Keel Laying for the SSBN 827 Wisconsin

General Dynamics Electric Boat celebrated the keel laying of the submarine Wisconsin (SSBN 827), the second vessel of the new Columbia class of ballistic missile submarines being built for the U.S. Navy, with a ceremony held on August 27 at the Quonset Point facility in Rhode Island.

The US Navy plans to commission at least twelve Columbia-class vessels to replace the fourteen Ohio-class SSBNs currently in service, each armed with 24 UGM-133 Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Characteristics of the Columbia Class SSBNs

The Columbia-class SSBNs will be armed with 16 Trident II D5s and will be operated by a crew of 155 men.

With a length of over 170 meters, a diameter of about 13 meters, and a displacement of 20,810 tons, the Columbia-class SSBNs will be the largest submarines ever built by the United States.

Currently, the first vessel, the future SSBN 826 USS District of Columbia, is under advanced construction and is expected to be delivered to the US Navy in 2027 and should be operational by 2030.

Source and photo credits: General Dynamics Electric Boat