General Dynamics Electric Boat

This article is about a US corporation named Electric Boat. For electrically powered boats in general, see electric boats.
General Dynamics Electric Boat
Subsidiary
Industry Shipbuilding
Founded 1899
Founder Isaac Rice
Headquarters Groton, Connecticut, USA
Number of locations
 Groton, CT,
Quonset Point, RI, New London, CT
Key people
 Jeff Geiger
Parent General Dynamics
Website www.gdeb.com

General Dynamics Electric Boat[1] (GDEB) is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for more than 100 years.

The company's main facilities are a shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and a design and engineering facility in New London, Connecticut.

History

The company was founded in 1899 by Isaac Rice as the Electric Boat Company to build John Philip Holland's submersible designs, which were developed at Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Holland VI was the first submarine that this shipyard built, later renamed USS Holland (SS-1). On 11 April 1900, it became the first modern submarine to be purchased and commissioned into the United States Navy. The success of Holland VI created a demand for follow-up models (A-class or Plunger class) that began with the prototype submersible Fulton built at Electric Boat (EB). Some foreign navies were interested in John Holland's latest submarine designs, and so purchased the rights to build them under licensing contracts through the Electric Boat Company, and these included Great Britain's Royal Navy, Japan's Imperial Japanese Navy, Russia's Imperial Russian Navy, and the Netherlands' Royal Netherlands Navy.

During the World War I era, the company and its subsidiaries (notably Elco) built 85 submarines (via subcontractors) and 722 submarine chasers for the US Navy, and 580 80-foot motor launches for the British Royal Navy.[2] After the war, the US Navy did not order another submarine from the company until Cuttlefish in 1931.[3] During World War II, the company built 74 submarines, while Elco built nearly 400 PT boats.[4] Electric Boat ranked 77th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.[5]

In 1952, Electric Boat was reorganized as General Dynamics Corporation under John Jay Hopkins. General Dynamics acquired Convair the following year, and the holding company assumed the "General Dynamics" name, with the submarine building operation reverting to the "Electric Boat" name.[6]

Electric Boat built the first nuclear submarine USS Nautilus, which was launched in January 1954, and the first ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington in 1959. Submarines of the Ohio-, Los Angeles-, Seawolf-, and Virginia-classes were also constructed by Electric Boat.

In 2002, Electric Boat conducted preservation work on the Nautilus, preparing her for her berth at the US Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut, where she now resides as a museum. Electric Boat's first submarine, Holland, was scrapped in 1932.

In the early 1980s, structural welding defects — whose nature and existence had been covered up by falsified inspection records — led to significant delays and expenses in the delivery of several submarines being built at the Electric Boat Division shipyard. In some cases, the repairs resulted in practically dismantling and then rebuilding what had been a nearly completed submarine. The yard tried to pass the vast cost overruns directly on to the Navy, while Admiral Rickover fought Electric Boat's general manager P. Takis Veliotis tooth and nail at every possible turn, demanding that the yard make good on its "shoddy" workmanship.

The Navy eventually settled with General Dynamics in 1981, paying out $634 million of $843 million in Los Angeles class submarine cost-overrun and reconstruction claims. As it happened, the United States Navy was also the yard's insurer, liable to compensate the yard for losses and other mishaps. The concept of reimbursing General Dynamics under these conditions was initially considered "preposterous," in the words of Secretary of the navy John Lehman, but the eventual, legal basis of General Dynamics' reimbursement claims to the Navy for the company's poor workmanship included insurance compensation.[7][8]

Veliotis was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury under racketeering and fraud charges in 1983 for demanding $1.3 million in kickbacks from a subcontractor. He nonetheless eventually escaped into exile and a life of luxury in his native Greece, where he remained a fugitive from U.S. justice.[9][10]

Electric Boat overhauls and undertakes repair work on fast attack class boats. Electric Boat built the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and Seawolf-class submarines, as well as others. However, most of the work done in the shipyard today is focused on construction of the Virginia-class, notably the new Block III evolution.

On April 2014, General Dynamic Electric Boat awarded a $17.8 billion contract with U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command for ten Block IV Virginia-class attack submarines (SSN-774). It is a largest single shipbuilding contract in the service’s history.

