_at_Ingalls_in_1959.jpg) The launch ofUSS Blueback in 1959 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barbel class |
| Builders | |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | USS Darter |
| Built | 1956–1959 |
| In commission | 1959–1990 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| Preserved | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Attack submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 219 ft 2 in (66.80 m) overall[1] |
| Beam | 29 ft (8.8 m)[1] |
| Draft | 29 ft (8.8 m) max[1] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 14,000nautical miles (26,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[2] |
| Endurance |
|
| Test depth | 700 ft (210 m)[2] |
| Complement | 8 officers, 69 enlisted |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament | 6 ×21-inch (533 mm) bowtorpedo tubes, 22torpedoes[2] |
TheBarbel-class submarines, the lastdiesel-electric propelledattack submarines built by theUnited States Navy, incorporated numerous, radical engineering improvements over previous classes. They were the first production warships built with the teardrop-shape hull first tested on the experimentalUSS Albacore, and the first to combine the control room, attack center, and conning tower in the same space in the hull. They were of double hull design with 1.5-inch thick HY80 steel. This class of submarine became part of the United States Navy's fleet in 1959 and was taken out of service 1988–1990, leaving the Navy with an entirely nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
TheBarbel class' design is considered to be very effective.[3] TheZwaardvis-class submarines of theNetherlands and theHai Lung class of theRepublic of China (designed and built in the Netherlands) were closely derived from theBarbel class design. TheJapaneseUzushio class and its successors were also influenced by theBarbel class.
Designed under projectSCB 150,[2] the class overall was a somewhat smaller diesel-powered version of theSkipjack-classnuclear submarines, the first of which entered service only three months afterBarbel, having been laid down only 11 days later. Several features of the experimentalAlbacore were used in theBarbel-class design, most obviously the fully streamlined "teardrop" hull.Albacore's single-shaft configuration, necessary to minimize drag and thus maximize speed, was also adopted for theBarbels,Skipjacks, and all subsequent US nuclear submarines. This was a matter of considerable debate and analysis within the Navy, as two shafts offered redundancy and improved maneuverability.[2] For the first time, theBarbels also did away with the conning tower, instead combining the functions of attack center and control room into the same space, another feature adopted for all subsequent US submarines. This was facilitated by the adoption of "push-button" ballast control, another feature ofAlbacore.[2] Previous designs had routed the trim system piping through the control room, where the valves were manually operated. The "push-button" system used hydraulic operators on each valve, remotely electrically operated (actually via toggle switches) from the control room. This greatly conserved control room space and reduced the time required to conduct trim operations. The overall layout made coordination of the weapons and ship control systems easier during combat operations.
Thetorpedo tube arrangement of theBarbels was the same as theSkipjacks', with six bow tubes in a three-over-three configuration. These (and theSkipjack-derivedGeorge Washington-class SSBNs) were the only US Navy classes to have this configuration, as subsequent SSN designs used four angled midships torpedo tubes to make room for a large bow sonar sphere, and most SSBNs had four bow tubes.
TheBarbels were built with bow mounteddiving planes, but these were replaced by sail planes (aka fairwater planes) within a few years. This feature was standard on US Navy submarines until bow planes returned with the improvedLos Angeles class, the first of which was launched in 1987.
| Name | Hull number | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Period of service | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbel | SS-580 | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard | 18 May 1956 | 19 July 1958 | 17 January 1959 | 4 December 1989 | 30.9 | Decommissioned 4 December 1989, scrapping delayed due to asbestos insulation, expended as a target 30 January 2001 |
| Blueback | SS-581 | Ingalls Shipbuilding,Pascagoula, Mississippi | 15 April 1957 | 16 May 1959 | 15 October 1959 | 1 October 1990 | 30.9 | Decommissioned 1 October 1990, museum ship at theOregon Museum of Science and Industry inPortland, Oregon from 1994. |
| Bonefish | SS-582 | New York Shipbuilding,Camden, New Jersey | 3 June 1957 | 22 November 1958 | 9 July 1959 | 28 September 1988 | 29.3 | Not repaired following a fire that killed three on 24 April 1988, hulked 17 August 1989, hull acquired for tests byNorthrop Grumman. |
