The U.S. Navy’s Naval Foundry and Propeller Center (NFPC) in Philadelphia reported it delivered the final major propulsor component for the first U.S. Navy Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). The sub has been under construction at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, CT, since 2021, and it will be christened USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) when it is commissioned in 2027.
The NFPC’s multiyear project involved early 1 million pounds of bronze were poured in total for four propulsor components, and more than 200,000 pounds of chips were removed in machining the four parts for the SSBN 826 project.
SSBN-826 will be the first of 12 Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), which are designed to replace the Ohio-class subs and will be the largest submarines ever built by the United States.
The delivery on April 10 represent the fulfillment of multi-year project for the NFPC. It began developing patterns, molds, and castings for the propulsor components well in advance of the start of construction for the submarine. In 2019, the naval foundry began pouring metal for the propulsor parts.
The same location is also working to produce components for Columbia-class vessels that will follow SSBN 826.
The NFPC is a detachment of Norfolk Naval Shipyard that has been manufacturing precision-machined propellors and propulsors for the U.S. Navy for over 100 years. The 750,000-sq.ft nonferrous sand-casting operation also includes 13 five-axis CNC profiling machines for parts up to 31-feet diameter.