General Dynamics Electric Boat (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
Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
, 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 ship designs, which were developed at
Lewis Nixon's
Crescent Shipyard in
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world.
During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...]
.
From 1907 to 1925 Electric Boat designed submarines for the US Navy and subcontracted their construction to the
Fore River Shipyard in
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...
and other shipyards. During this era, the company designed submarines of the B, C, D, E, K, L, M, N, AA-1, O, R, and S classes.
During the World War I era, the company and its subsidiaries (notably the Electric Launch Company, or
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.
Interwar
After the war, the US Navy did not order another submarine from Electric Boat until in 1931. ''Cuttlefish'' was the first submarine built at EB's plant in
Groton, Connecticut
Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
which has been its primary submarine manufacturing facility ever since. EB was the lead yard for several classes of submarines (''Perch'', ''Salmon'', ''Sargo'', ''Tambor'', ''Gar'', ''Mackerel'' and ''Gato'') prior to World War II.
Starting in the early 1930s, EB was one of only two major US submarine manufacturers (the other being the
Portsmouth Navy Yard) until the late 1950s. Three other yards (
Manitowoc,
Mare Island
Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
, and
Cramp) produced submarines only during World War II. Several other yards (
New York Shipbuilding,
Ingalls and
Fore River Shipyard) as well as Mare Island built submarines in the late 1950s through the early 1970s. Since 1974, only Electric Boat and
Newport News have built submarines for the US Navy.
World War II
During World War II, the company built 74 submarines at the Groton plant, while Elco built nearly 400
PT boats, and Electric Boat ranked 77th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.
Post war
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 while the submarine-building operation reverted to the "Electric Boat" name.
Electric Boat built the first nuclear submarine, , which was launched in January 1954, and the first
ballistic missile submarine, , in 1959. Submarines of the , , , and es were also constructed by Electric Boat. In 2002, EB conducted preservation work on ''Nautilus'', preparing her for her berth at the US Navy
Submarine Force Library and Museum in
Groton, Connecticut
Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
where she now resides as a museum.
From the mid-1970s to the present, EB has been one of only two submarine manufacturers in the United States, with the other being
Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.
In April 2014, EB was awarded a $17.8 billion contract with Naval Sea Systems Command for ten Block IV ''Virginia''-class attack submarines. It is the 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''s will cost less than Block III, as Electric Boat reduced the cost of the submarines by increasing efficiency in the construction process. The submarines of this type will build on the improvements to allow them to spend less time in the yard. In 2019 EB received a contract with Naval Sea Systems Command to begin procuring materials for the Block V variant of the ''Virginia''-class. This upgrade brings the ''Virginia'' payload module, which enables Tomahawk missiles to be carried by the submarine.
1980s structural welding defect cover up
In the early 1980s, structural welding defects had been covered up by falsified inspection records, and this led to significant delays and expenses in the delivery of several submarines being built at Electric Boat's 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
Hyman G. Rickover demanded from Electric Boat's general manager P. Takis Veliotis 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 submarines cost-overrun and reconstruction claims. As it happened, the Navy was also the yard's insurer, liable to compensate the company 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.
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 escaped into exile and a life of luxury in his native Greece, where he remained a fugitive from justice.
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Submarines built
This is a list of submarines built at Electric Boat's Groton plant and does not include earlier submarines built by other companies under contract to Electric Boat.
General Dynamics Electric Boat built every unique US Navy submarine after 1931, excepting and the purely experimental and .
General Dynamics Electric Boat built at least one unit of every class of serially-produced US Navy submarines after 1931, excepting the and classes.
;''Cachalot'' class
EB built 1 of 2 total in the
Cachalot-class submarine, class
;''Porpoise'' class
5 of 10 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Salmon'' class
3 of 6 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Sargo'' class
5 of 10 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Tambor'' class
6 of 12 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
, all diesel-electric
;''Mackerel'' class
1 of 2 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Gato'' class
41 of 77 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
, all diesel-electric
;''Balao'' class
40 of 120 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
, all diesel-electric
;''Tench'' class
1 of 29 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Barracuda'' class
1 of 3 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Tang'' class
3 of 6 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Nautilus'' class
Unique submarine
;''T-1'' class
1 of 2 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Darter'' class
Unique submarine
;''Seawolf'' class
Unique submarine
;''Skate'' class
1 of 4 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Skipjack'' class
2 of 6 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Triton'' class
Unique submarine
;''Thresher/Permit'' class
3 of 14 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Tullibee'' class
Unique submarine
;''George Washington'' class
2 of 5 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Ethan Allen'' class
2 of 5 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Lafayette'' class
4 of 9 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''James Madison'' class
3 of 10 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Sturgeon'' class
11 of 37 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Benjamin Franklin'' class
6 of 12 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Narwhal'' class
Unique submarine
;''Glenard P. Lipscomb'' class
Unique submarine
;''Los Angeles'' class
33 of 62 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Ohio'' class
18 of 18 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Seawolf'' class
3 of 3 total in
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
;''Virginia'' class
;''Columbia'' class
See also
*
Electric Launch Company (Elco) - former subsidiary which manufactured electric yachts, and PT boats during World War II
*
Electro-Dynamic Company - former subsidiary of Electric Boat which manufactured electric motors and generators
*
Submarine Boat Company - former subsidiary of Electric Boat which ran a shipyard during WWI producing steel cargo vessels, and slightly beyond
References
* Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921'' Conway Maritime Press, 1985. .
Further reading
* ''The Defender: The Story of General Dynamics'', by Roger Franklin. Published by Harper and Row 1986.
* ''Brotherhood of Arms'': General Dynamics and The Business of Defending America, by Jacob Goodwin. Published 1985. Random House.
* ''The Legend of Electric Boat, Serving The Silent Service''. Published by Write Stuff Syndicate, 1994 and 2007. Written by Jeffery L. Rodengen.
* ''International Directory of Company Histories'' Volume 86 under General Dynamics/Electric Boat Corporation, July 2007; pp. 136–139. Published by St James Press/Thomson Gale Group.
* ''Who Built Those Subs? Naval History Magazine'', Oct. 1998 125th Anniversary issue, pp. 31–34. Written by Richard Knowles Morris PhD. Published by The United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md. Copyrighted 1998.
*''The Klaxon'', The U.S. Navy's official submarine force newsletter, April 1992. Published by the
Nautilus Memorial Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton/New London, CT.
* ''"The Ups and Downs of Electric Boat"'' John D. Alden, United States Naval Institute, Proceedings Magazine, 1 July 1999, p. 64.
* ''Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics'', by Patrick Tyler. Published by Harper & Row 1986.
External links
General Dynamics Electric Boat web siteElectric Boat information page on General Dynamics Corporation site
{{Authority control
Companies based in New London County, Connecticut
Defense companies of the United States
General Dynamics
John Philip Holland
Military in Connecticut
Shipbuilding companies of the United States
Shipyards of the United States
Shipyards of Connecticut
Shipyards of Rhode Island
Submarine builders