Well into the 1970s the diesel-powered submarine played a critical role in the U.S. Navy's success during the Cold War. However, the allied victory over the German U-boats in the Atlantic during World War II indicated that submarines designed primarily for surfaced operations had a limited future in their overall effectiveness.  Two issues confronted designers --greater underwater speed and endurance.

The first issue, speed, was addressed in 1945 through hull shape experiments at the Navy's David Taylor Model Basin. These tests resulted in the "teardrop" hull design. This revolutionary design was first implemented on the experimental submarine USS ALBACORE (SS 569). The teardrop design enabled unprecedented submerged speeds. The advent of nuclear power would eventually solve the undersea endurance problem, and truly revolutionize submarine design and naval warfare.

Throughout the Cold War, U.S. military forces contained and deterred the Soviet Union and her allies from attacking the free world. The Submarine Force played a vital role, checking the Soviets in two ways. First, U.S. ballistic missile submarines deterred war by maintaining a survivable retaliatory strike capability against any nuclear attack on the United States.  Second, U.S. attack submarines monitored the rapidly expanding Soviet Navy while conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Dominance over the Soviet Navy was vital in preserving maritime superiority during the Cold War. During this time period, U.S. attack submarines monitored Soviet naval development and open ocean naval operations in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans.  U.S. attack submarines obtained vital information on Soviet naval capabilities and weaknesses while underscoring America's determination to defend the nation and her allies from attack.

As the Cold War progressed, the Soviet Navy expanded substantially in size and capability.  Concerned about U.S. submarine superiority, the Soviet Union devoted considerable resources to improving the quality of their submarine force, which throughout the Cold War was much larger than the U.S. Submarine Force.  By the 1980s, Soviet submarines had narrowed, but not eliminated, the submarine technology gap.  The U.S. Navy counted on the superiority of its submarines and, above all, its submariners in the event of hostilities.

In the 1980s, the U.S. Navy adopted the Maritime Strategy, which envisioned a wartime thrust into ocean areas adjoining the Soviet Union in order to defend Northern Europe against a Soviet invasion.  U.S. military planners foresaw a key role for submarines in the Maritime Strategy.  They counted on the stealth and superiority of U.S. submarines to destroy Soviet warships capable of targeting U.S. battle groups.  Additionally, U.S. submarines focused on Arctic warfare, where Soviet submarines, including SSBNs, were expected to operate in the even of war.

The Cold War ended in 1898-91 with the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union.  For over 40 years submariners played a largely unheralded role protecting and defending the United States and her allies from nuclear and conventional attack.  Often away from home for deployments of six months or longer, the men of the Submarine Force kept careful watch over their Cold War adversaries, while preparing for and deterring war.

USS Albacore (SSN-569)

USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

A Cold War Warrior

In 1954, the U.S. Navy launched the USS NAUTILUS (SSN-571), the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.  She was followed by the USS SEAWOLF (SSN-572). However, it was not until the submarine USS SKIPJACK (SSN-585) to combine the endurance of nuclear propulsion and the high-speed teardrop hull designs. Every American submarine built since 1958 incorporates these features.

USS Skipjack (SSN-585)

USS Seawolf (SSN-572)

While almost all Cold War operations remain classified, two recently declassified missions for the purpose of the Submarine Centennial showcase the Submarine Force's true capabilities. 

USS GUARDFISH (SSN-612) silently tracked a Soviet cruise missile (SSGN) submarine which was following a U.S. aircraft carrier off Vietnam in the 1970s --ready to protect our ships should the Soviet's SSGN launch her missiles. 

In 1978, in the Atlantic, USS BATFISH (SSN-681) tracked a Soviet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) sailing off the East Coast of the United States --learning Soviet SSBN patrol areas and operating patterns and providing early indications of any potential surprise attack on the United States.

USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

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