The Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine
General Characteristics, Ohio Class
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division.
Power Plant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft
Length: 560 feet
Beam: 42 feet
Displacement: 16,764 tons surfaced; 18,750 tons submerged
Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour)
Crew: 15 Officers, 140 Enlisted
Armament: 24 tubes for Trident missiles, four tubes for MK-48 torpedoes.
Ships:
USS Ohio (SSBN 726)
USS Michigan (SSBN 727)
USS Florida (SSBN 728)
USS Georgia (SSBN 729)
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)
The OHIO class submarines, known as Tridents because of the missiles they carry, are each capable of carrying up to 24 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). Tridents are the sea-based "leg" of the U.S. strategic triad-boomers, land-based ICBMs, and SSBNs --and account for more than 54 percent of all U.S. strategic assets. These Trident missile submarines are our nation's leading nuclear deterrent, but use only 34 percent of our strategic budget and 1.5 percent of naval personnel.
The first eight OHIO class submarines carry the Trident I C-4 ballistic missile. The remaining submarines of the class carry the improved Trident II D-5 ballistic missile. Stealth is the key to the SSBN survivability, and OHIO class submarines are among the quietest nuclear-powered submarines ever built.
Trident ballistic missile submarine USS Ohio (SSBN-726)
Two complete crews, designated as "Blue" and "Gold," are assigned to each SSBN submarine. While one crew operates the submarine at sea, the other attends school, conducts training, and hones their skills in shore-based simulators. The nominal operating schedule is 77 days at sea followed by a 35-day maintenance period. To reduce in-port time for crew turnover and upkeep, Tridents have three large logistics hatches to facilitate rapid re-supply and repair. The OHIO class design features and modern maintenance concepts allows these submarines to operate for over 20 years between overhauls.
During the Cold War, U.S. ballistic missile submarines provided a strategic capability that could be neither detected nor destroyed. This survivability deterred nuclear war because the Soviet Union knew that in the event of an attack on America and/or her allies, U.S. ballistic missile submarines could launch a crippling retaliatory strike. The SSBN submarine also reduced the potential for large-scale conventional war by preventing a strategic imbalance that might have encouraged Soviet aggression. Today, our SSBN submarines continue their solemn task of deterring our adversaries from employing nuclear weapons against the United States and her allies.
General Characteristics, Trident I (C4)
Propulsion: Three-stage solid-propellant rocket
Length: 34 feet
Weight: 73,000 pounds
Diameter: 74 inches
Range: 4,000 nautical miles
Guidance: Inertial
Warheads: Nuclear MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle
General Characteristics, Trident II (D5)
Propulsion: Three-stage solid-propellant rocket
Length: 44 feet
Weight: 130,000 pounds
Diameter: 83 inches
Range: 4,000 plus nautical miles
Guidance: Inertial
Warheads: Nuclear MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle
Related Pages
