Navy completes seismic mitigation work on Dry Dock 5, docks USS Connecticut

Peiyu Lin, Kitsap Sun
·3 min read
USS Connecticut (SSN 22) is docked for its Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability on July 12 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.
USS Connecticut (SSN 22) is docked for its Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability on July 12 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.

The Navy has completed the short-term seismic mitigation work on Dry Dock 5 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Seawolf-class fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) was in the dry dock for repairs, following its collision with an underwater mountain in South China Sea in 2021.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Navy said the construction to shore up the walls at Dry Dock 5 has been completed. Due to potential issues discovered in an annual seismic assessment in January, the Navy began to repair and upgrade Dry Dock 5 on March 29. Now, the dock has been tested and re-certified and the Seawolf-class sub was docked for its Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA), the Navy said.

The EDSRA for a ship includes "routine dry dock work, tank blasting and coating, hull preservation, propulsion and ship system repairs and limited enhancements to various hull, mechanical and electrical systems," according to the Navy League of the United States.

In October 2021, the USS Connecticut struck an underwater mountain in South China Sea. The sub first went to Guam for some repair work and arrived in Bremerton in December of that year for repairs at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, which could take several years. The sub entered Dry Dock 5 for an assessment of damages in February 2022. In late January, the Navy temporarily suspended submarine dry docking in Dry Dock 4, 5 and 6 at PSNS.

More: USS Connecticut, damaged in crash with underwater mountain, arrives in Bremerton

The EDSRA for the Connecticut, which included the repairs, is notionally sized at 2.5 years total duration. USS Connecticut will return to service upon completion of the EDSRA, Submarine Group 9 spokesperson Lt. Corey T. Jones said in an email to the Kitsap Sun in April.

The seismic mitigation work continues at the Delta Pier in Bangor, the Navy said.

The USS Connecticut heads for Naval Base Kitsap on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
The USS Connecticut heads for Naval Base Kitsap on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.

A Timeline: Kitsap's dry dock seismic mitigation work

Jan 27: The Navy said it temporarily suspended submarine dry docking in Dry Dock 4, 5 and 6 at PSNS and the dry dock at Delta pier at Trident Refit Facility, Bangor, due to a seismic assessment that identified potential issues.

Feb 15: The Navy started some mitigation efforts at Dry Dock 4 at PSNS and the dry dock in Bangor.

Feb. 16: The Navy awarded $76 million for the repairs and upgrades on three of the four dry docks.

May 11: Seismic mitigation work for Dry Dock 4 has been completed. The USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) entered the dry dock to begin its Extended Refit Period. Immediate seismic mitigations for Dry Dock 6 were not required based on future planned improvements and differences in ship design and the size of aircraft carriers, the Navy said.

July 12: Seismic mitigation work for Dry Dock 5 has been completed. The USS Connecticut (SSN 22) was docked for its Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability. Work continues at the Delta Pier in Bangor.

Reporter Peiyu Lin covers the military and South Kitsap for the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Connecticut docked on Dry Dock 5 as Navy completes seismic mitigation work