USS Columbia Arrives in Maine for Service-Life Extension Overhaul

The attack submarine USS Columbia arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, on Thursday for scheduled maintenance and modernization, the U.S. Navy announced.

Columbia, designated SSN 771, is a Los Angeles-class attack submarine. Its visit is for an overhaul under the Navy's Service Life Extension Program, which is intended to keep existing submarines ready for continued service.

Shipyard Commander Capt. Jesse Nice said sailors and shipyard workers would build on their work on USS Cheyenne and USS Hampton as they take on Columbia's overhaul. The Navy did not give a specific completion date in its announcement.

Columbia is equipped for missions including long-range Tomahawk strikes and special forces insertions, according to the Navy. The maintenance period will include modernization work to prepare the submarine for its return to the fleet.

Cmdr. William Murphy commands Columbia. The Navy said Kittery will serve as the crew's host community during the shipyard period.

Despite the shared name, this vessel is not one of the new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. It is the existing Los Angeles-class attack submarine entering a service-life extension overhaul at the Maine shipyard.