The US Navy canceled the plan to return the ship Los Angeles USS class attack submarine Boise to active duty. This ends the story of a major overhaul of the ship that has not yet been completed, which has been going on for more than a decade now. At the time, it became emblematic of the Navy’s worrying struggles to deal with massive maintenance backlogs, as well as broader concerns about the availability, or lack thereof, of naval shipyard capacity in the United States.
The Navy announced its decision to cease operations Boise, was first put into use in 1992, earlier today.
“After rigorous data-driven analysis, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to decommission USS Boise“This strategic move allows us to reallocate America’s highly skilled workforce to our highest priorities: delivering new products,” Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations, the service’s top officer, said in a statement. Virginia And Columbia submarines of this class and enhance the readiness of the current fleet. We owe it to our Sailors and the nation to heed these tough calls to build a more capable and ready Navy.”
An image of the USS Boise sitting idle in Norfolk, Virginia in the late 2010s. USN
“This move is part of the Navy’s broader, data-driven initiative to optimize fleet composition, ensuring that every dollar invested in capabilities directly contributes to maintaining a decisive warfighting advantage,” the service also said in a press release. “Funding and personnel resources related to the USS ship overhaul plan Boise will be redirected to support other Navy priorities, including the timely delivery of U.S. submarine capabilities.”
To date, the Navy has spent about $800 million on overhauling Boise, which is still only 22 percent complete. traffic light. The total estimated cost to complete the overhaul has reached $3 billion. Fox News.
Navy Secretary John Phelan also said: “At some point, you just have to cut your losses and move on.” Fox News in an interview ahead of today’s announcement. “Female Boise accounts for 65% of the cost of a new one Virginia submarine of this class but it can only use 20% of its remaining usage time.”
The Navy initially planned for Boise overhaul began in 2013, but the timetable was repeatedly delayed, mainly due to lack of shipyards. The submarine has not sailed since returning from its final voyage in January 2015. The ship was deemed unable to conduct normal operations in 2016 and officially lost its diving certification the following year.
The Navy has moved Boise from its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, to Newport News Shipbuilding facilities in 2018. Newport News Shipbuilding is a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).
The submarine returned to Norfolk the following year amid competing funding priorities. She returned to Newport News in 2020, but was not actually drydocked there until 2021, after which limited maintenance work began. The complete overhaul was then pushed back again due to budget issues, with a formal contract only signed in 2024.
USS Boise seen arriving at the Newport News shipyard in 2018. THIS
As of last year, the Navy was still working toward completion BoiseThe submarine will be overhauled and returned to the fleet, which is expected to take place in 2029. By that time, the submarine will have spent more than a third of its service time in port.
Overall dimensions of the Navy Los Angeles The attack submarine force has been gradually decreasing for many years as the force becomes more modern and capable. Virginia class types. Navy commission 62 Los Angeles boats of this class from 1976 to 1996, and 23 are still in service today.
As noted, the Navy’s struggle with Boise reflects larger and more serious problems that have long challenged the military’s ability to meet its peacetime operational needs. Back in 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report stating that the Navy had more than two decades of work on its submarine fleets due to lack of maintenance.
the Los Angeles USS class attack submarine Helena arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for major maintenance in 2015. USN
These are concerns that will only increase if a large-scale conflict, especially with China in the Pacific, breaks out. For many years now, TWZ has also sounded the alarm about the decline in shipbuilding capacity of the US Navy in general, where the gap between Chinese state-owned enterprises has become very large.
The Navy, with support from Congress, has tried to take steps in recent years to reverse these trends, including a move to increasingly leverage the capabilities of foreign shipyards. The second Trump administration, through Navy Secretary Phelan, has been especially open about efforts to change the way the service acquires and maintains ships and conducts business across the board. It’s worth noting that this includes cancellations Constellation frigate program, which has been beset by major delays and rising costs, as you can read more details about here. The Navy is working to avoid similar pitfalls with new shipbuilding programs such as the FF(X) frigate and the Medium Amphibious Ship.
“I think, by eliminating these programs, it sends a message that we’re not going to continue to put good money behind bad investments and we’re going to try to make prudent economic decisions that are in the best interest of the fleet and the force,” Phelan said, speaking generally around today’s announcement of Boiseaccording to traffic light.
How the Navy fares in broader efforts to turn things around in shipbuilding and maintenance remains to be seen, but USS BoiseThe increasingly sad story is now about to end.
UPDATE: 2:10 p.m. EDT –
Todd Corillo, HII spokesman for the Newport News Shipbuilding division, has now provided TWZ with the following statement:
“We have been informed of the US Navy’s decision to discontinue engineering overhaul (EOH) work on the USS. Boise (SSN 764). We will work with the Navy to implement this decision in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We anticipate no impact to our workforce and will transition shipbuilders currently assigned to USS Boise to other work in progress at Newport News Shipbuilding Company.”
“We understand the importance of a strong submarine force to our national security. Boise will end, our commitment to ensuring the nation maintains our undersea maritime superiority will not end.”
Contact author: joe@twz.com