SUBS

The Mission of US Submarine Force

to execute the mission of the U.S. Navy in and from the undersea domain. In addition to lending added capacity to Naval forces, the Submarine Force in particular is expected to leverage those special advantages that come with undersea concealment to permit operational, deterrent, and combat effects that the Navy and the Nation could not otherwise achieve. These effects may be delivered within the undersea domain or across domain boundaries; they may be delivered from submarines far-forward or in broad ocean areas; they may be the result of carefully coordinated operations with other forces or achieved by independent operations; and they may be accomplished in peacetime, a time of tension, or during conflict.

Sub Insignia is known as

“Dolphins” or “Fish”

Describe the Officer Insignia

a bow view of a submarine, proceeding on the surface, with bow planes rigged for diving, and dolphin fish flanking the bow and conning tower of a submarine in gold

How is the enlisted Insignia different?

Enlisted is silver

What year was the insignia made?

1924

SSBN Deterrence Patrol Pin

Officers and sailors receive it after completing strategic patrols on a nuclear ballistic missile sub

SSBN Deterrence Patrol Pin Design

A Lafayette-class sub with a superimposed Polaris missile and electron rings

What do the stars on the SSBN Deterrence Patrol Pin mean?

A gold star is award after every successful patrol. after 5 patrols a silver star is received.

How do you get a gold SSBN Deterrence Patrol Pin

After completing 20 successful patrols

Submarine Combat Patrol Pin

Worn by sailors and officers who have completed combat patrols in a declared war

last time a Submarine Combat Patrol Pin was given

WWII

Submarine Combat Patrol Pin design

Broadside of a Gato-class diesel sub with a scroll beneath for stars

What do the stars mean on a Submarine Combat Patrol Pin?

A gold star is awarded for each successful patrol after the first, and a silver after 5 successful patrols

The first submarine

The turtle

When was the first sub made

1775

Who made the Turtle

David Bushnell

The Turtle attempted to sink the ____ in New York

HMS Eagle

What propulsion did the Turtle use?

Hand crank screw propulsion

What Confederate sub is famous for completing the first military sub mission?

H.L Hunley

What year was the first successful military sub mission completed?

1864

What did the Hunley sink

the USS Housatonic off the Charleston Harbor

What weapon did the Hunley use

A spar torpedo

Who revived submarines

The Confederates

When was the Hunley located again after sinking

1995

How many died on the Hunley

all 8 of the crew

Where can you see the Hunley today?

North Charleston, South Carolina

The Navy’s first modern sub

USS Holland (SS-1)

When was the Holland (SS-1) launched

1897

When was the Holland (SS-1) commissioned

April 11, 1900

When is the birthday of the modern sub force?

April 11, 1900

What was central to Germany’s strategy in WWI

U-boats

German U-boats sank this ocean liner causing the US to join WWI

RMS Lusitania

US Subs were primarily used for

costal defense

in 1917 some subs were assigned to

European waters

What tactics did germany use in WWII

wolfpack

What three classes of subs did the US create

Gato, Balao, Tench

US sub forces operated where

every theater

Us Sub forces destroyed

1,314 enemy ships

What percent of enemy ships were sunk by what percent of US Naval forces?

55% sunk by 6% forces

How many of the 16,000 submariners were lost

375 officers and 3,131 enlisted

How many subs were lost

52

How many sub COs received a medal of honor

7

Who scored a perfect 29 in a cribbage game

LT Dick O’Kane

What happened after the 29 cribbage game

the Wahoo sunk 2 Japanese freighters

Morton and O’Kane scored a 28-point cribbage game and sunk what

3 freighters in 2 days

What were the improvements made to Subs during the cold war

tear-drop hull shape and nuclear powered propulsion

who is the father of the nuclear navy

ADM Hyman Rickover

the first nuclear sub

USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

When was the Nautilus launched

January 17, 1955

Who commanded the USS Nautilus

Eugene Wilkinson

What did the Nautilus do in 3 years

sailed to the North Pole, broke every sub distance, speed, and endurance record

What is the limiting factor to nuclear powers unlimited operational endurance

the capacity to store food

What happened in the 1960s

The sub force was split into two distinct components: ballistics missile (SSBN) and fast attack (SSN)

role of SSBNs

Nuclear deterrence

Role of SSNs

Protect SSBNs and offensively detect/monitor foreign ballistic missile subs

Cold War sub crew did what

Rewrote the playbook of sub tactics and laid the bedrock for today’s sub force

Sail

Vertical section of the sub where the bridge is located

Fairwater plane

The “horizontal wings” located on the sail of the sub

Bow plane

The “horizontal wings” located on the bow of the sub

Fast Attack Subs (SSN) port locations

West coast: Pearl Harbor, HI. San Diego, CA. Bremerton, WA. Guam

East coast: Groton, CT. Norfolk, VA.

