Seawolf Class SSNs

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Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division, Newport News shipbuilding Norfolk Virginia.

Armament: 8x 21" (533mm) tubes for Mk 48 ADCAP, Mk 52 Torpedoes, 8x 30" tubes VLS for Sub Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles -up to 50 weapons max.

Propulsion: 1x Water cooled Nuclear reactor+ Steam turbines. Seawolf carries a pupjet propulsor in place of the traditional 7-bladed screw

Sound Emmissions: The U.S Navy Seawolf class of SSNs are quite literally the quietest submarines at sea today, being far quieter than any other U.S submarine. Not to mention the Russians. Seawolf is so quiet that even U.S surface ships can't hear it.

The U.S Navy's Seawolf class SSNs are the quietest, deadliest and best in the world today. Being almost completely invisible acousticly and carrying enough weaponry to devestate an entire naval task force, the three Seawolfs are and will be uncontested by any other modern submarine for many years. Unfortunately their numbers are scarce due to their immense cost of US\$2.1 billion each. As it was origionaly proposed to build around 35 of these SSNs. The Seawolfs are a great technological advancement over the older 688 class, and are the first U.S submarines to make use of the British designed pumpjet propulsor, which means no screw cavitation at high speeds. Also the surface of the hull is covered with a special type of sponge plating to reduce the chance of the boat being detected by active sonar. Seawolf is fitted with the AN/BSY-2 Combat System, which incorporates in addition to bow mounted sonar, a new type of advanced side-hull passive sonar array and a towed passive sonar array to enhance sensors. The Seawolfs were designed as part of a cold war program to devalop an attack sub that could operate effectively under the Arctic icecap after it was discovered that the Russians were positioning strategic missile boats (SSBNs or Boomers) under the pack ice. Hence the design incorporates a strengthened sail and bow, as apposed to sail mounted hydroplanes to aid when surfacing through ice.