
Each of the planned dozen boats will be 560 feet long with a beam of 43 feet and displacement of 20,810 tons. The Columbia class will be the largest class of submarines ever built by the US. following an engineering refueling overhaul on October 24, 2013. The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) departs Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va. The Columbia-class will be longer and heavier than the existing Ohio-class SSBNs and will have a complex electric drive propulsion system and associated technology. ‘Smashing Targets Out Of Sky’ - At 80M/Second, UK Set To Deploy An Interceptor That Can Blast Aerial Threats The conceptual design of the upcoming class of SSBNs started in 2007, and the construction of the lead boat, SSBN-826, began on October 1, 2020. Twelve Columbia-class nuclear submarines will replace the 14 aging Ohio-class boats in service that will begin retiring in 2027. While Congresswoman Norton said, “The Columbia-class will be the largest, most capable, and most advanced submarine produced by our nation.” Largest Class Of Submarines Ever Built Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. These submarines are critical for our national defense and will embody the commitment to excellence our shipbuilders bring to their work daily,” said Kevin Graney, president of GDEB. “With the Columbia-class program, the Navy has entrusted Electric Boat to deliver the next sixty years of nuclear deterrence for our nation, continuing the company’s legacy of delivering the finest, most technically advanced submarines in the world. The USS District of Columbia is the first ship in the new class of SSBNs built for the US Navy by GDEB, sponsored by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the delegate to the House of Representatives from the ship’s namesake, the District of Columbia. It will remain throughout the boat’s service life to remind the crew of the strong bond between the vessel and her sponsor. Fighters, Nukes, Missiles – US Moves Draft Legislation To Reduce Dependency On Russia & China For Ammo Suppliesĭuring a keel-laying ceremony, the ship sponsor initials are welded onto a steel plate for installation on the submarine. The width of the submarine of the project "Shark" is 23 meters, the height is 25 meters.On June 4, members of the US Congress and US Navy officials joined employees of General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) in a ‘keel laying’ ceremony for the US Navy’s next-generation Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) - USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826), at GDEB’s facility in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. In other words, the block of steel and titanium that we see above the water is only 1/3 of the entire ship. Usually the submarine is submerged in the water by a white mark on the hull (see photo above). as many as 20 pieces!Īs a rule, most of the submarine is hidden from our eyes. There are 20 such missile silos on a submarine. The weight of one such projectile is 90 tons, the height is more than 17 meters. The photo shows special compartments designed for R-39 ballistic missiles. On board the boat, everything looks just as impressive. These small dark fragments are the propellers of the Akula Project submarine protruding above the water.Īnd here's how this frame looks up close. Pay attention to the detail highlighted by the red arrow. In the photo above, you can see what the submarine looks like near our other submarines. However, they did not manage to get around the "Shark". There are a lot of submarines in Russia, and most of them are of impressive size. 84-meter AN is almost half the size of the "sea predator". This picture shows the largest aircraft in the world - AN-225.īut even he "does not take off" compared to this submarine. The average length of such a platform is about 105 meters.Īnd here's how this field would look against the background of the submarine "Shark". It is a football field used for international matches. To make it even easier for you to turn on your imagination, here are some examples: The length of such a submarine is as much as 173 meters! Just imagine a 50-storey house floating underwater!

Many of you have probably heard about these "sea whales", but few people really imagine the size of such vessels.Īnd to make you understand, we want to demonstrate some illustrative examples-comparisons of the Project 941 submarine with other impressive objects. The submarines of project 941 "Shark" are known all over the world, as they are the largest nuclear submarines and submarines in general.