Fast Attack Mission

1. Seek and destroy enemy subs and surface ships

2. Conduct precision strikes with tomahawk cruise missiles

3. Deliver and support Special operation forces

4. Carry out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions

5. Support Carrier Strike Groups

6. Engage in mine warfare

SSN classes

Los Angeles, Seawolf, Virginia

Los Angeles class numbers

SSN 688 - SSN 773

Los Angeles Class Visual id

length: 362ft

Beam: 33ft

Draft: 31ft

Los Angeles Class Flight I Vis ID

Fairwater planes

Los Angeles Class Flight II Vis ID

Fairwater planes and 12 VLS tubes in bow

Los Angeles Class Flight III Vis ID

Bow planes and 12 VLS tubes in bow.

Sails are unfaired at leading edge

Los Angeles Class Weapons

4 torpedo tubes for MK 48 ADCAP torpedoes or UGM-109 Tomahawks

Los Angeles Class Capabilities

800ft+ test depth

20+knot speed submerged

14+knot speed surfaced

What is replacing Los Angeles Class subs

Virginia subs (2 LAs decommissioned per year)

Los Angeles Class subs were commissioned when

1976

Seawolf Class numbers

SSN 21 - SSN 23

Seawolf Class Vis ID

Broader beam and slightly shorter than LA class

Sails are faired at leading edge and fitted with bow plane

Seawolf class weapons

8 torpedo tubes for MK 48 ADCAP torpedoes or UGM- 109 Tomahawks

When was the Seawolf Class subs commissioned

1997

What is special about the Jimmy Carter SSN-23

Has a 100ft hull extension called the “multi-mission platform”

Virginia Class Sub numbers

SSN 774 - SSN 821 +

Virginia Class Sub Vis ID

Longer than LA class

Sails are faired at the leading edge and are fitted with bow planes and VLS

Virginia Class weapons

4 torpedo tubes for MK 48 ADCAP torpedos or UGM-109 Tomahawk

Virginia class capabilities

800ft+ test depth

25+knots speed submerged

When was the Virginia class commissioned?

2004

What does Block V have

Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT) which provide additional guided missile capabilities and replace SSGNs

Virginia Class enhanced capabilities

1. Fly-by-wire ship control system that provides improved shallow-water ship handling

2. Enhanced special operation forces support systems

3. Reconfigurable torpedo took which can house either torpedoes and tomahawks or special operation forces

4. Lock in/lock out chamber for divers

5. Two photonics masts that contain color, high-resolution black and white, and infrared digital cameras

6. Modular construction, open architecture, and commercial off the shelf components

Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN) mission

Providing the US with its most survivable and enduring strike capability

What type of SSBN is in service

Boomers

What percent of US strategic weapons inventory is the SSBN force responsible for

70%

SSBN Home ports

West Coast: Bangor, WA.

East Coast: King’s Bay, GA

What are the two crews used for alternate on-patrol

Blue and gold

Ohio Class SSBN numbers

SSBN 726 - SSBN 743

Ohio Class Vis ID

Length: 560ft

Beam: 42ft

Draft: 35 ft

Fairwater planes

Large “turtle back” hull design

Ohio Class Weapons

24 trident II D5 SLBM tubes

4 torpedo tubes MK 48 torpedoes

Ohio class capabilities

800ft+ test depth

20+knots speed submerged

Guided Missile Submarines (SSGN)

the first four Ohio class SSBNs were converted into guided missile submarines

Guided Missile Subs mission

Provide the navy a combination of precision strike and special operation mission capabilities

How much TLAMS could a Ohio SSGN carry

An entire carrier strike group’s equivalent of cruise missiles

The extra missile tubes act as what

Lockout chambers to be used by special forces personnel, launch UAVs or UUVs

What can SSGNs carry

Dry Dock shelter/seal delivery vehicle in support of SOF

Where are Guided Missile Submarines home ported

West coast: Bangor, WA

East Coast: King’s Bay GA

Where do Guided Missile subs switch crews

West coast: Guam

East coast: Diego Garcia

Ohio Class Guided Missile Vis ID

Fairwater planes (aka sail planes)

Large “turtle back” hull design

Deck stays dry while riding on the surface