She is a long, long SSN.Carter SSN-23
Recently, when USS Sea Wolf, SSN-21, surfaced at the North Pole, there was quite a bit of press about that with some good pictures:Rare shot of a Sea Wolf SSN
A Los Angeles
With the 39 LA class boats still out there (22 of the them ADCAP 688i boats).
With 3 Sea Wolf boats.
And now with 12 (and growing for the next 15 years) Virginia's, the US Navy is maintaining the most powerful, largest number, and most capable SSN fleet in the world.
Well more than all of the rest of the world's nuclear attack boats combined.
54 US nuclear attack boats out there, active and capable of putting major hurt on an enemy and their shipping at almost any time.
Yes, by 2019 it should be:Yet a good article for the unusual USN MTS SSN
Officialy remains 40 LA but La Jolla not operationnal or very soon, then 39 LA : 9 x 688, 8 x 688 VLS and 22 x 688i.
For 2019, 11 LA removed see
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page 19
3 in 2016, 5/2017 and 3/2019.
All 688 remaining ( 9 ) and two 688 VLS obviously with these first LA the qualitative difference with new Virginia is again more big, in fact with few in less Silent Service increase her power but a sub can't be in two places and it takes a minimum number.
In more Virginia is more available don' t need RCOH during her 33 year life a LA have need 2/3 each during 1/2 years.
With 11 LA removed and 8 new Virginia : USN have 51 SSN/SSGN for 2019, official " target " 48 SSN.