The Astronomical Costs
A Columbia-class submarine is estimated to cost around $4.2 billion to construct. In an attempt to save on expense; elements, technology, and components from the Ohio and Virginia classes will be used where it is able to be. The entire fleet of Columbia-class submarines is rumored to cost the Navy around $347 billion overall. Expectedly, creation of these complex and elaborate machines necessitates a significant amount of paperwork.
The Astronomical Costs
300-Page Report
The Navy completed a 300-page specification report for the Ohio Replacement Program submarines back in April 2014. We aren’t so surprised that there are so many requirements. In total, there are 159 of them. Among them are weapons, escape routes, fluid systems, hatches, doors, seawater systems, and a set length of 560 feet (170 m). The length is picked carefully to make sure that there will always be enough space inside the pressure hull.
300 Page Report