The U.S. Navy says additional work required on the bow of a new attack submarine is postponing the commissioning of the vessel that will become USS North Dakota.
The $2.6 billion boat was christened last November at the shipyard of Navy contractor Electric Boat in Groton and it had been scheduled to join the fleet with a commissioning ceremony in May.
Naval Sea Systems Command said in a news release Wednesday that more design work is needed on the bow and there are also issues with vendor-delivered components.
Spokeswoman Colleen O'Rourke said a new commissioning date will be determined later.
The submarine is the 11th in the Virginia class of ships. The 377-foot-long submarine will be able to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, deliver special forces and carry out surveillance.
