On June 4th, the keel was laid on the USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), the lead boat of the District of Columbia-class of ballistic missile submarines. The day prior, the proposed name was changed from Columbia to District of Columbia, due to the fact that an existing Los Angeles-class submarine by that name would not go out of commission prior to the new boat going into commission, leading to the possibility of two boats with the same name. The existing Columbia is named for cities in Illinois, Missouri and South Carolina. From the beginning, the new boat was intended to be named for the District of Columbia.
The first cut of steel ceremony was May 23rd, 2019.
Commissioning is expected in the early 2030s.
The new class of boats will take over nuclear deterrence patrols from the existing Ohio-class boats.
