Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is saying goodbye to a piece of World War II history and replacing it with a state-of-the-art facility designed for modern warfare. Dry Dock 3, built during the 1940s, is being phased out because it can no longer handle today’s massive nuclear-powered submarines. In its place, the Navy is constructing Dry Dock 5, a project valued at $3.4 billion that promises to transform the way America maintains its undersea fleet, as announced by the U.S. Navy.
The new dock will measure 657 feet in length, making it long and strong enough to berth Virginia-class submarines, which are far too heavy for the older infrastructure. Built under the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, the facility is expected to remain operational for 150 years. Once completed in 2027, Dry Dock 5 will be one of the few places in the world where nuclear-powered subs can undergo full maintenance and overhaul.
Construction is already underway, led by a joint venture that includes Hawaiian Dredging, Dragados, and Orion Government Services. At its peak, the site will employ over 600 skilled workers daily, from electricians and masons to ironworkers and operators. Beyond sheer size, the dock is being reinforced with advanced engineering to withstand the immense weight and stress of modern submarines.
Pearl Harbor’s location makes this upgrade even more critical. Positioned in the central Pacific, it serves as a strategic hub for U.S. naval power. With rising tensions in the region and growing reliance on submarines for deterrence and surveillance, a modern facility ensures that America’s fleet can be serviced quickly and deployed without long delays.
The move underscores a broader challenge for the Navy: much of its shipyard infrastructure is outdated, and bottlenecks in repair capacity threaten readiness. Dry Dock 5 addresses this by ensuring that the latest submarines can be maintained closer to their operational zones, reducing downtime and increasing flexibility.
This isn’t just about replacing old concrete with new. It’s a signal of intent — that the U.S. is investing heavily in maintaining naval dominance well into the future. Pearl Harbor’s WWII dock may be retiring, but its successor will carry forward the mission with greater strength and capability.
