Military Officer - October 2008 - (Page 62) Current U.S. Submarine Classes Class Los Angeles Type Year Deployed 1976 Length Beam Displacement Crew 13 officers; 121 enlisted Armament Tomahawk missiles, VLS (SSN 719 and later), MK-47 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes SSBN: 24 tubes for Trident I and II, MK-48 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes. SSGN: up to 154 Tomahawk missiles, MK-48 torpedoes Tomahawk missiles, MK-47 torpedoes; eight torpedo tubes Tomahawk missiles, 12 VLS tubes, MK-47 ADCAP torpedoes, four torpedo tubes SSN 360 feet 33 feet 6,900 tons Ohio SSBN SSGN 1981 560 feet 42 feet 16,760 tons 15 officers; 140 enlisted 14 officers; 126 enlisted 14 officers; 120 enlisted Seawolf SSN 1997 453 feet 40 feet 12,158 tons Virginia SSN 2004 377 feet 34 feet 7,800 tons Sailors “man the ship” of the newest Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine, the USS North Carolina, in May 2008 (below). Fireworks cap off the celebration for the commissioning of the North Carolina (left). The North Carolina officially is brought to life during her commissioning ceremony (right). submarines shot missiles into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. All those missiles could be fired today with just two SSGNs.” The newest submarines to join the Navy’s undersea flotilla are the Virginia-class boats, which eventually will replace the Los Angeles class. The first sub without a periscope, the Virginia boats instead sport a “photonic mast” with cameras that transmit images to command stations. The hull contains a chamber that can deploy special ops forces and even a mini-submarine. The latest in the Virginia series, the USS North Carolina (SSN-777), was commissioned in Wilmington, N.C., May 3. The fourth Navy ship to bear the state’s name, the submarine 62 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2008 PHOTOS: ABOVE RIGHT, MASS COMMUNICATIONS SPC. 3RD CLASS KELVIN EDWARDS, USN; ALL OTHERS, MASS COMMUNICATIONS SPC. 2ND CLASS ROADELL HICKMAN, USN
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.