![]() ![]() The projected cost for 12 submarines of this class was $33.6 billion, however, construction ceased at three boats when the Cold War ended. Each submarine is powered by a single S6W nuclear reactor, delivering 45,000 hp (34 MW) to a low-noise pump jet.Īs a result of their advanced design, however, Seawolf submarines were considerably more expensive than their earlier counterparts. The BSY-2 is a fully integrated system used for sonar tracking, monitoring, and launch of all on-board weapons, including Mk 48 ADCAP/ADCAP MOD torpedoes, Tomahawk missiles, and mines. The boats also have extensive advanced equipment to permit shallow water operations and they utilize the more cutting-edge ARCI Modified AN/BSY-2 combat system, which includes a larger spherical sonar array, a wide aperture array (WAA), and a new towed-array sonar. Additionally, the boats can carry up to 50 UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for attacking land and sea surface targets. Seawolf submarines are larger, faster, and significantly quieter than their predecessor Los Angeles-class submarines, carry a larger weapons load, and have twice as many torpedo tubes. The Seawolf design was intended to combat the threat of advanced Soviet ballistic missile submarines such as the Typhoon-class, and attack submarines such as the Akula-class in a deep-ocean environment so their pressure hulls are constructed using HY-100 steel, which is stronger than the HY-80 steel employed in previous classes, to withstand increased sea pressure at greater depths. Thus, their story is comparable to that of the F-22 fighter jet widely considered the world’s best, but high costs and unforeseen geopolitical conditions rendered them obsolete before their time. ![]() And although the class eventually became doomed, they are still some of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated submarines ever constructed, nevertheless, they were built in reduced numbers. ![]() The Seawolves were envisioned as the finest submarines ever to be built and were designed to succeed the 688 class to maintain America’s edge in the underwater warfare and reconnaissance realm. The Seawolf-class cost about $3 billion per unit making it the most expensive U.S built, SSN submarine and second most expensive submarine ever, after the French SSBN Triumphant-class. This in turn, led to the design of the smaller and less expensive SSN-774 Virginia-class attack submarines. Accordingly, the entire Seawolf-class was limited to just three boats that include the USS Seawolf SSN-21, USS Connecticut SSN-22 and USS Jimmy Carter SSN-23. However, the end of the Cold War and budget constraints dictated the cancellation of any further additions to the fleet in 1995. A fleet of 29 submarines was planned to be built over ten years, but that was subsequently reduced to just 12 submarines. The class was originally intended to succeed the 688 Los Angeles-class attack boats, and design work began on it in 1983. "The things you might do near the sea floor are hide, if you are just trying to surveil Chinese submarine operations, or try to put something on the sea floor or pick something up, which might be a sensor," explained Clark, who is a retired submarine officer and former special assistant to the chief of naval operations.The Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) are currently in service with the United States Navy. The South China Sea is already a challenging operating environment for submarines because it is, for the most part, actually quite shallow, especially compared to the waters of the nearby Pacific Ocean, with depths of thousands of feet.Ĭomments from Navy officials speculating that the nuclear-powered submarine may have collided with a container or shipwreck suggests that the ship was not only in shallow waters but likely close to the sea floor, said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.Īnd reports that only about a dozen crew members suffered only minor injuries suggest the submarine may have been moving slowly, possibly because it was near the bottom or possibly to remain undetected or both. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
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