1st Submarine Utilizes Improved Dry Dock At Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

KITTERY, Maine (AP) — A key element of a $1.7 billion modernization effort at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has been utilized for the first time.

Navy officials said Friday that the USS Cheyenne became the first submarine to enter Dry Dock 1 without buoyancy assistance last month.

The so-called super flood basin is akin to a navigational lock that upgrades the shallowest of the shipyard’s dry docks.

The system allows allowing submarines to enter independent of tides and without buoyancy.

It’ll also support Virginia-class submarines in addition to Los Angeles-class submarines like the Cheyenne.