38-year-old submarine USS Ohio returns to service after refitting

The USS Ohio, the Navy's oldest guided missile submarine, completed 27 months of refitting and is ready for duty, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced.

The 560-feet-long submarine completed its $223 million overhaul at Puget Sound, Wash., Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility on Wednesday, in which most of its major onboard systems were upgraded.

The vessel arrived at the facility in April 2017 after a 20-month Pacific deployment before spending over two years in dry dock.

"Days like today are a perfect example of why we do what we do," said Capt. Dianna Wolfson, commander of the maintenance facility. "Ohio plays a vital role in America's defense, and we've returned it to the fleet, ready to do whatever our nation requires of it. We can all take great pride in the work our team did for the ship, and we wish her and the crew well as they rejoin our naval forces on patrol."

The USS Ohio was commissioned in 1981 as the lead boat of its class of ballistic missile submarine fleet. Original plans called for its retirement in 2002, but instead underwent a 36-month conversion to a guided missile platform. It returned to service in 2006, its designation changed from SSBN-276, or ballistic missile submarine, to SSGN-276, or guided missile submarine.

Thursday's ceremonies celebrating the submarine's modernization and return to service included a reunion of many former crew members.

Mike Cloutier, the USS Ohio's strategic missile officer 30 years ago, noted the new methods of data collection, with information now stored on discs.

"Everything has gotten much smaller," he said.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

First steel cut for British anti-submarine frigate HMS Cardiff
Washington (UPI) Aug 14, 2019
The first steel to be used in Britain's HMS Cardiff, an anti-submarine frigate, was ceremonially cut in a Glasgow-area shipyard on Wednesday. Defense Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan pushed the button to start the plasma laser cutting process at BAE Systems' shipyard at Govan, Scotland, BAE and the British ministry of defense announced. It marked the start of construction of the second of eight Type 26 Global Combat ships, also known as City Class, or C-Class, ships for the British navy. Co ... read more