Solution offered for US Navy’s nuclear submarine availability problem
The USN has four public shipyards -- at Norfolk, Portsmouth, Puget Sound and Pearl Harbor – but these lack the capacity to properly sustain the SSN fleet. (Photo: USN)
Bartlett Maritime Corporation (BMC) has published a plan that offers a solution to the US Navy’s availability crisis with its Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
The Bartlett Maritime Plan identifies a need for large-scale investment in additional infrastructure, facilities and skilled personnel to expand the USN’s submarine industrial support base.
This will allow key products and equipment to be manufactured at scale and delivered to navy submarine maintenance facilities, allowing them to complete the repair and overhaul of Virginia-class SSNs much faster. It will mean the boats can spend more time on operations.
A spokesperson from the USN told Shephard that it had received the submission and “is considering this submission and all prior submissions from BMC within the broader context of navy efforts and
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
