The US Has Begun Construction of the Largest Nuclear Submarines in History

This week, the Pentagon signed a $2.28 billion contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat to ensure the initial procurement and construction of five Columbia-class strategic submarine-launching vessels, reports Naked Science.

The new generation of Columbia submarines is designed to become the primary foundation of the US marine nuclear deterrent system for the next fifty years.

Most of the work will be carried out at Electric Boat's Groton, Connecticut shipyard, with additional subcontractors engaged in Rhode Island and Virginia.

This contract is part of a multi-year large program aimed at gradually replacing the aging Ohio-class submarines, which have formed the basis of the American nuclear triad's naval component since the 1980s.

The Columbia-class submarines will be the largest in the history of the US Navy, with a displacement of 20,810 tons and a length of approximately 170 meters.

The new submarines will carry 16 Trident II (D5) ballistic missiles.