US replacing Pearl Harbor’s WWII dock to host new nuclear submarines

The U.S. Navy is constructing a new dry dock, Dry Dock 5, at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as part of a $3.4 billion modernization project to enhance its capacity to maintain nuclear-powered submarines, particularly the Virginia-class attack submarines. More than one-third complete and scheduled for completion in 2027, the 657-foot-long dock will replace the smaller, World War II-era Dry Dock 3, which is inadequate for servicing the newer, larger submarines. Built to last 150 years, Dry Dock 5 will enable maintenance of the latest fast-attack submarines and larger surface vessels, ensuring sustained naval readiness in the Pacific amid growing strategic competition with China. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, one of only four public U.S. shipyards responsible for nuclear fleet maintenance, is undergoing this upgrade under the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). The program aims to modernize facilities and increase throughput to support the fleet’s operational demands. The