Ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska completes sea trials after two-year overhaul

The U.S. Navy’s 14th Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) returned to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on June 9, completing her sea trials after a two-year engineering refueling overhaul (ERO).

The week-long underway was a success, according to the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command.

Begun in February 2014 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, the ERO was a complex, major shipyard availability for Nebraska.

It included extensive structural and mechanical repairs and inspections aimed at extending the submarine’s service life.

USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) moved from dry dock into water on March 8, 2016, after completing 97 percent of the overhaul and started work on energizing, operating and testing the various ship systems, plus training, qualifying and certifying the ship’s crew.

Nebraska’s overhaul was one of the largest scheduled Trident submarine work packages at the shipyard. Following her return to the fleet, USS Nebraska will be ready for 20 more years of strategic deterrence.