By Jeff Gilmour, 17 June 2026
The US Navy is having to deal with an important issue in the retirement of the 14 ballistic missile submarines of the Ohio-class, often referred to as the ‘Boomers’ because they carry and fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles forming part of the strategic triad.
The lead ship of the class, the USS Ohio, SSBN - 726, was commissioned on 11 November 1981, 45 years ago, which is more than double the design life. These boats are large, with a length of 560 feet and a displacement of 18,750 tons when submerged. They were originally designed to carry 24 Trident missiles.
Based on their age, their reactor cores are approaching their safe operating limits and their hulls are now suffering from metal fatigue. These submarines are due for mandatory retirement. Their replacement is the Columbia-class, consisting of 12 boats at a cost of 130 billion dollars. The problem is that the program has been delayed for over a year. The concern is whether these new submarines can enter service before the Ohio-class subs are retired. Unlike their Asian counterparts, American shipyards cannot build these new submarines fast enough to backfill the potential gap. American shipyard capacity has shrunk roughly 30 per cent since the Gulf War, due labour shortages and costs.
The Columbia- class submarine is 560 feet in length and displaces 20,800 tons when submerged. Construction began in the early 2020s at the General Dynamics Electric Boat facility and at Newport News. The boat is anticipated to be quieter than the older submarine due to an advanced electric-drive propulsion system, improved machinery isolation, modern acoustic coating and a refined hull design. It is designed to carry 16 missile tubes for the UGM-133 Trident two D5 nuclear ballistic missiles. It will also carry torpedoes for self-defence, countermeasure systems and advanced sonar and combat systems. The lead boat, SSBN 826, is expected to enter service by 2030.
Image: A USS District of Columbia model sits on its display base at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division’s Curator of Navy Ship Models Shop in West Bethesda, Md., before delivery to the Washington Naval Yard on Aug. 1, 2022. Credit: Brian Potter via Naval Sea Systems Command
