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Seawolf-class submarine

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class of US nuclear attack submarines

Key facts

Builders
General Dynamics Electric Boat
Operators
United States Navy
Preceded by
Los Angeles class
Succeeded by
Virginia class
Cost
$3 billion per unit (equivalent to $6 billion in 2023)
Built
1989–2005
In commission
1997–present
Type
Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement
Surfaced: 8,600 tons Submerged: 9,138 tons, (12,139 tons full, USS Jimmy Carter )
Length
353 ft (108 m) 452.8 ft (138.0 m) USS Jimmy Carter
Beam
40 ft (12 m)
Propulsion
1 S6W PWR 220 MW (300,000 hp), HEU 93.5% 1 secondary propulsion submerged motor 2 steam turbines 57,000 shp (43 MW) 1 shaft 1 pump-jet propeller
Speed
20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) (silent) 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h) (maximum)
Range
Unlimited
Endurance
Only limited by food supplies
Test depth
1,600 ft (490 m)
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)

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Named after
USS Seawolf
Country of origin
United States
Width
12
Length
108
Show 7 more facts
Commons category
Seawolf class submarines
beam
12
short name
Seawolf
inception
1995-00-00
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~3 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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 Los Angeles class, 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 Virginia class. The Seawolf class cost about $3 billion per unit ($3.5 billion for USS Jimmy Carter), making it the most expensive United States Navy fast attack submarine and second most expensive submarine ever, after the French Triomphant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

Design

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Seawolf-class submarine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.