- Director of submarine programs, Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, accepts the Navy has made a “calculated risk” in waiving the post-shakedown availability of SSN 798
- In doing so, the service risk compounding future maintenance, which could worsen shipyard backlogs further
- At least 66 SSNs are required to fulfil the fast-attack capability but the Navy only have 53 boats available
The US Navy will take a “calculated risk” in avoiding the standard post-shakedown availability (PSA) process, designed to correct design deficiencies over several months, opting instead to deploy the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine (SSN) directly into service.
The USS Massachusetts is a Block IV Virginia-class SSN constructed at Newport News Shipyard. HII delivered the submarine to the Navy in late November 2025.
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Since then, the boat has undertaken extensive testing and evaluation in shakedown operations. The Navy commissioned the submarine in March 2026 after it was determined that the platform had “exceeded” rigorous construction and safety standards.
For that reason, on 17 August 2026, the US Navy stated that it will forego the PSA process to ease pressure on yard capacity, confident in the boat’s “superb” material condition and combat readiness, the announcement read.
“USS Massachusetts is ready to fight,” surmised the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, “and that is exactly where we need her.” Thus, the Navy has chosen immediate frontline deterrence over routine quality assurance.
Submarine industrial capacity
USS Massachusetts is the seventh of 10 Block IV Virginia-class boats.
Already, the design focus of this latest operational block – compared with previous blocks – was to ensure operational availability by increasing the durability of components, and consequently the lifetime of hulls.
It is thought these design efficiencies will help to take the pressure from the US submarine industrial base. The CEO of Bartlett Maritime, an organisation which helps to resolve submarine maintenance and capacity backlogs, has warned that the United States “[does] not have decades to rebuild” submarines.
SSN deficit
The US Navy claim that at least 66 SSNs are required to fulfil its required undersea attack capability. Currently, the service only have 53 boats available.
In future years, the Navy may need to confront a delicate balancing act between its subsurface responsibilities and its submarine-launched land attack capability. This potential imbalance was made apparent recently, when the service reclassified all Virginia-class boats equipped with the extended payload module (blocks V and VI) as guided-missile submarines (SSGNs).
However, the SSGNs will still retain the same level of undersea attack capability as the SSN fleet, allowing for flexibility according to mission requirements. Yet the crucial loss will come as Cold War era boats – Ohio-class SSGNs and Los Angeles-class SSNs – leave service.
