MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. The US Navy has announced that it will begin retiring the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Boise (SSN-764) because its repairs have become too costly, Defense News reported on April 10, citing Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle.
According to Caudle, this Los Angeles-class submarine has not operationally deployed since 2015. Since 2018, the submarine has been stationed at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. It has been undergoing a major overhaul there since 2024, with $1.2 billion reported to have been spent so far on its upkeep.
"After a rigorous, data-driven analysis, we’ve made the tough but necessary decision to inactivate the USS Boise," Caudle said. "This strategic move allows us to reallocate America’s highly-skilled workforce to our highest priorities: delivering new Virginia and Columbia-class submarines and improving the readiness of the current fleet."
According to the 2025 Congressional Report, the US Navy is currently working to deliver the Columbia-class submarine by 2028. On March 28, the next Virginia-class submarine, the USS Massachusetts (SSN-798), entered service with the US submarine force, becoming the 12th submarine of this class.
In an interview with Fox News on April 10, US Navy Secretary John Phelan stated that the submarine's repairs had already cost the Navy $800 million, and that only represents 22% of the planned work. He estimated that an additional $1.9 billion would be needed to bring it to working order.
According to previously announced plans, the Boise submarine was scheduled to return to service by 2029. However, Phelan said he had serious doubts about this, so the decision was made to cut bait.
"We screwed up," the Navy secretary admitted in a conversation with Semafor reporters. "We did. This doesn’t look good. It is what it is. Time to move on, and try to get going in the future and move forward."
By this, he meant redirecting budget funds toward more promising and important Navy initiatives, whose goal is to provide the fleet with ships capable of performing combat missions in the near future. "I think, by killing these programs [that have no prospects], it’s sending a message that we’re not going to continue to send good money after bad investments, and that we’re going to try to make prudent economic decisions that are in the best interest of the fleet and the force," the official emphasized.
In early April, US President Donald Trump unveiled his proposals for the country's defense budget for fiscal year 2027, requesting $65 billion from Congress for shipbuilding. He intends to spend this sum, among other things, on the production of two new Virginia-class submarines and one new Columbia-class submarine.