The Company builds the submarine along with Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding. The boats of Block IV Virginia will cost less than Block III. Electric Boat decided to reduce the cost of the submarines by building in efficiencies into the construction process. The submarines of this type will build on the improvements to allow the boats to spend less time in the yard. [11]

Ships Built

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Cachalot-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Cuttlefish SS-171 diesel-electric 8 June 1934[12] Sold for breaking up, 12 February 1947[12]

Porpoise-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Shark SS-174 diesel-electric 25 January 1936[12] Probably sunk by Japanese destroyer Yamakaze east of Manado, 11 February 1942[13]
Tarpon SS-175 diesel-electric 12 March 1936[12] Sold for breaking up, 8 June 1957;[12] foundered off Cape Hatteras, 26 August 1957[13]
Perch SS-176 diesel-electric 19 November 1936[12] Scuttled in the Java Sea on 3 March 1942 after being damaged by Japanese destroyers[13]
Pickerel SS-177 diesel-electric 26 January 1937[12] Sunk by Japanese vessels north of Honshū on 3 April 1943[13]
Permit SS-178 diesel-electric 17 March 1937[12] Sold for scrap on 28 June 1958[12]

Salmon-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Salmon SS-182 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 15 March 1938[12] Constructive loss due to battle damage; broken up for scrap, 1946[12]
Seal SS-183 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 30 April 1938[12] Sold for scrap, 6 May 1957[12]
Skipjack SS-184 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 30 June 1938[12] Sunk in Operation Crossroads atomic bomb test, 25 July 1946; raised 2 September 1946; sunk as a target off southern California, 11 August 1948[12][13]

Sargo-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Sargo SS-188 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 7 February 1939[12] Sold for scrap, 19 May 1947[12]
Saury SS-189 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 3 April 1939[12] Sold for scrap, 19 May 1947[12]
Spearfish SS-190 composite diesel-hydraulic and diesel-electric 19 July 1939[12] Sold for scrap, 19 May 1947[12]
Seadragon SS-194 diesel-electric 23 October 1939[12] Sold for scrap, 2 July 1948[12]
Sealion SS-195 diesel-electric 27 November 1939[12] Scuttled at Cavite on 25 December 1941 after being damaged by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941[13]

Tambor-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Tambor SS-198 diesel-electric 3 June 1940[12] Sold for scrap, 5 December 1959[12]
Tautog SS-199 diesel-electric 3 July 1940[12] Sold for scrap, 1 July 1960[12]
Thresher SS-200 diesel-electric 27 August 1940[12] Sold for scrap, 18 March 1948[12]
Gar SS-206 diesel-electric 14 April 1941[12] Sold for scrap, 11 December 1959[12]
Grampus SS-207 diesel-electric 23 May 1941[12] Possibly sunk by Japanese destroyers in Blackett Strait, 5 March 1943[13]
Grayback SS-208 diesel-electric 30 June 1941[12] Sunk by Japanese aircraft south of Okinawa, 27 February 1944[13]

Mackerel-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Mackerel SS-204 diesel-electric 31 March 1941[12] Sold for scrap, 24 April 1947[12]

