Pages

▼

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

New Drydock

It is a rare occasion when ComNavOps gets to sincerely recognize and praise a US Navy accomplishment but such is the case with the recent delivery of a new dry dock intended to support Columbia class ballistic missile submarines.
 
The new dry dock, designated “Atlas” was announced as received by General Dynamics Electric Boat’s primary shipyard in Groton, Connecticut … [1]
 
Atlas was constructed by Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana and completed the ~2,100 mile (3,380km) journey to Groton on January 3rd. …
 
As detailed by GD Electric Boat, the dry dock stands at 618 feet long, 90 feet tall, and maintains a width of 140 feet.[1]
Dry Dock Atlas


As a reminder, the first Columbia class submarine began construction in May 2019 and will be delivered sometime around 2030.  This is a discouragingly poor construction performance but at least the dry dock is ready.  As a point of comparison, the first modern, tear-drop shaped submarine, the USS Albacore, a truly revolutionary vessel, was laid down in Mar 1952, launched in Aug 1953, and commissioned Dec 1953.  Adding nuclear power to the modern submarine, in the form of the USS Skipjack, SSN-585, resulted in the vessel being laid down in May 1956 and launched in May 1958 with commissioning in Apr 1959.  Clearly, over a decade to build the Columbia class is disappointing compared to what we used to do routinely.
 
Submarine construction woes aside, the delivery of the dry dock is a rare moment of accomplishment that deserves recognition.  Good job, Bollinger.
 
 
_____________________________
 
[1]Naval News website, “Electric Boat receives new floating dry dock to support Columbia-class submarines”, Ethan Gossrow, 7-Jan-2026,
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/01/electric-boat-receives-new-floating-dry-dock-to-support-columbia-class-submarines/
at

21 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM

    Good news should be commended, even if it's unsexy.

    Good job.

    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2026 at 10:54 PM

      Bad news, further delay of LRHW Dark Eagle:

      https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-army-fails-deadline-darkeagle-hypersonic

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 14, 2026 at 3:51 AM

    One assumes this can be used to try and reduce the back log of maintenance of the older boats?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ExJuniorSailorJanuary 14, 2026 at 11:33 AM

      Maybe. That'd be nice. I'd assume it's meant just for launching the boats after completion in the building. I can't imagine a need for the new boats to stay in it very long before launching, so it might be sitting around empty a lot, unless it's planned for maintenance work also, which is obviously a smart idea- if they have the workforce and capability for it (??).

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2026 at 1:40 PM

      Try Googling "dry dock fitting out phase new submarine" to understand the process.

      Delete
  3. deariemeJanuary 14, 2026 at 7:53 AM

    Nice dry dock you've got there. Let's hope it doesn't burst into flames.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2026 at 9:16 AM

    Now it's time for the next step, getting the drydocks at Hunters Point ready for the Iowa and Missouri. ;)

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2026 at 2:44 PM

      It is too small for the proposed Trump Class which Trump designed with a pen on paper which only MAGA believe.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM

    As a military technology lover, sadly, these days we only hear news on new Chinese high-tech weapons. Hardly hear any new break through from US side. Although this dock is not a weapon, it is a good step to build advanced naval ships.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chinese GordonJanuary 16, 2026 at 3:18 PM

      The Dry Dock Self Defence System will be installed
      on the Flight IIA dry docks. The DDSDS incorporates the MK 57 VLS in the dry walls ala Zumwalt.
      Which will result in the curious condition of the LCS being much better armed when in dry dock.

      Delete
    2. ComNavOpsJanuary 16, 2026 at 4:22 PM

      "we only hear news on new Chinese high-tech weapons."

      Just out of curiosity, what truly new weapons have the Chinese developed? Lasers, rail guns, ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, UAVs, etc. have all been around for some time, most for decades. The Chinese are good at propaganda and public relations announcements but what breakthrough weapons have they developed?

      Delete
    3. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2026 at 3:36 AM

      Recently, CCTV (Chinese government official TV) reported more details of WZ-8, which was first displayed in 2019's military parade. It is believed to be reconnaissance tool for DF-21D and DF-26. It uses liquid fuel rocket engine thus has a problem of range. MD-22 which was displayed in 2024 Zhuhai Air Show (a model) is likely its successor which use scramjet to expand its range. WZ-8 flies fast and high (5 Ma at 50km high).

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyk2lbpY894

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2026 at 5:12 AM

    Off topic, but here's the latest of the FF(x) specs: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/01/new-u-s-navy-frigate-ffx-program-specs-revealed/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2026 at 9:12 AM

      From the link it seems to be good news as at least they seem to be more heavily armed than the LCS: a copy and paste from the link above:

      The new Frigate’s armament will consist of a 57mm main cannon, a 30mm auxilary cannon, a Mk-49 launcher with 21 Rolling Airframe Missiles, and a payload space at the stern of the ship capable of carrying 16 Naval Strike Missiles, 48 Hellfires, or other containerized weapons. Electronic warfare is handled by two SLQ-32 (V)6 suites, with 2 soft-kill Nulka decoy launchers present.

