|
Dear Friend,
I hope you're looking forward to a great 4th of July weekend. I’ll be out at the annual Willimantic Boombox Parade on Monday to celebrate and to pay tribute to all the great Americans who worked to earn and protect our independence—if you’re there, come by and say hello!
As we approach Independence Day, I wanted to focus on a major milestone we recently marked for our country, for eastern CT, and really for the rule of law-and-order America has guarded since the end of World War II: the start of construction on the next-generation Columbia-class submarine program. Columbia is the Navy’s #1 priority, it’s a major pillar in ensuring the continued success of America and our allies in challenges around the globe, and it presents huge opportunities for our workforce. Now, after 15 years of effort, it’s finally here.
The USS District of Columbia Keel Laying Proves Our Region Gets Big Things Done
Nearly one month ago, on June 4, our nation marked the long-awaited, official start of construction on the USS District of Columbia—a boat that has been the #1 priority of the U.S. Navy since 2013. The “Keel Laying” Ceremony for DC Columbia took place at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point facility, marking an end to the first leg in the decades-long endeavor to launch the first Columbia-class submarine by 2027. The Columbia’s fleet of twelve will ultimately replace the aging Ohio-class submarines, which have been on patrol around the globe since 1981.
 |
| On June 4, Courtney joined Electric Boat workers, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, EB President Kevin Graney, and others at the USS District of Columbia keel laying ceremony in Quonset Point, RI |
“Keel laying” is an ancient maritime term whose historic definition marks “the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction.” As DC Columbia’s workforce in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia know, however, the race towards construction hardly started on June 4. In fact, the origins of the Columbia-class go back to 2007, when Admirals William Hilarides and Cecil Hany raised the alarm that the number of American submarine designers and engineers was in steep decline, despite the glaring need to begin work on the Ohio-class replacement.
 |
| Courtney has worked for years to bring the Columbia-class submarine program online—above is a glimpse of his work |
The House Seapower Subcommittee oversees all U.S. Navy shipbuilding, and I worked to secure a place on the committee right off the bat as a freshman in Congress. That year, spurred by the warnings of Hilarides and Hany, I succeeded in “plussing up” the Navy’s 2008 budget with the first $8 million down-payment to hire new designers for what is now called the Columbia-class submarine program. That initial investment spurred new hiring of engineers and designers in New London, CT. Since that modest beginning, the Columbia-class has steadily grown into what is now the single largest shipbuilding program in the Navy’s budget.
 |
| Rep. Courtney has led the way in turning the Columbia-class program into a reality. Above, he’s shown discussing the need to fund R&D and construction of Columbia in a 2010 House Armed Services hearing—click here to watch. |
In the 2010 budget, Congress increased support for the Columbia program to fund development of newly enhanced nuclear propulsion and deterrence systems. In 2014, my office secured $6 million to size up the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board’s (EWIB) Manufacturing Pipeline job training program—a critical tool to meeting Columbia’s increased workload. As Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee in 2015, I co-wrote the bipartisan law that created the National Sea Based Deterrence Fund, which allows for “bulk purchasing” for materials and parts for Columbia, saving money and time for the Navy and taxpayer. It operates the same way as shoppers buying in bulk at stores like Sam’s Club and Costco, and according to the Navy the fund has saved at least $1.5 billion on the Columbia program since 2015 law went into effect.
In 2019, my colleagues voted for me to become Chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee—it was the first time in more than 100 years that a U.S. Representative from eastern CT had chaired a U.S. Navy shipbuilding committee, a great development for our region. In 2020, as Chairman, we enacted the official authority for the Navy to purchase the first two Columbia subs—the USS District of Columbia, and the USS Wisconsin.
 |
| The EB South Yard Assembly Building was designed specifically to house construction of the Columbia-class submarine program. Courtney helped break ground on the new facility in 2019. |
The impact of the Columbia program on the Northeast is unmistakable. In Groton, the South Yard Assembly Building and similar facility expansions at Quonset Point have transformed the region’s skylines. New housing units for a growing workforce are adding to southern New England’s population and tax base. The hiring blitz for Columbia has elevated Electric Boat to the position of the number-one private employer in both Connecticut and Rhode Island, surpassing Pratt and Whitney and insurance giants like CVS-Aetna, Travelers, and UBS. It’s an amazing turnaround from the Industrial Base doldrums of 2007 that Hilardes and Hany spoke of.
 |
| Now, 2 ½ years later and as Columbia-class construction is coming online, the South Yard Assembly Building is nearly complete. Courtney helped celebrate the traditional "topping off" ceremony of the new building in March. |
The EWIB Manufacturing Pipeline helped fuel that blitz, of course. In 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, the pipeline celebrated the placement of their 2000th graduate into a new manufacturing career, with over 1,100 of them directly supporting submarine construction. Pipeline classes are now enrolling more than before COVID, and funding from the State and the Navy is in place to continue to close the “skills gap” for new trainees.
 |
| Submarine construction supports work far beyond Groton—in the last 5 years alone, more than 120 small manufacturers contracted for over $1.2 billion in work to support submarine construction. In May, Courtney met with Shelby Supply Co. (above), a Tolland-based manufacturer producing essential lighting and machinery that EB relies on for shipbuilding. |
Over 2,000 guests attended June 4th’s Keel Laying, including Washington, DC’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the submarine’s sponsor. Much of the crowd appropriately consisted of shipyard workers and Navy sailors and officers, who worked over the last 15 years—since the initial seed money was approved by Congress—to reach this milestone. As delegate Norton’s initials were welded onto DC Columbia’s hull, there was a feeling, as Winston Churchill once said, that the laying of the keel was “not the beginning of the end, but perhaps the end of the beginning.” Much more work remains, but the planning testing, and skills on display that day are on track for a Columbia-class submarine launch out of Groton, CT by 2027.
Wishing you and your family a great 4th of July, and thank you as always for taking some time to read this update. If we can assist you in any way, don't hesitate to reach out to my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. Enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
|
