Sub with new design nears completion in Groton

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Electric Boat in Groton says it is nearing completion of the first in a series of Navy attack submarines with a newly redesigned bow.

Company spokesman Robert Hamilton says the boat that will become the USS North Dakota is coming along at near-record pace despite the new design to accommodate larger weapons tubes.

The 113-foot-long bow section arrived at the Groton shipyard a week ago from Newport News, Va. Hamilton said Friday the company expects to be able to deliver the Virginia-class sub ahead of the contracted date of August 2014.

The director of the state's Office of Military Affairs, Bob Ross, says the contractor's record of delivering submarines under budget and ahead of schedule helps Connecticut officials as they push submarine construction at a time of fiscal constraints.