After months of dredging and underwater rock blasting, construction is set to begin in earnest on a pair of piers that will dramatically boost Electric Boat’s capacity to build next-generation submarines at its Groton shipyard along the Thames River.
When completed, the two concrete wet berths will stretch 510 feet into the river, allowing as many as four submarines to tie up at any given time. That’s a threefold increase in the number of nuclear-powered warships that can currently berth for construction, testing and maintenance.
“These piers are about much more than adding new waterfront facilities,” said Steve Wilkinson, EB’s director of Docking Operations. “They’re about making sure we have the space, capability and flexibility to build and deliver the submarines to meet our warfighters’ needs, not just today, but for decades to come.”
A groundbreaking for the new piers is scheduled for Nov. 16 in the shipyard.
Each of the new piers will be 53 feet wide, said Dan Adanti, EB Facilities project manager. Each will host a dedicated crane that will run the length of the deck on rails, along with support systems like electricity, water and air. EB currently has waterborne berths for just two submarines: the North Wing Wall and South Wing Wall.
The project will play out in phases, with work on the bulkhead wall starting in December. As planned, construction of the south pier will be completed in November 2028. The north pier will be finished in April 2030. Weeks-Cashman JV, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is the primary contractor.
Pete Salegna, general foreman in the Facilities Management Department, described the “vast amount” of dredging and underwater rock blasting that was performed in preparation for the piers. EB worked closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to minimize any environmental impact.
That section of the waterfront once hosted EB Piers C, D and E, the aging remnants of which were scrapped a few years ago, Salegna said.
“The project has been challenging, with workers up against the changes in weather, currents and tides,” said Josh Ritchey, EB Facilities program manager, “but the biggest challenges are yet to come.”
“We are delivering a major marine infrastructure project from a postage-stamp-sized work area, surrounded by active operations that can’t miss a beat,” he said. “Success means completing this work while the shipyard continues building the nation’s most advanced submarines without interruption.”
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