Lafayette-class submarine
Lafayette-class submarine USS Woodrow Wilson
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Lafayette class |
Builders |
|
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Ethan Allen class |
Succeeded by | James Madison class |
Built | 1961–1964 [1] |
In commission | 1963–1994 [1] |
Completed | 9 |
Retired | 9 |
Preserved | 1 (As Training Vessel) |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ballistic Missile Submarine |
Displacement | Surfaced: 7,325 long tons (7,443 t) Submerged: 8,251 long tons (8,383 t)[2] |
Length | 425 ft (130 m) [1] |
Beam | 33 ft (10 m) [1] |
Draft | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Test depth | 1,300 feet (400 m)[2] |
Complement | Two crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted[2] |
Armament | 16 torpedoes[2] |
The Lafayette class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the
Design
The first eight submarines initially deployed with the Polaris A-2 missile, later being refitted with the longer ranged Polaris A-3, with USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626) having the A-3 missile from the start.[3] In the mid-1970s all were upgraded to carry the Poseidon C3 missile; their missile tubes were slightly larger than the Ethan Allen and George Washington classes and Poseidon was designed to take advantage of this.[2] Unlike twelve of the similar James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes, none of the Lafayette-class submarines were refitted with Trident I (C4) missiles.
The Lafayettes and their successors were equipped with a hovering system to manage trim more effectively when firing missiles; this increased the missile rate of fire from one per minute to four per minute.[2]
Daniel Webster was originally built with
Fate
The Lafayettes were decommissioned between 1986 and 1992, due to a combination of
Boats in class
Submarines of the Lafayette class:[5][6]
Name and hull number | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Period of service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lafayette (SSBN-616) | General Dynamics Electric Boat | 17 January 1961 | 8 May 1962 | 23 April 1963 | 12 August 1991 | 28.3 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1992 |
Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617) | 26 June 1961 | 18 August 1962 | 27 June 1963 | 23 February 1993 | 29.7 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994 | |
Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619) | Mare Island Naval Shipyard | 26 April 1961 | 15 September 1962 | 3 July 1963 | 31 August 1989 | 26.2 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1999 |
John Adams (SSBN-620) | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard | 19 May 1961 | 12 January 1963 | 12 May 1964 | 24 March 1989 | 24.8 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1996 |
James Monroe (SSBN-622) | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. | 31 July 1961 | 4 August 1962 | 7 December 1963 | 25 September 1990 | 26.8 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1995 |
Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) | General Dynamics Electric Boat | 2 October 1961 | 12 January 1963 | 23 November 1963 | 3 November 1986 | 22.9 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994 |
Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) | Mare Island Naval Shipyard | 13 September 1961 | 22 February 1963 | 27 December 1963 | 1 September 1994 | 30.7 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1998 |
Henry Clay (SSBN-625) | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. | 23 October 1961 | 30 November 1962 | 20 February 1964 | 5 November 1990 | 26.7 | Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1997 |
Daniel Webster (SSBN-626) | General Dynamics Electric Boat | 28 December 1961 | 27 April 1963 | 9 April 1964 | 30 August 1990 | 26.4 | Converted to Moored Training Ship (MTS-626) with missile compartment removed. |
See also
- 41 for Freedom Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines
- Fleet Ballistic Missile
- List of submarines of the United States Navy
- List of submarine classes of the United States Navy
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines" from the FAS Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
- ^ Polmar 1981, p.21.
- ^ Daniel Webster at NavSource.org
- ^ Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p.612.
- ^ "FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines". Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2012-10-18. California Center for Military History (dead link 2015-05-05)
- Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen (editors). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Polmar, Norman. The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet: Twelfth Edition. London:Arms and Armour Press, 1981. ISBN 0-85368-397-2.
- US Naval Vessel Register - List of SSBN BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE (NUCLEAR-POWERED) Class vessels
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.