      For comparison the Independence class LCS has:

      Armament

      1 × BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun
      1 × Raytheon SeaRAM CIWS
      4 × .50-cal guns (2 aft, 2 forward)
      2 × 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II guns (part of SUW module)
      8 × RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles
      24 × AGM-114L Hellfire missiles (SUW vertical launch module)
      Other weapons as part of mission modules

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence-class_littoral_combat_ship

      Electronic warfare
      & decoys

      Argon ST WBR-2000 ESM system
      Terma A/S SKWS decoy system


      Armament

      1 × BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, 400 rounds in turret and two ready service magazines with 240 rounds each.

      1 × Mk 49 launcher with 21 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Surface-to-Air Missiles
      4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
      2 × 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II guns (part of SUW module)
      24 × AGM-114L Hellfire missiles (planned part of SUW module)

      1 × Lockheed Martin 150 kW High Energy Laser

      Other weapons as part of mission-specific modules

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom-class_littoral_combat_ship


      So in theory they seem to at least carry more weapons (in the form of more Hellifres as 48 Hellfires compared to the 24 of the LCS so twice as many) than the LCS and their modules did.

      Delete
    2. ComNavOpsJanuary 16, 2026 at 11:23 AM

      "seem to be more heavily armed than the LCS"

      Wow, that's a low bar to be happy about since most people recognize that the LCS lacks weapons to the point of being useless in any serious combat. To be slightly better than useless is a very weak accomplishment.

      "Hellfire"

      Do you recognize how damning any consideration of, and comparison to, Hellfires is? Given that Hellfires has a range of a few miles and a tiny 9kg warhead, it is only useful for killing small motor boats or surface drones. If a serious enemy has gotten within a few miles of you so that you can use Hellfires, you've probably been dead for quite awhile already!

      Is this what our Navy has come to? Comparing a very bad choice to an even worse one and being happy about it?

      Delete
    3. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2026 at 11:57 AM

      Cannot disagree!! Maybe the best one can say about this is that it’s an LCS that actually works. There are missions for such a vessel (local sea control in low threat environment. eg counter drug) but this does little if anything to improve blue water capabilities.

      I guess I’m in favor of anything thst lets us to move quicker past the LCS debacle.

      Delete
    4. ComNavOpsJanuary 16, 2026 at 12:26 PM

      I understand the sentiment but this runs the risk of lulling us into a false sense of security and accomplishment. Look! We've built 50 frigates! Unfortunately, none are worth crap in combat. They're just low end patrol boats.

      Delete
    5. ExJuniorSailorJanuary 18, 2026 at 2:29 PM

      I've read that the Navy plans to start building frigate asap... but then, add ASW capability in future hulls. Thoughts? Will that happen? Because without that, it seems to me these ships don't offer much beyond "more hulls", with little combat capability beyond self defense.

      Delete
  7. Just Another OpinionJanuary 17, 2026 at 2:52 AM

    Was going to say a better point of comparison would be the Ohio, but that too was less than 3 years from being laid down to launched.

    Other than not requiring a mid-life refueling, what is the advantage of Columbia over Ohio? Each carries significantly fewer missiles despite being a larger ship.

    Did we really need a new class? Or maybe we should have just kept acquiring Ohios, as SSGNs, then pivoted to new SSBN builds (perhaps modified slightly) as the older hulls wore out?

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2026 at 12:15 AM

    What do you think of the TidalWave report by the Heritage foundation : "... U.S. forces would culminate far sooner than China, suffer catastrophic losses to aircraft and sustainment infrastructure in the Pacific, and still fail to prevent a global economic shock estimated at roughly $10 trillion, nearly a tenth of global GDP ... "

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2026 at 6:40 AM

    The article states the "Atlas" drydock is 618 feet long, 90 feet tall, and maintains a width of 140 feet. This puts is roughly in size equivalent to the AFDM Auxiliary Floating Drydock, Medium.
    Search as I might, I cannot find what "type" of floating drydock the Atlas is. Most references (I went to many so I didn't attach them) that do mention a class name say it is the "Atlas" class with no mention of if it is an AFDM or other type of drydock.
    This is my sly way of segueing to the subject of Yard and District craft...
    There is no doubt in my mind that every MOS in the Navy (well... the Navy calls it a Rating. I was a Marine / Army guy till retirement) is designed to support combat. (ok... at least on this blog we HOPE that is still the case)
    These platforms that the mighty fighting ships float above majestically, the drydocks, lighters, cranes, repair barges, barges (of all types from barracks to repair) etc are all important to the fleet keeping it ready for combat. Just google US Navy Yard and District craft World War Two.
    Fortunately, the United States still has plenty of smaller shipbuilders and even non shipbuilders that can/could/are capable of building and maintaining these types of support vessels.
    https://www.smallshipyards.com/
    We don't hear much if anything about this type of support vessel construction, but it was nice to see some progress with the Atlas making the news. I would hope some of these smaller yards with their different outlook on construction vs. the large yards will become more involved in not just the Yard and District Service class but can also help getting Haze Gray and Underway ships to the fleet. I would think these would have to be 4000 ton displacement or less ships to accommodate construction in these yards... which is only slightly less than the FF(X) being built.
    Please note. I am as far away from a Naval Architect as a man can be and still read this Blog, so if my stab at displacement building capability in these smaller yards is off.... be kind! :-)
    Looking4NSFS

    ReplyDelete

Comments will be moderated for posts older than 7 days in order to reduce spam.