Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky returns to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Wash., in December 2021. Kitsap will be the home of at least eight of the new Columbia-Class submarines, the Navy says. (Emilia Hilliard/U.S. Navy)
The Navy plans to homeport up to eight Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor by early in the next decade, the service said Wednesday.
The submarines would replace up to eight of the current Ohio-class submarines homeported at the base just west of Seattle on the Puget Sound.
“The purpose of the Proposed Action is to ensure continuation of the Navy’s sea-based strategic deterrence mission at NBK-Bangor,” the Navy said in a statement Wednesday. “The need for the Proposed Action is to ensure the U.S. can respond to current and future threats and meet national defense objectives and policies.”
The first Columbia-class boat, the USS District of Columbia, is under construction at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. Additional modules are being built at Electric Boat facility Quonset Point in North Kingstown, R.I., and HII Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va.
The environmental plan would be finalized next year, with construction beginning in July 2027, according to Ted Brown, a Navy spokesman on the project.
“Construction would take about five years and be phased,” Brown said. The first submarine would be expected to arrive for homeporting in 2032.
The USS District of Columbia is the first of 12 planned Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The submarines will be 560 feet long and have a displacement of 20,810 tons, making them the largest submarines ever built by the United States.
An unarmed Trident II D5 Life Extension missile launches from Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska during a test off the coast of Florida in June 2018. Each of the new Columbia‑class submarine will carry 16 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, each capable of carrying multiple warheads. (Stefanie Hauck/U.S. Navy)
Each Columbia‑class submarine will carry 16 Trident II D5 (D5LE) submarine‑launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each capable of carrying multiple warheads.
The Columbia-class submarines are one part of the modernization of the U.S. nuclear triad, which will include the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber and the new LGM-35A Sentinel ICBMs, a switch from the current LGM-30G Minuteman III land-based ICBMs.
The Navy plans to homeport some of the Columbia-class submarines at Kings Bay, Ga.
The Navy previously announced plans to homeport the USS John F. Kennedy, the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton with a target date of 2029.
The Navy’s announcement invites review and comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment of potential impacts of the Columbia-class submarine homeporting decision.
The Navy proposes to “demolish, construct and renovate facilities and infrastructure at three upland sites (Upland Site North, Keyport Annex, Upland Site South) and at the Pier Site at NBK-Bangor.”
The Navy’s assessment shows no significant impacts from the project on air quality, water resources, stormwater, animal habitats, and other aspects.
The Navy would also implement stormwater infrastructure and create construction laydown and staging areas for materials and temporary parking.
The Navy is accepting written comments during a 30-day public comment period from Wednesday to June 25, 2026.
The Draft Environmental Assessment is available on the Navy’s website, www.nepa.navy.mil/Columbia-West-Coast/ and at the following local libraries:
Kitsap Regional Library, Sylvan Way, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton, Wash. 98310
Kitsap Regional Library, Silverdale, 3650 NW Anderson Hill Road, Suite 101, Silverdale, Wash. 98383
Kitsap Regional Library, Poulsbo, 700 NE Lincoln Road, Poulsbo, Wash. 98370
Jefferson County Library District, 620 Cedar Avenue, Port Hadlock, Wash. 98339
Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, Wash. 98104
A public meeting will be held on June 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Silverdale, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Rd., in Silverdale, Wash. The public may arrive at any time during the specified hours. There will not be a formal presentation.
All comments must be postmarked or submitted electronically on or before 11:59 p.m. PDT on June 25, 2026, to be considered in the development of the Final Environmental Assessment.
“The Navy encourages the public to attend the public meeting and to visit the project website to learn more,” the statement said.
Comments may be submitted at the public meeting or by mail to:
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic
Attn: Columbia-Class EA, Project Manager
Code EV22JS, 6506 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, Va. 23508
Or through the project website: www.nepa.navy.mil/Columbia-West-Coast/.
More information on the USS District of Columbia is at www.ussdc.org.
