laststandonzombieisland

So we have often touched on the whole “41 for Freedom” Polaris FBM SSBNs that were cranked out during the Duck and Cover era to help win the Cold War in an amazing nine years and four months from the first keel ordered on Dec. 31, 1957, to the 41st commissioned in April 1967.

It was impressive, for sure, especially when you consider that Polaris wasn’t even on the drawing board until 1956 and Nautilus had only been commissioned in 1954!

The secret to pulling off something like that is threefold: A) the political will to stay the course, no matter what the cost, B) available shipyards and skilled tradesmen, C) block buys.

Well, we may not have the first two today, but it looks like the Navy just did a huge block buy for not only nine Virginia-class attack submarines SSN 814-822 (Block VI) along with a set of material for a 10th, but also five Columbia-class fleet ballistic missile submarines SSBN 828-832 (Build II).

Now EB, HHI, and NNS just need the space and talent (they are farming out some work, which could be good provided the standards are met and maintained) to pull it off, and we are “cooking with gas,” as they say.

The video announcements.

The contract announcement, because, wow.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut (N00024-12-C-2115, N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-17-C-2117); and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-15-C-2114, N00024-16-C-2116), are awarded incentive contract modifications for the construction of five Columbia-class fleet ballistic missile submarines SSBN 828-832 (Build II), the construction of nine Virginia-class attack submarines SSN 814-822 (Block VI), and a tenth shipset of material; and investments in shipbuilder productivity efforts. The Block VI award includes previously announced material awards (including long-lead-time material and economic ordering quantity material). The announcement also includes previously awarded investments in shipbuilder productivity efforts. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (30%); Newport News, Virginia (22%); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (18%); Sunnyvale, California (5%); Sykesville, Maryland (1%); Goose Creek, South Carolina (1%); Chesapeake, Virginia (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); and other locations less than 1% (20%) and is expected to be completed by July 2038. Fiscal 2026 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $6,441,442,332 (54%); fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,744,758,492 (32%); fiscal 2025 maritime industrial base funds in the amount of $1,266,948,874 (11%); fiscal 2026 national sea-based deterrence fund funds in the amount of $253,954,000 (2%); and fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $171,096,970 (1%), will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.