The USS Baltimore seabed warfare conversion is moving ahead as the U.S. Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat prepare to turn the future Virginia-class fast attack submarine into a specialized platform to assume missions from USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23).
Planned as the penultimate Block V Virginia-class boat, the future USS Baltimore (SSN 812) is being tailored for special operations, special warfare, and subsea infrastructure missions now handled by Jimmy Carter, according to program information and industry materials.
USS Baltimore seabed warfare role confirmed
Recent General Dynamics Electric Boat job postings in Groton, Connecticut seek systems engineering test leads for the effort, confirming the Navy’s intent. Additional corroborating references, previously unreported, trace back more than a year.
One Electric Boat listing dated August 9 describes the “largely unexplored seafloor” as the next battlespace and identifies SSN 812 as the Subsea and Seabed Warfare, or SSW, platform. The posting states that SSW is a new capability planned for a single late Block V Virginia-class submarine and characterizes the program as complex and fast-moving with strong Navy and congressional backing.
Budget documents outline SSW path
U.S. Navy research and development documents beginning with the Fiscal Year 2025 cycle point to SSN 812 taking over the SSW mantle from Jimmy Carter. Materials released in June 2025 call for initiating SSN 812 Subsea and Seabed Warfare platform unique Non-Propulsion Electronics System integration and test plans.
Fiscal Year 2027 budget materials released in April 2026 continue those integration efforts. Work on the SSW payload stretches back before 2022, including efforts tied to both the Virginia-class and the follow-on SSN(X) program.
Concept matured through industry presentations
Industry presentations in 2023 by then-General Dynamics president Kevin Graney publicly outlined the concept and potential of a modified Virginia-class submarine configured for SSW missions. Follow-on reporting indicated that an SSW build was underway for a late Block V variant, reinforcing the single-hull approach signaled by Navy planning.
Navy emphasizes seabed superiority
Development of an SSW submarine aligns with the Navy’s emphasis on what leaders have termed “seabed superiority.” At Combined Naval Event 2026 in Europe, Vice Admiral Richard Seif, Commander, Submarine Forces, said the Navy is deploying seabed warfare capability for survey, attribution, and the full spectrum of defensive and offensive operations.
He described seabed warfare as a growth area and highlighted the objective of achieving dominance on the seabed.
Design trade-offs for a specialized Block V
Block V Virginia-class submarines are defined by the Virginia Payload Module, a mid-body section that increases Tomahawk land-attack missile capacity. Dedicating SSN 812 to the SSW mission introduces distinct design and operational trade-offs.
Configuring the submarine for deep-sea engineering tasks, saturation diving support, tethered vehicle operations, and specialized Non-Propulsion Electronics System architectures is expected to require significant internal changes.
Whether these adjustments alter or reduce Virginia Payload Module volume remains to be seen. The potential trade-off underscores a clear priority, according to program materials and budget planning.
Protecting critical undersea infrastructure and countering adversary activity on the seabed takes precedence over standard multi-mission strike capacity for this single hull. The approach preserves a dedicated national-asset capability as the aging Jimmy Carter nears the end of its service life.