 Ohio-class SSBN profile | |
 USS Ohio, during her commissioning ceremony in 1981. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ohio class |
| Builders | General Dynamics Electric Boat[1] |
| Operators |  United States Navy[1] |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Franklin class |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Cost | $2 billion (late 1990s)[5] ($3.62 billion in 2024 dollars[6]) |
| Built | 1976–1997 |
| In commission | 1981–present |
| Planned | 24 |
| Completed | 18 |
| Canceled | 6 |
| Active | 18 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | SSBN/SSGN (hull design SCB-304)[7] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 560 ft (170 m)[1] |
| Beam | 42 ft (13 m)[1] |
| Draft | 35.5 ft (10.8 m) maximum[8] |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | |
| Range | Limited only by food supplies |
| Test depth | +800 ft (240 m)[10] |
| Complement | 15 officers, 140 enlisted[1][5] |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament | 4 ×21 inch (533 mm)Mark 48torpedo tubes (Forward Compartment 4th level) |
| General characteristics (SSBN-726 to SSBN-733 from construction to refueling) | |
| Armament | 20[a] ×Trident I C4SLBM with up to 8MIRVed 100 ktTNTW76 nuclear warheads each, range 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) |
| General characteristics (SSBN-734 and subsequent hulls upon construction, SSBN-730 to SSBN-733 since refueling) | |
| Armament | 20[a] ×Trident II D5 SLBM with up to 12 MIRVed W76 (100 ktTNT) or up to 8 MIRVedW88 (475 ktTNT) nuclear warheads each, range 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) |
| General characteristics (SSGN conversion) | |
| Armament | 22 tubes, each with 7Tomahawk cruise missiles, totaling 154 |
TheOhio class ofnuclear-powered submarines includes theUnited States Navy's 14ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its 4cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). Eachdisplacing 18,750 tons submerged, theOhio-class boats are the largest submarines ever built for the U.S. Navy and are capable of carrying 24Trident II ballistic missiles or 22 tubes with 7BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles apiece. They are also the third-largest submarines ever built, behind theRussian Navy'sSoviet era 48,000-tonTyphoon class, the last of which was retired in 2023,[b][14] and 24,000-tonBorei class.[15]
Like their predecessors theBenjamin Franklin andLafayette classes,[16] theOhio-class SSBNs are part of the United States'nuclear-deterrent triad, along withU.S. Air Forcestrategic bombers andintercontinental ballistic missiles.[17] The 14 SSBNs together carry about half of U.S. active strategicthermonuclear warheads. Although the Trident missiles have no preset targets when the submarines go on patrol,[18]: 392 they can be given targets quickly, from theUnited States Strategic Command based inNebraska,[19] using secure and constantradio communications links, includingvery low frequency systems.
All theOhio-class submarines, except forUSS Henry M. Jackson, are named forU.S. states, which U.S. Navy tradition had previously reserved forbattleships and latercruisers. TheOhio class is to be gradually replaced by theColumbia class beginning in 2031.
TheOhio-class submarine was designed for extended strategic deterrent patrols. Each submarine is assigned two complete crews, called the Blue crew and the Gold crew, each typically serving 70-to-90-day deterrent patrols. To decrease the time in port for crew turnover and replenishment, three large logistics hatches have been installed to provide large-diameter resupply and repair access. These hatches allow rapid transfer of supply pallets, equipment replacement modules, and machinery components, speeding up replenishment and maintenance of the submarines. Moreover, the "stealth" ability of the submarines was significantly improved over all previous ballistic-missile subs. Ohio was virtually undetectable in her sea trials in 1982, giving the U.S. Navy extremely advanced flexibility.[20]
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The class's design allows the boat to operate for about 15 years between major overhauls. These submarines are reported to be as quiet at their cruising speed of 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) or more as the previousLafayette-class submarines at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph), although exact information remains classified.[21] Fire control for theirMark 48 torpedoes is carried out by Mark 118 Mod 2 system,[11] while the Missile Fire Control system is a Mark 98.[11]
TheOhio-class submarines were constructed from sections of hull, with each four-deck section being 42 ft (13 m) in diameter.[8][11] The sections were produced at theGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat facility,Quonset Point,Rhode Island, and then assembled at its shipyard atGroton, Connecticut.[8]
The US Navy has a total of 18Ohio-class submarines which consist of 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), and fourcruise missile submarines (SSGNs). The SSBN submarines provide the sea-based leg of the U.S.nuclear triad. Each SSBN submarine is armed with up to 20Trident IIsubmarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154Tomahawkcruise missiles, plus a complement ofHarpoon missiles to be fired through theirtorpedo tubes.
