“USS Connecticut (SSN 22) is currently undergoing a complex Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility,” a Navy official told TWZ. “The Navy’s target completion date for the availability is the summer of 2027.”
Collision in the South China Sea and the boat’s voyage to Puget Sound
The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut suffered severe damage to its bow after striking an underwater seamount in the South China Sea in October 2021. After the collision the submarine first limped to Guam, then to San Diego, and finally to the Puget Sound area, where it has remained during repair work. The Navy’s investigation into the incident emphasized that a weak command environment and lax attitudes toward performance of key tasks put the submarine on a path to the accident.
EDSRA work at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility
The EDSRA formally began in February 2023. The Navy describes current work as “structural and systems restoration and required lifecycle maintenance,” and has said the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) is “dedicated to executing this work with the highest standards of safety, technical accuracy, and craftsmanship.” The availability is also an opportunity for a deep overhaul that could include integration of various upgrades to long-standing systems.
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See what we buildSchedule drift: from September 2025 to summer 2027
Repair timelines for Connecticut have slipped repeatedly. When the EDSRA began in February 2023, the Navy projected completion in September 2025. By July 2023 the schedule had shifted to early 2026. In July 2025 the Navy confirmed the timeline had moved again to late 2026. The most recent Navy statement sets a new target completion in the summer of 2027, meaning the boat will have been sidelined for nearly six years since the 2021 accident.
Seawolf-class constraints, spare parts, and cost questions
Only three Seawolf-class submarines were ever built: USS Seawolf, USS Connecticut, and USS Jimmy Carter. The Jimmy Carter is a heavily modified variant optimized for underwater espionage missions, while Seawolf and Connecticut retain advanced capabilities and are in high demand for specialized tasks. That small fleet and the long out-of-production status of the design have complicated repairs to Connecticut: major work on the bow, sonar dome, and underside structure is challenging when spare parts and whole sections from decommissioned sister ships are not a viable option.
Congress approved $40 million for “emergency repairs” to Connecticut in 2021 and an additional $10 million for a new bow dome that year, but the full cost of the EDSRA and overhaul remains unclear and is expected to be far steeper. The Navy’s 2025 Fiscal Year budget proposal highlighted the need to fund spare bow domes “for use in the event replacement is required,” noting that these items were not in the original sustainment strategy and have a “three plus year lead time” to produce. Visual evidence cited in reporting shows Connecticut’s sonar dome missing and large sections of anechoic coating absent from her sail.
What this means for fleet commanders, policymakers, and the shipyard
- Fleet commanders: Depending on when Connecticut returns to service, the Navy could find itself for at least a time with only one Seawolf-class submarine actively available. USS Seawolf is scheduled for a routine maintenance availability beginning next May that will run through February 2030, per Navy budget documents, and the Navy plans to inactivate Connecticut in 2031 according to its most recent annual shipbuilding plan.
- Policymakers and budget planners: The Navy’s FY25 budget request flagged the need for spare bow domes with long lead times and requested funding separate from the Connecticut incident. Past congressional action provided $50 million for emergency repairs and a bow dome in 2021, but the eventual total bill for structural restoration and modernization remains unspecified.
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & IMF: The shipyard is managing a complex, multi-year EDSRA that includes high technical risk because of the Seawolf class’s scarcity and unique components. The Navy has signalled PSNS & IMF’s responsibility for both repairs and upgrades, and the shipyard must work within long production lead times for specialized parts such as bow domes.
With SSN(X)—a planned successor class—currently not expected until the mid-2040s and a one-of-a-kind seabed warfare Virginia derivative slated to assume some specialized roles, the Navy is balancing limited Seawolf availability, long lead times for key parts, and a retirement plan that would make Connecticut the first Seawolf to be inactivated in 2031. If the summer 2027 return date holds, the submarine would rejoin the fleet with, at most, roughly four years of service remaining before planned inactivation. The Navy’s stated commitment is to get this highly capable platform back to the fleet, but the clock on Connecticut’s operational life is already short.
