U.S. Navy holds topping out ceremony for $136 million nuclear maintenance facility at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

The ceremony recognized progress toward completing a centralized, state-of-the-art facility designed to support critical maintenance and repair operations for Trident-equipped submarines. A topping out ceremony traditionally marks when a structure reaches its final height, and in this case stakeholders, engineers and construction crews signed the final beam before it was set in place.

“This topping out, just over a year after breaking ground, is a testament to the skill and dedication of our team,” said NAVFAC Southeast Executive Officer Capt. Elizabeth Durika. “This facility is a critical investment in our nation’s strategic deterrence, and this progress brings us one step closer to providing a state-of-the-art space to ensure our submarine force remains ready for decades to come.”

Construction has advanced rapidly since the project began, according to project leaders. Lt. Cmdr. John Nurthen, construction management team leader, outlined the scope of work completed to date.

“The sheer scale of work accomplished on this site is remarkable. Our partners have moved mountains, literally,” said Nurthen. “We removed and excavated over four feet of rock and soil from the entire project site, replacing nearly 35,000 cubic yards of unsuitable soils to create a stable foundation. We have erected over 530 tons of structural steel, drilled and placed nearly 3,000 concrete piles, and poured over 100,000 square feet of structural concrete. This milestone is a credit to the incredible effort of every worker on this project.”

The $136 million facility was announced during a groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 15, 2025, and is intended to consolidate operations currently spread across temporary and shared spaces at the base. The centralized hub will include nuclear repair shops, ship services support areas and applied instruction spaces to enhance communication and collaboration in maintaining Trident-equipped submarines.

“Today’s milestone represents far more than the final beam being set in place; it marks a major step toward providing our skilled civilians and Sailors with a state-of-the-art workspace to support and sustain the nuclear propulsion plants that power our nation’s number one strategic deterrent,” said James Haas, director of the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department. “This facility is an investment in our future and in the people who carry out this mission every day. We are grateful for the dedication of everyone in turning this dream into a reality.”

The project is managed by NAVFAC Southeast, with BL Harbert International serving as the primary contractor. Completion is scheduled for December 2028.

NAVFAC Southeast, headquartered in Jacksonville, 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 spans installations from Charleston, South Carolina, to Corpus Christi, Texas, and extends south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.