General Dynamics Electric Boat has formally accepted a floating dry dock that will play a key role in the production of the US Navy’s next-generation Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
Known as Atlas, the dock will be based at Electric Boat’s South Yard Assembly Building in Groton, Connecticut, and will support the movement of newly constructed submarines between facilities, as well as major testing and commissioning milestones, including first water contact ceremonies.
Built by Bollinger Shipyards, the Atlas floating dry dock was christened in October 2025. The structure spans 618 feet in length, measures 140 feet across, and rises to a height of 90 feet.
The Columbia-class program began in 2020 as a replacement for the Ohio-class submarines introduced in the 1980s. General Dynamics is the prime contractor for the effort, with a total of 12 submarines planned.
The program’s lead boats, USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) and USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827), are expected to be commissioned by 2031.
Further accelerating production, General Dynamics received a $2.28 billion contract in November 2025 to speed up construction of five additional Columbia-class submarines. The completed fleet will serve as a cornerstone of the United States’ nuclear deterrence posture in the decades ahead.