TheOhio class was designed in the 1970s to carry the concurrently designedTridentsubmarine-launched ballistic missile. The first eightOhio-class submarines were armed at first with 24 Trident I C4 SLBMs.[8] Beginning with the ninth Trident submarine,Tennessee, the remaining boats were equipped with the larger, three-stageTrident II D5 missile.[11] The Trident I missile carries eightmultiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, while the Trident II missile carries 12, in total delivering more destructive power than the Trident I missile and with greater accuracy. Starting withAlaska in 2000, the Navy began converting its remaining ballistic missile submarines armed with C4 missiles to carry D5 missiles. This task was completed in mid-2008. The first eight submarines had their home ports atBangor, Washington, to replace the submarines carryingPolaris A3 missiles that were then being decommissioned. The remaining 10 submarines originally had their home ports atKings Bay, Georgia, replacing thePoseidon and Trident Backfit submarines of the Atlantic Fleet.
In 1994, theNuclear Posture Review study determined that, of the 18Ohio SSBNs the U.S. Navy would be operating in total, 14 would be sufficient for the strategic needs of the U.S. The decision was made to convert fourOhio-class boats into SSGNs capable of conducting conventionalland attack andspecial operations. As a result, the four oldest boats of the class—Ohio,Michigan,Florida, andGeorgia—progressively entered the conversion process in late 2002 and were returned to active service by 2008.[22] The boats could thereafter carry 154Tomahawk cruise missiles and 66 special operations personnel, among other capabilities and upgrades.[22] The cost to refit the four boats was around US$1 billion (2008 dollars) per vessel.[23] During the conversion of these four submarines to SSGNs (see below), five of the remaining submarines,Pennsylvania,Kentucky,Nebraska,Maine, andLouisiana, were transferred from Kings Bay to Bangor.[citation needed]
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The conversion modified 22 of the 24 88-inch (2.2 m) diameter Trident missile tubes to contain largevertical launch systems, one configuration of which may be a cluster of sevenTomahawk cruise missiles. In this configuration, the number of cruise missiles carried could be a maximum of 154, the equivalent of what is typically deployed in a surface battle group. Other payload possibilities include new generations ofsupersonic andhypersonic cruise missiles, and Submarine Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles,[citation needed]unmanned aerial vehicles, theADM-160 MALD, sensors for antisubmarine warfare or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, counter mine warfare payloads such as theAN/BLQ-11 Long-Term Mine Reconnaissance System, and thebroaching universal buoyant launcher andstealthy affordable capsule system specialized payload canisters.[citation needed]
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The missile tubes also have room for stowage canisters that can extend the forward deployment time for special forces. The other two Trident tubes are converted to swimmer lockout chambers. For special operations, theDry Combat Submersible (which replaced theAdvanced SEAL Delivery System), as well as thedry deck shelter, can be mounted on the lockout chamber and the boat will be able to host up to 66 special-operations sailors or Marines, such asNavy SEALs, orUSMCMARSOC teams. Improved communications equipment installed during the upgrade allows the SSGNs to serve as a forward-deployed, clandestine Small Combatant Joint Command Center.[24]
On 26 September 2002, the Navy awardedGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat a US$442.9 million contract to begin the first phase of the SSGN submarine conversion program. Those funds covered only the initial phase of conversion for the first two boats on the schedule. Advance procurement was funded at $355 million infiscal year 2002, $825 million in the FY 2003 budget and, through the five-year defense budget plan, at $936 million in FY 2004, $505 million in FY 2005, and $170 million in FY 2006. Thus, the total cost to refit the four boats is just under $700 million per vessel.[citation needed]
