According to a PR published by Bollinger Shipyards on January 10, 2022, the company announced that it will construct a new Pontoon Launcher for General Dynamics Electric Boat to support the construction and launching of the United States’ Columbia Class Ballistic Missile Submarines, which will replace the aging Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines and is a top strategic defense priority for the United States.
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Future Columbia-class submarine USS Columbia (Picture source: U.S. Navy)
The concept and contract design for the 496 ft by 95 ft Pontoon Launcher was performed by the Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island. The detail design engineering will be performed at the Bollinger facility in Lockport Louisiana. The Launcher is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat’s Groton Connecticut shipyard in 2024.
Electric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and build of the Columbia Class Submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines.
In late 2019, Bollinger Shipyards was selected to construct the 400 ft by 100 ft Ocean Transport Barge for Electric Boat which was delivered in 2021 and in late 2020, Bollinger was selected to construct a 618 ft by 140 ft state-of-the-art Floating Dry Dock.
The Columbia-class submarine, formerly known as the Ohio Replacement Submarine and SSBN-X Future Follow-on Submarine, is an upcoming class of nuclear submarines designed to replace the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines in the United States Navy.
The first submarine officially began construction on October 1, 2020, and is scheduled to enter service in 2031.
Each submarine will have 16 missile tubes, each carrying one Trident II D5LE missile. The submarines will be 560 feet (170.7 m) long and 43 feet (13.1 m) in diameter, as long as the Ohio-class design, and 1 foot (30 cm) larger in diameter.
