The nation’s newest and most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine and the lead ship of its class, PCU Virginia (SSN 774) returns to the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard following the successful completion of its first voyage in open seas called "alpha" sea trials. July 30, 2004 (Wikipedia)
Warrior Maven: Navy Seeks to Rev Up to Building 3 Attack Submarines Per Year
The Navy hopes to increase its current submarine construction op-tempo and build as many as three attack submarines.
The Navy hopes to increase its current submarine construction op-tempo and build as many as three Virginia-class submarines per year to more rapidly address the services’ attack submarine deficit.
The previous status quo had been for the Navy to drop from building two Virginia-Class boats per year to one in the early 2020s when construction of the new Columbia-Class nuclear armed submarines begins. The service then moved to a plan to build two Virginia-class submarines and one Columbia-class submarine concurrently, according to findings from a Navy assessment.
The proposed idea now, currently being explored by the Navy, is to jump up to three Virginia-class per year when Columbia-class production hits a lull in “off years.”
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WNU Editor: Can someone say "naval arms race"? The growth of the Chinese Navy is spooking the Pentagon .... hence the buildup.