Gato-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Gato SS-212 diesel-electric 31 December 1941[12] Sold for scrap, 25 July 1960[13]
Greenling SS-213 diesel-electric 21 January 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 21 June 1960[13]
Grouper SS-214 diesel-electric 12 February 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 11 August 1970[13]
Growler SS-215 diesel-electric 20 March 1942[12] Sunk by Japanese vessels west of the Philippines, 8 November 1944[13]
Grunion SS-216 diesel-electric 11 April 1942[12] Sunk off of Kiska around 30 July 1942, cause unknown[13]
Guardfish SS-217 diesel-electric 8 May 1942[12] Sunk as a target off Block Island, 10 October 1961[13]
Albacore SS-218 diesel-electric 1 June 1942[12] Probably mined off of northern Hokkaidō, 7 November 1944[13]
Amberjack SS-219 diesel-electric 19 June 1942[12] Sunk by Japanese torpedo boat Hiyodori and SC-18 off Rabaul, 16 February 1943[13]
Barb SS-220 diesel-electric 8 July 1942[12] Transferred to Italy on 13 December 1954[13]
Blackfish SS-221 diesel-electric 22 July 1942[12] Sold for scrap on 4 May 1959[13]
Bluefish SS-222 diesel-electric 24 May 1943[12] Sold for scrap, 8 June 1960[13]
Bonefish SS-223 diesel-electric 31 May 1943[12] Sunk by Japanese vessels in Toyama Wan, Honshū, 18 June 1945[13]
Cod SS-224 diesel-electric 21 June 1943[12] Museum ship at Cleveland, Ohio since 25 January 1975[13]
Cero SS-225 diesel-electric 4 July 1943[12] Sold for scrap, October 1970[13]
Corvina SS-226 diesel-electric 6 August 1943[12] Sunk by Japanese submarine I-176 south of Truk Lagoon, 16 November 1943[13]
Darter SS-227 diesel-electric 7 September 1943[12] Grounded in the Palawan Strait and scuttled on 24 October 1944[13]
Angler SS-240 diesel-electric 1 October 1943[12] Sold for scrap, 1 February 1974[13]
Bashaw SS-241 diesel-electric 25 October 1943[12] Sold for scrap, 1 July 1972[13]
Bluegill SS-242 diesel-electric 11 November 1943[12] Scuttled as a trainer off Hawaii, 3 December 1970[13]
Bream SS-243 diesel-electric 24 January 1944[12] Sunk as a target off California, 7 November 1969[13]
Cavalla SS-244 diesel-electric 29 February 1944[12] Museum ship at Galveston, Texas as of 21 January 1971[13]
Cobia SS-245 diesel-electric 29 March 1944[12] Memorial at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 17 August 1970[13]
Croaker SS-246 diesel-electric 21 April 1944[12] Museum ship at Groton, Connecticut on 27 June 1976[13]
Dace SS-247 diesel-electric 23 July 1943[12] Converted to GUPPY IB and transferred to Italy,[12] 31 January 1955[13]
Dorado SS-248 diesel-electric 28 August 1943[12] Sunk, off Panama on 12 October 1943[13]
Flasher SS-249 diesel-electric 25 September 1943[12] Sold for scrap 8 June 1963, conning tower is a memorial at Groton, Connecticut[12]
Flier SS-250 diesel-electric 18 October 1943[12] Mined in the Balabac Strait, 13 August 1944[13]
Flounder SS-251 diesel-electric 29 November 1943[12] Decommissioned 2 February 1960[12]
Gabilan SS-252 diesel-electric 28 December 1943[12] Sold for scrap, 11 January 1960[12]
Gunnel SS-253 diesel-electric 20 August 1942[12] Sold for scrap, December 1959[12]
Gurnard SS-254 diesel-electric 18 September 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 29 October 1961[13]
Haddo SS-255 diesel-electric 9 October 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 4 May 1959[12]
Hake SS-256 diesel-electric 30 October 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 5 December 1972[12]
Harder SS-257 diesel-electric 2 December 1942[12] Sunk by enemy vessels off Dasol Bay, Luzon, 24 August 1944[13]|-
Hoe SS-258 diesel-electric 16 December 1942[12] Sold for scrap, 10 September 1960[12]
Jack SS-259 diesel-electric 6 January 1943[12] Transferred to Greece, 21 April 1958[13]
Lapon SS-260 diesel-electric 23 January 1943[12] Transferred to Greece, 10 August 1957[13]
Mingo SS-261 diesel-electric 12 February 1943[12] Transferred to Japan unmodified, 15 August 1955[12]
Muskallunge SS-262 diesel-electric 15 March 1943[12] Transferred to Brazil unmodified, 18 January 1957[12]
Paddle SS-263 diesel-electric 29 March 1943[12] Transferred to Brazil unmodified, 18 January 1957[12]
Pargo SS-264 diesel-electric 26 April 1943[12] Sold for scrap, 16 May 1961[12]

Balao-class

Name Hull number Type Commissioned Status
Perch SS-313 diesel-electric 7 January 1944[12] Sold for scrap, 15 January 1973[12]

References

  1. ↑ General Dynamics Electric Boat home page
  2. ↑ Gardiner, p. 101, 132-133
  3. ↑ Lenton, H. T. American Submarines (Doubleday, 1973), p.37; Friedman, Norman. U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History (United States Naval Institute Press, 2005), pp. 285–304.
  4. ↑ Lenton, pp.5 & 62-102 passim.
  5. ↑ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
  6. ↑ "General Dynamics Corporation". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Retrieved 2006-03-31.
  7. ↑ Van Voorst, Bruce; Thomas Evans (1984-12-24). "Overrun Silent, Overrun Deep". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  8. ↑ Alexander, Charles P.; Christopher Redman; John E. Yang (1985-04-08). "General Dynamics Under Fire". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  9. ↑ "The Fugitive Accuser". Time. 1985-04-08. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  10. ↑ Biddle, Wayne. "Defense Contracts - News - Times Topics - The New York Times - Narrowed by 'VELIOTIS, P TAKIS'". Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Navy Awards 'Largest Shipbuilding Contract' in Service History". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.

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