Navy cuts $3B submarine overhaul after nearly decade of delays

The U.S. Navy has officially scrapped the plug on a disastrous overhaul of the USS Boise, cancelling the project after costs ballooned to nearly 3 billion, with the submarine sitting pier-side since 2015.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, the Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, said that the Los Angeles-class attack submarine already costs the Navy about $800 million and requires $1.9 billion more to be completed despite having just about 20 percent of its lifespan left.

Phelan said, “At some point, you just cut losses and move on.”

The submarine was last deployed in 2015 and was slated for a routine overhaul in the following years.

But due to delays at Navy shipyards, it became a dry dock.

In 2016, it lost its full operational certification in 2016 and its ability to dive in 2017, effectively sidelining it from combat operations for nearly a decade.

Under the Biden administration, the first rework contract that was made in 2024 was estimated at around $1.2 billion.

Despite starting the work, repairs were not projected to finish until 2029. In other words, the submarine would be out of action for 15 years.