Seawolf-class submarine

Seawolf class
Class overview
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Operators:  United States Navy
Preceded by: Los Angeles class
Succeeded by: Virginia class
Built: 1989–2005
In commission: 1997–present
Planned: 29
Completed: 3
Cancelled: 26
Active: 3
General characteristics
Type: Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement:

Surfaced: 8,600 tons

Submerged: 9,138 tons, 12,139 tons full, USS Jimmy Carter[1]
Length: 353 ft (108 m)
Beam: 40 ft (12 m)
Propulsion:
  • 1 S6W PWR 45,000 hp (34 MW)
  • 1 secondary propulsion submerged motor
  • 1 shaft
  • 1 propeller
Speed:
  • 20 knots (37 km/h) (silent)[2]
  • 35 knots (65 km/h) (maximum)[2]
Range: unlimited
Endurance: Only limited by food supplies
Complement: 140
Crew: 14 officers; 126 enlisted
Armament: 8 × 660 mm torpedo tubes (50 Tomahawk (missile)/Harpoon (missile)/Mark 48 torpedo)

The Seawolf class is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) in service with the United States Navy. The class was the intended successor to the Los Angeles class. Design work began in 1983.[3] At one time, an intended fleet of 29 submarines was to be built over a ten-year period, later reduced to twelve submarines. The end of the Cold War and budget constraints led to the cancellation in 1995 of any further additions to the fleet, leaving the Seawolf class limited to just three boats. This, in turn, led to the design of the smaller Virginia class. The Seawolf class cost about $3 billion ($3.5 billion for USS Jimmy Carter) making it the most expensive SSN submarine and second most expensive submarine ever after the French SSBN Triomphant class.

Design

Acoustic stealth comparison

The Seawolf design was intended to combat the threat of large numbers of advanced Soviet Navy ballistic missile submarines such as the Typhoon class and attack submarines such as the Akula class in a deep ocean environment. Seawolf class hulls are constructed from HY-100 steel, which is stronger than the HY-80 steel employed in previous classes, in order to withstand water pressure at greater depths.[4][5]

Compared to previous Los Angeles-class submarines, Seawolf submarines are larger, faster, and significantly quieter; they also carry more weapons and have twice as many torpedo tubes, for a total of 8. The boats are able to carry up to 50 UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for attacking land and sea surface targets. The boats also have extensive equipment to allow shallow water operations. The class uses the more advanced ARCI Modified AN/BSY-2 combat system, which includes a new, larger spherical sonar array, a wide aperture array (WAA), and a new towed-array sonar.[6] Each boat is powered by a single S6W nuclear reactor, delivering 45,000 hp (34 MW) to a low-noise pump-jet.

As a result of their advanced design, however, Seawolf submarines were much more expensive. The projected cost for twelve submarines of this class was $33.6 billion, but after the Cold War ended, construction was stopped at three boats.[7]

Variants

USS Jimmy Carter is roughly 100 feet (30 m) longer than the other two boats of her class due to the insertion of a section known as the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows launch and recovery of ROVs and United States Navy SEALs forces.[8] The MMP may also be used as an underwater splicing chamber for tapping of undersea fiber optic cables. This role was formerly filled by the decommissioned USS Parche (SSN-683). Jimmy Carter was modified for this role by General Dynamics Electric Boat at the cost of $887 million.[9]

Boats

Name Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Seawolf subgroup
Seawolf General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton 25 October 1989 24 June 1995 19 July 1997 Active in service
Connecticut 14 September 1992 1 September 1997 11 December 1998 Active in service
Jimmy Carter subgroup
Jimmy Carter General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton 5 December 1998 13 May 2004 19 February 2005 Active in service

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seawolf class submarines.
  1. ↑ "The US Navy – Fact File". US Navy. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  2. 1 2 SSN Seawolf Class, United States of America Naval Technology
  3. ↑ http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/chrono.html
  4. ↑ Polmar, Norman (2004). The Naval Institute guide to the ships and aircraft of the U.S. fleet (18 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-1-59114-685-8. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  5. ↑ Zimmerman, Stan (2000). Submarine Technology for the 21st Century. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-55212-330-0. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  6. ↑ http://www.harpoondatabases.com/Encyclopedia/Entry2316.aspx
  7. ↑ "SSN-21 Seawolf Class". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  8. ↑ "USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)". Submarinehistory.com. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Seawolf Class". General Dynamics Electric Boat. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
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