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Seawolf-class submarine

Class of US nuclear attack submarines

Field	Value
infobox_caption	Seawolf class
section1	{{Infobox ship/image
image	USS Connecticut SSN 22.jpg
image_caption	, second of the three-boat Seawolf-class
section2	{{Infobox ship/class overview
builders	General Dynamics Electric Boat
operators
class_before
class_after
cost	$3 billion per unit (equivalent to $6 billion in 2023)
built_range	1989–2005
in_commission_range	1997–present
total_ships_planned	29
total_ships_completed	3
total_ships_canceled	26
total_ships_active	3
section3	{{Infobox ship/characteristics
type	Nuclear attack submarine
displacement	{{ubl
Submerged: 9,138 tons, (12,139 tons full, <ref>{{cite web	url	http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4	title=The US Navy – Fact File	work=US Navy	access-date=30 August 2008	archive-date=3 July 2007	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703120930/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4	url-status=dead}})
length	{{ubl
{{convert	353	ft	abbr	on}}
{{convert	452.8	ft	abbr	on}} }}
beam	40 ft
propulsion
speed	*20 kn (silent)
* (maximum)<ref name	"ntseawolf"/
range	Unlimited
endurance	Only limited by food supplies
test_depth	1600 ft
complement	140
crew	14 officers; 126 enlisted
armament	8 × 26.5-inch torpedo tubes, sleeved for 21-inch weapons (up to 50 Tomahawk land attack missile/Harpoon anti-ship missile/Mk 48 guided torpedo carried in torpedo room)

| Surfaced: 8,600 tons | Submerged: 9,138 tons, (12,139 tons full, ) |353 ft |452.8 ft }}

35 kn (maximum)

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 , and design work began in 1983. A fleet of 29 submarines was to be built over a ten-year period, but that was reduced to 12 submarines. The end of the Cold War and budget constraints led to the cancellation of any further additions to the fleet in 1995, leaving the Seawolf class limited to just three boats. This, in turn, led to the design of the smaller . The Seawolf class cost about $3 billion per unit ($3.5 billion for ), making it the most expensive United States Navy fast attack submarine and second most expensive submarine ever, after the French nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

Design

The Seawolf design was intended to combat the threat of advanced Soviet ballistic missile submarines such as the , and attack submarines such as the 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.

Seawolf-class submarines are larger, faster, and significantly quieter than previous Los Angeles-class submarines; they also carry more weapons and have twice as many torpedo tubes. 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 larger spherical sonar array, a wide aperture array (WAA), and a new towed-array sonar. Each boat is powered by a single S6W nuclear reactor, delivering 45000 hp to a low-noise pump-jet.

As a result of their advanced design, however, Seawolf-class submarines were much more expensive. The projected cost for 12 submarines of this class was $33.6 billion, but construction was stopped at three boats when the Cold War ended.

Variants

is roughly 100 ft longer than the other two boats of her class because it has an additional central section known as the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows launch and recovery of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and Navy SEALs. 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 now decommissioned . Jimmy Carter was modified for this role by General Dynamics Electric Boat at a cost of $887 million.

Boats in class

Name	Hull no.	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Seawolf subgroup	Jimmy Carter subgroup
	SSN-21	General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton	25 October 1989	24 June 1995	19 July 1997	Active in service
	SSN-22	14 September 1992	1 September 1997	11 December 1998	Active in service
{{USS	Jimmy Carter	2}}	SSN-23	General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton	5 December 1998	13 May 2004	19 February 2005	Active in service

References

Trevithick, Joseph. (22 October 2018). "Navy Wants New 'Seawolf-Like' Attack Submarines To Challenge Russian And Chinese Threats". Drive Media Inc.
"The US Navy – Fact File". US Navy.
"SSN Seawolf Class". naval-technology.com.
Federation of American Scientists. (8 December 1998). "Run Silent, Run Deep". Military Analysis Network.
(2011). "Learning from Experience: Volume II: Lessons from the U.S. Navy's Ohio, Seawolf, and Virginia Submarine Programs". rand.org.
"Attack Submarines - SSN". United States Navy.
"Submarine Centennial Chronology".
Polmar, Norman. (2004). "The Naval Institute guide to the ships and aircraft of the U.S. fleet". [[Naval Institute Press]].
Zimmerman, Stan. (January 2018). "Submarine Technology for the 21st Century". Trafford Publishing.
"AN/BSY-2 sonar".
"SSN-21 Seawolf Class". Federation of American Scientists.
"USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)". Submarinehistory.com.
"Seawolf Class". General Dynamics Electric Boat.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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