Tag Archives: Groton Shipyard

Navy

Holland arrived at Groton

On Monday, November 29, 2021, the new Ocean Transport Barge Holland arrived at EB’s Groton Shipyard. The 400-foot-long/122-meter-long barge was purpose-built to support delivery of Columbia class ballistic missile submarines. Electric Boat is the prime contractor on construction of the Columbia class, the nation’s top strategic defense priority.

Ocean Transport Barge Holland
Picture of the Holland at the South Yard Construction Site

The Holland was constructed by Bollinger Shipyards, LLC, of Lockport, Louisiana. The namesake of the new barge is John Holland, the Irish-born immigrant who designed the first submarine purchased by the U.S. Navy. Holland’s design was brought to life by the shipbuilders of Electric Boat and delivered in 1900.

«We are happy to welcome Holland to her new home in the Groton shipyard», said Kevin Graney, President, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB). «Our fellow shipbuilders at Bollinger have delivered a terrific asset, on time and on budget. Holland will play an important role in the construction of the Columbia class of submarines, which will carry nearly 70% of the nation’s nuclear arsenal».

The Columbia class is now being built at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, RI manufacturing facility. Skilled tradespeople will construct and outfit Columbia modules at Quonset Point which will then be transported by the Holland barge to the company’s final test and assembly facility in Groton. The first Columbia module is expected to arrive in Groton in 2023.

Construction of the Columbia class, which will replace the aging Ohio class, is the nation’s top strategic defense priority. For nearly 15 years, Electric Boat has been working on plans to execute the design and construction of this crucial program. As a consequence, the Columbia class was the most complete design of any previous class of submarine at construction start in October of 2020. The company has hired and trained thousands of new skilled tradespeople, collaborated with its suppliers to prepare for the expanded demand for technical support and invested nearly $2 billion in new facilities to support construction of the Columbia class.