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
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