Newport News shipbuilders who contributed to achieving the latest milestone in Oklahoma’s (SSN 802) construction gathered to celebrate the submarine becoming “pressure hull complete.” The Virginia-class program hosted an event for each of the three shifts.

This milestone signifies that all of Oklahoma’s hull sections have joined to form a single, watertight unit.

“We set the goal to get to ‘pressure hull complete’ back in May, and many folks were betting against us. You proved them wrong,” said Jason Ward, vice president of New Construction Submarine Programs. “It is no small feat to get a weapons system to this condition. The reality is, submarines are an asymmetric advantage for the defense of our nation.”

Joshua Tanner (X82), ship operations director for SSN 802, praised the team that completed the three C-seam welds on the boat. “On the first C-seam, we wanted a 25% reduction in the ultrasonic testing rejection rate from the previous boat,” he explained. “This meant our goal was an 8% UT rejection rate, and the team came in with an almost 3% rejection rate.”

Tanner said that this massive improvement decreased the amount of required rework from approximately three months on the previous ship, to just under one week for Oklahoma.

“The first-time quality that the team exhibited builds trust from the sailors who will sail the ship in dangerous waters, and allows them and their families to rest easy at night knowing that the pressure hull can be trusted to perform the mission,” he said.