The U.S. Navy has returned a Virginia-class attack submarine to the fleet following Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s completion of its extended drydocking maintenance.
The USS North Dakota arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in April 2023 for system upgrades and other maintenance.
The project performed at the Kittery yard modernized the 13-year-old sub, restoring it to battle-ready status, according to Defence-Industry.eu.
“The work marked Portsmouth’s first Chief of Naval Operations availability on a submarine from the third Virginia-class production block,” the outlet’s Hannah Miller reported Monday.
Shipyard personnel and the boat’s crew integrated new maritime technologies while completing several technical modifications for the first time, Miller says.
“Executing this complex work package on our first Block III submarine was a demanding task, but this team met every challenge head-on with tenacity and selflessness,” said Capt. Jesse Nice, shipyard commander.
“Their cohesion, expertise, and indomitable will blazed the trail for future Virginia-class success stories and returned a fully modernized North Dakota back to the fleet, ready for the fight,” Nice added.
The availability required months of coordination between North Dakota’s crew and Portsmouth’s civilian workforce.
The shipyard maintains, repairs and modernizes U.S. attack submarines to return them to operational service.
Its a shame the way Augusta wastes the 100’s of millions of dollars this goldmine brings in. There should be a law that if your state government hates America you shouldn’t get the work. Pete should reassign all new work till the problem is fixed.