Portsmouth Sub Overhaul Saves Navy $59M

A decision to repair a nuclear submarine at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard instead of at privately owned Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., will save the U.S. Navy $59 million, according to Associated Press reports. The maintenance of the USS Philadelphia will cost $85.8 million now. The work, which is scheduled to start in February, is intended to extend the Los Angeles class submarine's life until its scheduled decommissioning in 2010. The Navy expects the overhaul to be done by the end of next year, according to the report. The Philadelphia returned to its home base in Groton recently after a five-month deployment during which it collided with a Turkish cargo ship. The submarine suffered modest damage, but the planned maintenance was scheduled before the accident. Source: AP