Submarines - U.S. Navy Owner's & Operator's Manual 2004

ATTACK SUBMARINES

Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships. A number of Third World countries are acquiring modern state-of-the-art, non-nuclear submarines. Countering this threat is the primary mission of U.S. nuclear attack submarines. Other missions range from intelligence collection and special forces delivery to anti-ship and strike warfare. The new Seawolf-class submarine is designed to be exception ally quiet, fast and well-armed with advanced sensors. It is a multi-mission vessel, capable of deploying to forward ocean areas to search out and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships and to fire missiles in support of other forces.

Los Angeles-class

Power Plant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft

Length: 360 feet

Beam: 33 feet

Displacement: Approx. 6,900 tons

Speed: 20+ knots (23+ mph)

Crew: 13 officers, 121 enlisted

Armament: Tomahawk missiles, VLS tubes (SSN 719 and later), MK-48 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes (Seawolf has eight).

Ships:

USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) USS Memphis (SSN 691) USS Bremerton (SSN 698) USS Jacksonville (SSN 699) USS Dallas (SSN 700) USS La Jolla (SSN 701) USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705) USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) USS Portsmouth (SSN 707) USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (SSN 708) USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) USS Augusta (SSN 710) USS San Francisco (SSN 711) USS Houston (SSN 713) USS Norfolk (SSN 714) USS Buffalo (SSN 715) USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716) USS Olympia (SSN 717) USS Honolulu (SSN 718) USS Providence (SSN 719) USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) USS Chicago (SSN 721) USS Key West (SSN 722) USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) USS Louisville (SSN 724) USS Helena (SSN 725) USS Newport News (SSN 750) USS San Juan (SSN 751) USS Pasadena (SSN 752) USS Albany (SSN 753) USS Topeka (SSN 754) USS Miami (SSN 755) USS Scranton (SSN 756) USS Alexandria (SSN 757) USS Asheville (SSN 758) USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) USS Annapolis (SSN 760) USS Springfield (SSN 761) USS Columbus (SSN 762) USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) USS Boise (SSN 764) USS Montpelier (SSN 765) USS Charlotte (SSN 766) USS Hampton (SSN 767) USS Hartford (SSN 768) USS Toledo (SSN 769) USS Tucson (SSN 770) USS Columbia (SSN 771) USS Greeneville (SSN 772) USS Cheyenne (SSN 773)

Seawolf-class

Power Plant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft

Length: 353 feet

Draft: 35 feet

Beam: 40 feet

Displacement: 8,060 tons

Speed: 25+ knots (28+ mph)

Crew: 13 officers; 121 enlisted.

Ships:

USS Seawolf (SSN 21) USS Connecticut (SSN 22) Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) *

Virginia-class

Power Plant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft

Length: 377 feet

Beam: 34 feet

Displacement: Approx. 7,800 tons

Speed: 25+ knots (28+ mph)

Crew: 134 officers and enlisted

Armament: Tomahawk missiles, VLS tubes, MK-48 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes, advanced mobile mines, and unmanned undersea vehicles.

Ships:

Virginia (SSN 774) *

Texas (SSN 775) *

Hawaii (SSN 776) *

North Carolina (SSN 777), delivery in 2007

BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES

Strategic deterrence has been the sole mission of the fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) since its inception in 1960. The SSBN provides the nation's most survivable and enduring nuclear strike capability. The Ohio-class submarine replaced aging fleet ballistic missile submarines built in the 1960s and is far more capable.

Ohio-class/Trident ballistic missile submarines provide the sea-based "leg" of the triad of U.S. strategic deterrent forces. The first four Ohio-class submarines are scheduled for conversion to guided-missile submarines (SSGN) with an additional capability to transport and support Navy special operations forces.

Ohio-class

Power Plant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft

Length: 560 feet

Beam: 42 feet

Displacement: 16,764 tons

Speed: 20+ knots (23+ mph)

Crew: 15 officers, 140 enlisted

Armament: 24 tubes for Trident I and II, MK-48 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes.

Ships:

USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) USS Alabama (SSBN 731) USS Alaska (SSBN 732) USS Nevada (SSBN 733) USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) USS Kentucky (SSBN 737) USS Maryland (SSBN 738) USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) USS Maine (SSBN 741) USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) USS Louisiana (SSBN 743)

Ships undergoing conversion to SSGN:

USS Ohio (SSBN 726)--Out of service Oct. 29, 2002, for conversion to SSGN, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard USS Florida (SSBN 728)--conversion to SSGN scheduled for October 2003, Norfolk USS Michigan (SSBN 727)--conversion to SSGN scheduled for October 2003 USS Georgia (SSBN 729)--conversion to SSGN scheduled for 2004

DEEP SUBMERGENCE RESCUE VEHICLES

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRV) perform rescue operations on submerged, disabled submarines of the U.S. Navy or foreign navies. DSRVs can embark up to 24 personnel for transfer to another vessel. The DSRV also has an arm to clear hatches on a disabled submarine and a combined gripper and cable cutter. The gripper is able to lift 1,000 pounds.