US Navy Virginia Class Nuclear Attack Submarines

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Hay Jeff, Do you think It's possible to modify a LRASM to launch from a submarine VLS? Obveously there would need to be modifications, Rocket boosters maybe a insert adapter to fit it in the launch tube?

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I can see no reason why they couldn't do it.

If they can modify the Harpoon to launch from underwater through a torpedo tube, or the Tomahawk to launch either through a torpedo tube or an underwater VLS, then they could surely develop a version of the LRASM to launch either way.

They just have to decide to do so. Clearly the technology has already been developed to make it possible.

I hope they dpo. The more possible ways to deploy the weapon, the better. We already know that they will be air launched and surface launched (just like the Harpoon and the Tomahawk), might as well add the third leg.

We see so many pics of Virgina Class but hardly any of the Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf is a top tier SSN capabilitys almost unknown

So few were actually built I mean Virginia long ago passed the Seawolf in units delivered that its almost a joke.

asif iqbal said:

We see so many pics of Virgina Class but hardly any of the Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf is a top tier SSN capabilitys almost unknown

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Right now, there are eleven Virginia Class boats launched and in the water. The latest, the USS North Dakota, SSN-784, was christened in November 2013.

Only three Sea Wolves were built, and one of those, USS Jimmy Carter, SSN-23, is very secretive and used almost exclusively for very stealthy, special operations missions. USS Sea Wolf, SSN-21 and USS Conecticut, SSN-22, both displace 9,300 tons, have eight 650mm tubes and carry 50 weapons each. They were commissioned in 1997 and 1998 and are still just as quiet and deadly as anything else in the water.

The Jimmy Carter was lengthened by 100 feet and so is over 450 feet long and displaces over 12,000 tons. She has the same number and size of tubes and weapons, but she had a Multi-Mission Platform (MMP) section added to her which lets her do a number of "special" things like launch and recover special ROVs, Navy SEAL forces, and also be used as an underwater splicing chamber for tapping undersea fiber optic cables. Like I said...very special and highly secretive missions. BTW, that extra section of the Jimmy Carter almost cost a billion dollars to add itself! Because of that extra build, she did not commission until 2005, actually after the USS Virginia had commissioned.

By comparison, the Virginia class were designed to be just as as stealthy, but smaller (7,800 tons) and less heavily armed (four 533mm tubes and 27 weapons + 12 missiles) sisters of the Sea Wolf class. The Sea Wolf was cancelled because it was felt the US Navy did not need 30-40 of those bigger boats (and they planned to buildthat many of them to begin with) when 30-40 of the smaller ones would serve just as well in the post cold war world.

So here come the Virginias, and we now have 11 of them in the water.

That was exactly my point as Jeff said Sea Wolf is a specialised SSN

asif iqbal said:

That was exactly my point as Jeff said Sea Wolf is a specialised SSN

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Well, when they started building the sea Wolf class, they were going to be the US Navy's next front line SSN. They were meant to be the replacement for the Los Angeles class SSNs.

But Clinton had them canceled. The Cold War was over and they felt they were too expensive and too strong.

Originally the Virginia Class was called the NSSN for "New" SSN and was meant to be a new class SSN, smaller and cheaper, and less heavily armed to replace the LA Class, but still very modern, very quiet, and next generation. I worked on that NSSN program early on.

Anyhow, now they are the major class and are being built in numbers (thank goodness).

Jeff Head said:

Well, when they started building the sea Wolf class, they were going to be the US Navy's next front line SSN. They were meant to be the replacement for the Los Angeles class SSNs.

But Clinton had them canceled. The Cold War was over and they felt they were too expensive and too strong.

Originally the Virginia Class was called the NSSN for "New" SSN and was meant to be a new class SSN, smaller and cheaper, and less heavily armed to replace the LA Class, but still very modern, very quiet, and next generation. I worked on that NSSN program early on.

Anyhow, now they are the major class and are being built in numbers (thank goodness).

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A friend who was an underwater welder with a security clearance has welded on the Carter, he's almost as handsome as bd, but he has something I hope bd never has, right across his chest are the scars from the suction cups of a giant octopus attack, said it scared the krap out of him, I would have freaked. Like Jeff I love the SeaWolf, they are just awesomely cool, quiet, fast, and deep. While I'd love to ask, I'll just assume its in the 40 knot plus class????

Air Force Brat said:

A friend who was an underwater welder with a security clearance has welded on the Carter, he's almost as handsome as bd, but he has something I hope bd never has, right across his chest are the scars from the suction cups of a giant octopus attack, said it scared the krap out of him, I would have freaked. Like Jeff I love the SeaWolf, they are just awesomely cool, quiet, fast, and deep. While I'd love to ask, I'll just assume its in the 40 knot plus class????

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Wow...no way. So how did he escaped from that?

Air Force Brat said:

A friend who was an underwater welder with a security clearance has welded on the Carter, he's almost as handsome as bd, but he has something I hope bd never has, right across his chest are the scars from the suction cups of a giant octopus attack, said it scared the krap out of him, I would have freaked. Like Jeff I love the SeaWolf, they are just awesomely cool, quiet, fast, and deep. While I'd love to ask, I'll just assume its in the 40 knot plus class????

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and I still love the Virginia's and like Jeff, I am so glad we are building them, fact It wouldn't surprise me know a couple have been "skulking around our girl......

Equation said:

Wow...no way. So how did he escaped from that?

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I never asked him, but theres NO DOUBT it did have a hold on him, nice kool scars, bet it had to hurt, prolly didn't like the taste of his gear.....