billion; the Navy concluded that completing the overhaul was not cost-effective compared to investing in newer submarines.
- The USS Boise has been inactive since 2015, losing its dive certification in 2017, and faced repeated delays due to shipyard availability and budget issues, highlighting broader systemic issues in Navy maintenance and readiness.
- The Navy aims to reallocate resources from Boise’s overhaul to prioritize new Virginia and Columbia class submarines and improve the readiness of the existing fleet as part of a data-driven initiative to optimize fleet composition.
- Newport News Shipbuilding, responsible for the overhaul, will cease work on Boise but will transition its workforce to other projects, reaffirming its commitment to supporting U.S. submarine capabilities despite the cancellation.
