Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division has cut the first steel for the future USS Columbia, the lead boat of a new class of ballistic missile submarines ordered for the US Navy.
The future Columbia and its sisters are also the first class of submarines that will be built using fully digital blueprints.
Construction of the 12-boat Columbia-class will take place in Virginia, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, with General Dynamics Electric Boat assembling and delivering all 12 submarines. The lead boat is scheduled to be delivered to the navy in 2027.