JANUARY 17, 2025 – Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the construction of a new facility for the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department (NRMD) at Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay, Georgia. The facility will serve as a centralized, state-of-the-art hub for NRMD, enabling critical maintenance and repair operations for Trident-equipped submarines.
Participants break ground for the new Nuclear Regional Maintenance facility at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.Download Icon Download
The event brought together senior Navy leaders, local officials, and project stakeholders to celebrate the milestone.
“This groundbreaking represents NAVFAC Southeast’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art facilities that directly enhance the fleet’s operational readiness,” said Capt. Miguel Dieguez, NAVFAC Southeast commanding officer. “This new Nuclear Regional Maintenance facility will consolidate resources, improve collaboration, and ensure that our submarine force has the maintenance infrastructure it needs to remain at the forefront of our national defense.”
The NRMD plays a vital role in supporting the operational readiness of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet’s ballistic missile submarine force. It provides intermediate-level repair and maintenance of propulsion plant systems and components, ensuring submarines remain mission-ready for both rapid 28-day overhauls and extended 270-day major maintenance periods.
Currently, NRMD operations are dispersed across NSB Kings Bay in temporary trailers, CONEX boxes, and facilities shared with the TRIDENT Refit Facility at Kings Bay (TRF-KB). This project will consolidate these functions into a single, purpose-built structure, enhancing communication and collaboration between engineers and mechanics on the waterfront.
“There has been a tremendous amount of effort to get us to this point, and from our perspective, it has been a collaborative and satisfying experience,” said Brian Logan, deputy director, Naval Regional Maintenance Department, Kings Bay. “The final design turned out to be spectacular…and today it is satisfying to take pause…and reflect on what all has been accomplished and what is coming.”
The new low-rise facility will feature a reinforced concrete slab-on-grade with a steel and precast concrete superstructure supported by a pile foundation. The building will include nuclear repair shops, ship services support areas, applied instruction spaces, and a parking facility accommodating up to 300 employees.
The contract for this $136 million project was awarded to BL Harbert International on Dec. 13, 2023.
“BL Harbert is profoundly grateful and humbled by the opportunity to contribute our construction expertise to execute this project with the Navy,” said Jeremy Pipkin, senior vice president at BL Harbert International. “Over the next few years, we look forward to integrating into the Kings Bay community as we work diligently to deliver a facility that embodies the highest standards of craftsmanship and reflects the immense importance of the work that will occur within its walls.”
The company will oversee the design and construction of the facility, which is scheduled for completion by Dec. 15, 2028.
The Nuclear Regional Maintenance facility at Kings Bay underscores the Navy’s commitment to maintaining its strategic deterrence capabilities by providing cutting-edge infrastructure to support its submarine fleet.
NAVFAC Southeast, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, provides planning, design, construction, contracting, environmental services, public works, real estate, and facility maintenance for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Force, and other federal agencies across the Southeast. Its area of responsibility covers installations from Charleston, South Carolina, to Corpus Christi, Texas, and extends south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
From Jeffrey Hamlin