Key Points
- The U.S. Navy has undocked the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Albany after completing a major phase of maintenance and modernization at Naval Submarine Base New London.
- The milestone moves the submarine closer to returning to operational service, supporting fleet readiness and undersea mission availability.
The United States Navy has safely undocked the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 753) on March 26 at Naval Submarine Base New London.
According to the Navy, USS Albany arrived at Submarine Base New London in the summer of 2025 and has since undergone a range of repairs, structural inspections, and upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems. The work is intended to enhance the submarine’s operational capability and prepare it for future deployments.
As noted by the service, the maintenance effort was supported by an advanced team from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which coordinated extensively with New London personnel to prepare facilities and support a large temporary workforce. At peak levels, more than 400 shipyard personnel were deployed to the base to carry out the work.
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In a statement, Capt. Jesse Nice, commander of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, said: “Despite the inherent challenges of executing an off-yard availability, compounded by multiple winter storms, the teaming demonstrated by the crew of Albany and the shipyard workforce drove through every obstacle, completing Albany’s docking period ahead of schedule.”
He added: “This speaks to the resilience of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard team and the impact that a focused team of experts can have to safely accomplish great things at the pace the nation needs.”
Cmdr. Adam Nebenzahl, commanding officer of USS Albany, said: “The early undocking of Albany is a significant accomplishment and a direct result of the one team, one fight mentality of my crew and our Portsmouth teammates.” He added: “This milestone puts us one step closer to rejoining the fleet. We are eager to get back to sea and contribute to our nation’s defense.”
The completion of the docking period represents a key stage in the submarine’s return to service. Following undocking, additional testing, certification, and crew readiness activities are typically conducted before a submarine resumes operational deployment.
Los Angeles-class submarines are nuclear-powered fast attack submarines designed for a range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence collection, and strike operations using cruise missiles. Maintenance and modernization work often includes upgrades to propulsion systems, sensors, and onboard electronics.
The undocking phase indicates that critical structural and systems work has been completed, allowing the submarine to transition toward final preparations for deployment. Such availabilities are essential to maintaining the operational tempo of the submarine force.