Ohio-class submarine

USS Michigan
Class overview
Name	Ohio
Builders	General Dynamics Electric Boat
Operators	United States of America
Preceded by	Benjamin Franklin class
Completed	18
Active	18
General characteristics
Class and type	SSBN/SSGN
Displacement	Surfaced: 16,600tons Submerged: 18,750tons
Length	560 ft (170 m)
Beam	42 ft (13 m)
Propulsion	1 PWR nuclear reactor 1x325hp auxiliary motor, 1 shaft
Speed	Surfaced: 12knots Submerged:24knots
Range	unlimited except by food supplies
Complement	155
Crew	155
Armament	24 Trident I C4 (SSBN-726 to SSBN-733 from construction to refueling) SLBM with up to eight MIRVed 100kT W76 nuclear warheads, range 4000nm, 24 Trident II D5 (SSBN-734 and subsequent hulls upon construction, SSBN-730 to SSBN-733 since refueling) SLBM with up to 12 MIRVed W76 or W88 (300-475kT) nuclear warheads, range 6500nm, 4x21in bow torpedo tubes. SSGN conversion mounts 22 tubes, each with 7 Tomahawk Cruise missiles.
Notes	Ships in class include: Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Henry M. Jackson, Alabama, Alaska, Nevada, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Maine, Wyoming, Louisiana

The Ohio class is a class of nuclear-powered submarines used by the United States Navy. The United States has 18 Ohio-class submarines:

• 14 nuclear-powered SSBNs, each armed with 24 Trident II SLBMs; they are also known as "Trident" submarines, and provide the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad of the United States strategic nuclear weapons arsenal
• 4 nuclear-powered SSGNs, each armed with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles with conventional warheads

The 14 Trident II SSBNs together carry around fifty percent of the total U.S. strategic warhead inventory. The exact number varies in an unpredictable and highly classified manner, at or below a maximum set by various strategic arms limitation treaties. Although the missiles have no pre-set targets when the submarine goes on patrol, the platform, when required, is capable of rapid targeting using secure and constant at-sea communications links. The Ohio class is the largest type of submarine ever constructed for the U.S. Navy, and are second only to the Russian Typhoon-class in mass and size (the new Russian Borei class submarine has more mass when submerged but not when surfaced).

The Ohio-class submarines were specifically designed for extended deterrence patrols. Each submarine is complemented by two crews, Blue and Gold, with each crew operating on a 100-day interval. To decrease the time in port for crew turnover and replenishment, three large logistics hatches are fitted to provide large diameter resupply and repair openings. These hatches allow sailors to rapidly transfer supply pallets, equipment replacement modules and machinery components, significantly reducing the time required for replenishment and maintenance. The class design allows the vessel to operate for 15+ years between overhauls. The ships are purported to be as stealthy at 20 knots (their cruising speed) as previous subs were at a dead crawl of 6 knots (11 km/h), although exact information remains classified.

History

The first eight Ohio-class submarines were originally equipped with 24 Trident-I (C4) submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Beginning with the ninth Trident submarine, USS Tennessee, the remaining ships were equipped with the upgraded Trident-II (D5) variant as they were constructed. The Trident-II missile carries eight multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), in sum delivering more deterrence than the Trident-I and with much greater accuracy. Starting with USS Alaska in 2000, the navy began converting the remaining C4-equipped submarines to D5 missiles; this will be completed in mid-2008.

The first eight ships were homeported in Bangor, Washington to replace the Polaris (A3) carrying submarines that were then being decommissioned. The remaining ten ships were originally homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia, replacing the Atlantic-based Poseidon and Trident Backfit submarines. During the conversion of the first four hulls to SSGNs (see below), five ships, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Nebraska, Maine, and Louisiana, were shifted from Kings Bay to Bangor. Further shifts are occurring as the United States' strategic needs change.

SSBN/SSGN conversions

Ohio SSGN conversion

After the end of the Cold War plans called for Ohio to be retired in 2002, followed by three of her sisters. However, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia instead were slated for modification, to remain in service as conventional, guided missile submarines (SSGNs).

Beginning in 2002 through 2010, 22 of the 24 88-inch (2.2 m) diameter Trident missile tubes will be modified to contain large vertical launch systems (VLS), one configuration of which may be a cluster of seven Tomahawk cruise missiles. In this configuration, the number of cruise missiles carried could be a maximum of 154, the equivalent of what is typically deployed in a surface battle group. Other payload possibilities include new generations of supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), the ADM-160 MALD, sensors for anti-submarine warfare or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, counter-mine warfare payloads such as the AN/BLQ-11 Long Term Mine Reconnaissance System (LMRS), and the broaching universal buoyant launcher (BUBL) and stealthy affordable capsule system (SACS) specialized payload canisters.

The missile tubes also have room for stowage canisters that can extend the forward deployment time for special forces. The other two Trident tubes are converted to swimmer lockout chambers. For special operations, the Advanced SEAL Delivery System and the Dry Deck Shelter can be mounted on lock out chamber and the ship will be able to host up to 66 special operations personnel, such as the Navy SEALs. Improved communications equipment installed during the upgrade allows the SSGNs to serve as a forward-deployed, clandestine Small Combatant Joint Command Center.

On September 26, 2002, the Navy awarded GD Electric Boat a $442.9 million contract to begin the first phase of the SSGN submarine conversion program. Those funds covered only the initial phase of conversion for the first two ships on the schedule. Advance procurement was funded at $355 million in fiscal year 2002, $825 million in the FY 2003 budget and, through the five-year defense budget plan, at $936 million in FY 2004, $505 million in FY 2005, and $170 million in FY 2006. Thus, the total cost to refit the four ships is just under $700 million per vessel.

In November 2002 Ohio entered drydock, beginning a 36-month refueling and conversion overhaul. Electric Boat announced on 9 January 2006 that the conversion had been completed. Ohio rejoined the fleet in February 2006, followed by Florida in April 2006. The converted Michigan was delivered in November 2006. Ohio deployed for the first time in October 2007. Georgia returned to the fleet in March 2008 at Kings Bay. These four SSGNs are expected to remain in service until 2023-2026.

Popular culture

Artist concept of an Ohio class SSBN launching Trident missiles.

As ballistic missile submarines, the Ohio-class has occasionally played a pivotal role in several fiction books and films.

USS Alabama plays a pivotal role in the film Crimson Tide, when an attack interrupts an incoming message regarding the potential launch of the submarines SLBMs, ultimately resulting in mutiny centered around the captain and executive officer.

Two Tom Clancy novels also focus heavily on Ohio-class submarines: The Sum of All Fears and Debt of Honor.

Ships of the class

Guided Missile Submarines

• USS Ohio (SSGN-726)
• USS Michigan (SSGN-727)
• USS Florida (SSGN-728)
• USS Georgia (SSGN-729)

Ballistic Missile Submarines

• 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)

See also

• Intercontinental ballistic missile
• Submarine-launched ballistic missile
• Nuclear warfare
• Nuclear strategy
• Typhoon-class submarine
• Vanguard class (The British equivalent to the Ohio class.)

References

• The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy (1984)
• Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day, by Robert Hutchinson

External links

• Official U.S. Navy Data
• FAS page on the SSBN 726 class
• FAS page on the SSGN 726 class