USS Michigan Gears Up for SSGN Mission after MMP

Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), Nov. 2 completing a 11-month Major Maintenance Period (MMP).

Michigan, homeported out of Naval Base Kitsap,Bangor, entered Bremerton in December 2012 for its MMP, where the ship’s various systems underwent preventative maintenance and repair.

Major Maintenance Periods are part of an SSGN’s normal operating cycle and typically occur after the submarine has been forward deployed for 12 months.

The project took PSNS and IMF approximately 71,000 man-days to complete at a budget of $36 million dollars.

Capt. Robert James, Michigan Gold’s commanding officer, said now that the MMP is over, the crew is looking forward to getting back out to sea to perform the SSGN mission.

“Michigan will [next] conduct crew certification exercises, and make final preparations for deployment next year,” said James. The crew is very excited to finally be out of the maintenance period. We’ve been preparing for months to operate the ship at sea, and we’re eager to get Michigan out into her element.”

SSGN’s provide the Navy with an unprecedented combination of strike and special operation mission capabilities within a stealthy, clandestine platform. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, SSGNs are capable of directly support dozens of Special Operation Forces.

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Press Release, November 11, 2013; Image: US Navy