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The U.S. Navy completed a two-year Major Maintenance Period on USS Florida (SSGN 728), an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, restoring it to operational readiness at Kings Bay, Georgia. The submarine returns to service with capacity for 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and can embark 66 special operations personnel.
What's happening
- USS Florida finished its two-year Major Maintenance Period and is fully restored and ready to return to sea, with all critical systems modernized.
- The submarine carries 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles maximum across 22 large-diameter missile tubes, with 2 forward tubes converted for special operations use.
- The submarine can embark up to 66 special operations personnel and features lock-out chambers and Dry Deck Shelters for clandestine insertion and recovery.
- The maintenance milestone was disclosed on October 2, 2026, during a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
Why it matters
- USS Florida preserves concentrated undersea strike capacity during the Navy's transition from four Ohio-class SSGNs toward Virginia-class platforms with Virginia Payload Modules.
- The four Ohio-class SSGNs combined carry 616 Tomahawk missiles maximum; VPM-equipped Virginia-class submarines will carry substantially fewer, distributing future capacity across more hulls.
- Keeping USS Florida operational provides near-term readiness during a sensitive force-structure transition while the Navy introduces its first VPM submarine in fiscal year 2029.
- The submarine deployed 727 days ending July 31, 2024, operating across U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas with over 100 Tomahawks available during Red Sea crisis operations.
Going deeper
- USS Florida was originally commissioned as ballistic-missile submarine SSBN 728 in June 1983 and completed 61 strategic deterrent patrols before conversion to conventional guided-missile role.
- The conversion to SSGN was completed in 2006, replacing most ballistic-missile capacity with conventional strike and special-operations capabilities.
- Virginia Payload Module adds four large-diameter payload tubes to Virginia-class submarines, but each carries a smaller total missile load than an Ohio-class SSGN.
Source: armyrecognition.com · Oct 3, 2026 · Drafted with Claude, reviewed by Industrial Base Alpha.