In November 2002,Ohio entered adry-dock, beginning her 36-monthrefueling and missile-conversion overhaul. Electric Boat announced on 9 January 2006 that the conversion had been completed. The convertedOhio rejoined the fleet in February 2006, followed byFlorida in April 2006. The convertedMichigan was delivered in November 2006. The convertedOhio went to sea for the first time in October 2007.Georgia returned to the fleet in March 2008 atKings Bay.[25][failed verification] These four SSGNs are expected to remain in service until about 2023–2026. At that point, their capabilities will be replaced with Virginia Payload Module-equippedVirginia-classsubmarine.[26]
In 2011,Ohio-class submarines carried out 28 deterrent patrols. Each patrol lasts around 70 days. Four boats are on station ("hard alert") in designated patrol areas at any given time.[27] From January to June 2014,Pennsylvania carried out a 140-day-long patrol, the longest to date.[28]
As part of theNew START treaty, four tubes on each SSBN were deactivated in 2017, reducing the number of missiles to 20 per boat.[29]
| Name | Hull number[α] | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Delivered | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Homeport[β] | Service life (status) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | SSGN-726 | 1 July 1974 | 10 April 1976 | 7 April 1979 | 28 October 1981 | 11 November 1981 | Proposed 2026[30] | Naval Base Kitsap,Washington | 44 years, 15 days (in active service) | [31] |
| Michigan | SSGN-727 | 28 February 1975 | 4 April 1977 | 26 April 1980 | 28 August 1982 | 11 September 1982 | Proposed 2028[32] | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 43 years, 76 days (in active service) | [33] |
| Florida | SSGN-728 | 28 February 1975 | 19 January 1981 | 14 November 1981 | 17 May 1983 | 18 June 1983 | Proposed 2026[34] | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay,Georgia | 42 years, 161 days (in active service) | [35] |
| Georgia | SSGN-729 | 20 February 1976 | 7 April 1979 | 6 November 1982 | 17 January 1984 | 11 February 1984 | Proposed 2028[36] | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 41 years, 288 days (in active service) | [37] |
| Henry M. Jackson (exRhode Island) | SSBN-730 | 6 June 1977 | 19 November 1981 | 15 October 1983 | 11 September 1984 | 6 October 1984 | Proposed 2027[38] | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 41 years, 51 days (in active service) | [39] |
| Alabama | SSBN-731 | 27 February 1978 | 27 August 1981 | 19 May 1984 | 23 April 1985 | 25 May 1985 | Proposed 2028[40] | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 40 years, 185 days (in active service) | [41] |
| Alaska | SSBN-732 | 27 February 1978 | 9 March 1983 | 12 January 1985 | 26 November 1985 | 25 January 1986 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 39 years, 305 days (in active service) | [42] | |
| Nevada | SSBN-733 | 7 January 1981 | 8 August 1983 | 14 September 1985 | 7 August 1986 | 16 August 1986 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 39 years, 102 days (in active service) | [43] | |
| Tennessee | SSBN-734 | 7 January 1982 | 9 June 1986 | 13 December 1986 | 18 November 1988 | 17 December 1988 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 36 years, 344 days (in active service) | [44] | |
| Pennsylvania | SSBN-735 | 29 November 1982 | 2 March 1987 | 23 April 1988 | 22 August 1989 | 9 September 1989 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 36 years, 78 days (in active service) | [45] | |
| West Virginia | SSBN-736 | 21 November 1983 | 18 December 1987 | 14 October 1989 | 10 September 1990 | 20 October 1990 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 35 years, 37 days (in active service) | [46] | |
