WASHINGTON: Today, the Navy granted HII a $1.2 billion contract. HII to start the engineering refurbishment of the Los Angeles-class submarine Boise (SSN-764).
Boise has been inactive for years because of the Navy’s maintenance backlog.
Maintenance will occur at HII’s Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. The business stated that the contract permits maintenance to begin or start “immediately.”
Todd Corillo, a spokesperson for HII, stated that the NNS team is eager to use their expertise in nuclear-powered submarine maintenance to commence the significant engineering overhaul (EOH) of USS Boise (SSN 764). The contract includes maintaining and restoring the ship’s hull structure, tanks, propulsion systems, power plant, auxiliary systems, weapons, furnishings, and various ship changes.
Boise, launched in 1991, has been docked in port since 2017 due to delays that prevented it from being available for maintenance at a public shipyard. If the Navy’s projected completion date of September 2029 is met, there could be a 12-year interval between missions for the Boise, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine.
In May 2020, Corillo stated that the submarine was transported to Newport News Shipbuilding for related work to mitigate the risks of the refurbishment. This allowed HII to identify any unforeseen concerns during the engineering overhaul.
Lawmakers like Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., have pointed out Boise’s significant delays as a prime example of the Navy’s ship maintenance backlog.
The Navy is now utilizing private business to help reduce its submarine maintenance backlog, which will be managed by one of the service’s public shipyards.
Nickolas Guertin, the Navy’s top acquisition executive, took his job in 2022 after a delay due to a political standoff in the Senate. He is primarily in charge of the Navy’s submarine maintenance and contracting.
