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NavSea to spend $21.6M on more Hartford fixes

A $21.6 million contract for off-hull fabrication and material procurement to begin fixing the damaged attack submarine Hartford was issued Wednesday by the Pentagon.

An actual repair contract is expected once a full assessment is complete, according to Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman at Naval Sea Systems Command, in Washington, D.C.

“We have not let a contract for repair of Hartford yet,” she said.

Hartford collided with amphibious transport dock New Orleans in the Strait of Hormuz while both were entering the Persian Gulf at night on March 20. Hartford was submerged but near the surface at the time.

The crash caused several punctures to the New Orleans hull. It crunched the sail and portside bow plane on Hartford. Minor injuries were reported on the sub. Both ships limped into Bahrain the next morning for initial fixes.

After nearly two months in port in Bahrain for $2.3 million in repairs, New Orleans went back on deployment and recently made a port visit in Sasebo, Japan. But Hartford had to make a month-long surface transit back to homeport, returning May 21 to New London, Conn.

Hartford’s commanding officer and chief of the boat were relieved in the collision’s aftermath.

Awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, the contract calls for $21.6 million worth of off-hull fabrication of the retractable bow plane on the port side as well as off-hull fabrication of the sail.

Hartford’s sail was partially torn from the hull, and it’s not clear if a completely new one will be required.

The contract calls for the work to be complete by January 2010.

It follows a $15.8 million contract awarded in May for advanced repair planning and off-hull fabrication.

The repair to the actual submarine will commence following an assessment of the ship in drydock.

Dolan said Hartford is expected to enter drydock at Electric Boat in a week.