| Kentucky | SSBN-737 | 13 August 1985 | 18 December 1987 | 11 August 1990 | 27 June 1991 | 13 July 1991 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 34 years, 136 days (in active service) | [47] | |
| Maryland | SSBN-738 | 14 March 1986 | 22 April 1986 | 10 August 1991 | 31 May 1992 | 13 June 1992 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 33 years, 166 days (in active service) | [48] | |
| Nebraska | SSBN-739 | 26 May 1987 | 6 July 1987 | 15 August 1992 | 18 June 1993 | 10 July 1993 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 32 years, 139 days (in active service) | [49] | |
| Rhode Island | SSBN-740 | 15 January 1988 | 15 September 1988 | 17 July 1993 | 22 June 1994 | 9 July 1994 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 31 years, 140 days (in active service) | [50] | |
| Maine | SSBN-741 | 5 October 1988 | 3 July 1990 | 16 July 1994 | 21 June 1995 | 29 July 1995 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 30 years, 130 days (in active service) | [51] | |
| Wyoming | SSBN-742 | 18 October 1989 | 8 August 1991 | 15 July 1995 | 20 June 1996 | 13 July 1996 | Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia | 29 years, 136 days (in active service) | [52] | |
| Louisiana | SSBN-743 | 19 December 1990 | 23 October 1992 | 27 July 1996 | 14 August 1997 | 6 September 1997 | Naval Base Kitsap, Washington | 28 years, 81 days (in active service) | [53] |
TheU.S. Department of Defense anticipated a continued need for asea-based strategic nuclear force.[citation needed] The first of the currentOhio-class SSBNs was expected to be retired by 2029,[citation needed] so the replacement submarine would need to be seaworthy by that time. A replacement was expected to cost over $4 billion per unit compared toOhio's $2 billion.[5] The U.S. Navy explored two options. The first option was a variant of theVirginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The second option was a dedicated SSBN, either with a new hull or based on an overhaul of the currentOhio class.[citation needed]
With the cooperation of both Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, in 2007, the U.S. Navy began a cost-control study.[citation needed] Then in December 2008, the U.S. Navy awarded Electric Boat a contract for the missile compartment design of theOhio-class replacement, worth up to $592 million. Newport News is expected to receive close to 4% of that project. In April 2009,U.S. Defense SecretaryRobert M. Gates stated that the U.S. Navy was expected to begin such a program in 2010.[5] The new vessel was scheduled to enter the design phase by 2014. If a new hull design was to be used, the program needed to be initiated by 2016 to meet the 2029 deadline.[citation needed][needs update]
TheColumbia class was officially designated on 14 December 2016, by Secretary of the NavyRay Mabus, and the lead submarine will beUSS District of Columbia (SSBN-826).[54] The Navy wants to procure the firstColumbia-class boat in FY2021,[55] though it is not expected to enter service until 2031.[56][57]
In 2020, Navy officials first publicly discussed the idea of extending the lives of selectOhio-class boats at the Naval Submarine League's 2020 conference. During the 2022 conference,Rear Admiral Scott Pappano, the program executive officer for strategic submarines, and Rear AdmiralDouglas G. Perry, the director of undersea warfare on theChief of Naval Operations' staff, discussed theColumbia-class program, and also touched on the possibility of findingOhio-class boats that had sufficient remaining nuclear fuel and were in good enough material state to be given a further extension to their lives.[58]
As ballistic-missile submarines, theOhio class has occasionally been portrayed in fiction books and films.
The projected boat would have a 30,000 ton displacement and would be powered by two 30,000 shp reactors... ...both the submarine and the missile grew incrementally in size to their current dimensions — the missile by six inches in diameter and four to five feet in length; the submarine by 5,000 shp in reactor output...
