Future Dry Deck Shelter

Electric Boat's Future Dry Deck Shelter, which will replace aging Dry Deck Shelters with a number of technological improvements, including payload stowage, launch and recovery, and hyperbolic chamber capability if required to recompress divers. The FY2010 Defense Appropriations Act included $4.4 million for the development of the Future Dry Deck Shelter to carry a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle for Special Operations Forces personnel to deploy from submarines. This Congressional Add for Underwater Support Systems and Equipment Sub-Project: Future Dry Deck Shelter supports studies and analysis of potential designs for next generation dry deck shelter capability. Requested funding of $9,800,000 would be used to design a new Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) to support larger Swimmer Delivery Vehicles and other large payloads from submarines. Current Dry Deck Shelters are approaching end of life, and the design of a new DDS will allow a larger number of submarines to be able to deploy these vital forces and other tactical payloads, as well as providing a significant operational capability to Combatant Commanders.

The number of submarines that can deploy Special Operations Forces is increasing but current DDS capability is limiting the ability to fully utilize this covert national asset. A next - generation DDS is needed now to support a larger SDV which is in development. A next -generation DDS will allow a larger number of submarines to be able to deploy these vital forces and other tactical payloads, and provide a significant operational capability to Component Commanders.