Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay Dry Dock Completes Recapitalization Project; Holds Re-Opening Ceremony

Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay held a ceremony marking the re-opening of its dry dock at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, Oct. 18.

The nearly $600 million Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast recapitalization project began in the summer of 2020.

More than 1,000 people worked on the project, spearheaded by Alberici-Mortenson, Joint Venture.

“I am super proud of what Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (ROICC) Trident and our contractor partners have been able to accomplish in 15 short months,” said Cmdr. Marcel Duplantier, ROICC Trident. “To be able to look out across the dry dock and see the massive transformation this project has provided to this critical infrastructure is truly remarkable.”

The 15-month project consisted of three phases which included construction of temporary work and storage spaces, procurement of long lead items, replacement of roof and wall panels, recoating of all structural steel, replacement of utility systems that support the docked submarine and replacement of all of the dry dock systems that move water in and out of the dock, as well as various upgrades.

Having a functional dry dock ensures the eight Ohio-class submarines homeported at the base can keep up with maintenance schedules, remain operational and continue the mission of strategic deterrence.

“This dry dock is of historic significance to this Georgia community, to our Navy, and to our National security,” said Rear Adm. Thomas R. “TR” Buchanan, commander of Submarine Group Ten. “As one of the largest dry docks in the Northern Hemisphere, this dry dock has been and continues to be critical to supporting the operational cycle of our Ohio-class submarines and has ensured the continuity of their certification and warfighting readiness.”

The dry dock will be essential in continued maintenance support and upgrades as Columbia-class submarines begin arriving in Kings Bay.

“This dry dock will support the Columbia-class as it comes on line later this decade,” said Buchanan. “As these new class of submarines begin to arrive to Kings Bay, they will become the cornerstone of our strategic deterrence, a mission the submarine force has successfully performed for over 60 years continuously. This dry dock re-opening will ensure the successful transition from the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to the new Columbia-class and the continued strategic deterrence far into this century.”

During her speech, Rear Adm. Lore Aguayo, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic, thanked industry partners and workers for over a year of continuous work through days and nights to renew the Navy’s critical infrastructure.

“NAVFAC began this journey over four years ago when the Submarine Force came to us with a requirement to completely recapitalize the aging infrastructure of the Kings Bay dry dock,” said Aguayo. “It was going to have to be done in a timeframe few thought was possible in order to minimize the impacts to the strategic deterrence mission. The glue that binds this team together, the two key items that made the unthinkable possible is- one, a common mission in support of national security, and two, our industry partnerships.”

NAVFAC is the Systems Command that delivers and maintains quality, sustainable facilities; acquires and manages capabilities for the Navy’s expeditionary combat forces; provides contingency engineering response; and enables energy security and environmental stewardship. NAVFAC Southeast manages facility project planning and design and provides services for contracting, construction, leasing, environmental, maintenance, and contingency support required by the Navy and Department of Defense for the Southeast Area of Responsibility.

Trident Refit Facility's mission is to provide quality industrial and logistics support for the incremental overhaul, modernization, and repair of Trident submarines and to provide global submarine supply support.