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Los Angeles class submarine

USS Greeneville off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.
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USS Greeneville off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Los Angeles-class attack submarines (SSN) is the most numerous class of nuclear powered submarines built by any nation, and form the bulk of the U.S. attack submarine force as of 2004. They were preceded by the Sturgeon class and followed by the Seawolf class. Named after US cities, the class broke a long-standing Navy tradition of naming attack submarines after sea creatures.

LA-class submarines are extremely fast—they are publicly acknowledged as being faster than 25 knots (46 km/h, 29 mph), and it is widely believed that they can exceed 35 knots (65 km/h, 40 mph) under good conditions. They carry about 25 torpedo-tube launched weapons. Any boat of this class may launch a Tomahawk cruise missile from its horizontal torpedo tubes. The last 31 boats of this class have 12 vertical launch tubes specifically for this purpose.

The final 23 boats in the series, referred to as "688I," are even quieter, incorporate an advanced combat system, and are configured for under-ice operations (with diving planes on the bow and a reinforced sail ). The Navy is phasing out the Los Angeles-class attack submarines in favor of the Virginia-class attack submarines.

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Specifications

  • Builders: Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding
  • Displacement: 6,927 tons submerged
  • Length: 360 ft (110 m)
  • Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
  • Draft: 32 ft (9.7 m)
  • Armament:
  • Propulsion: S6G reactor
  • Speed: 25+ knots (46 km/h) submerged
  • Depth: greater than 800 ft (240 m)
  • Complement: 140

Boats

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, Groton, Connecticut

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, Norfolk, Virginia

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Homeported at the Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Homeported at the Naval Submarine Base, San Diego, California

Homeported at Naval Forces Marianas, Apra Harbor, Guam

Stricken, to be disposed of by submarine recycling

Disposed of by submarine recycling

Further information

Last updated: 05-21-2005 02:06:55