Posted 12/21/05  
First U.S. Navy SSGN Sub Completes Trials
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS

The first of the U.S. Navy’s ballistic missile submarines to be converted so it can launch cruise missiles and carry teams of special operations forces completed its sea trials Dec. 19, the Navy said in a statement released Dec. 21.

The USS Ohio is one of four former SSBN submarines to undergo the SSGN conversion. The ships — the largest submarines ever built for the United States — have traded in their Trident ballistic missiles for Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Twenty-two of the submarine’s 24 missile tubes have been converted to each carry seven Tomahawks, for a total of 154 cruise missiles. The other two tubes have been changed into lock-in/lock-out chambers so that special operators can enter and leave the submarine while it is submerged.

Up to 66 special forces personnel can be carried and supported aboard each submarine.

The Ohio entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., in November 2002 to begin the conversion process, which began with a refueling of the submarine’s nuclear reactor.

The Ohio-class submarines were designed in the 1970s to carry the Trident missile, a replacement for older Polaris and Poseidon missiles. The Ohio, which was commissioned in 1981, carried out its last ballistic missile patrol in the summer of 2002.

Three other former Trident submarines, the Michigan, Florida and Georgia, also are being converted to the SSGN role. The Navy plans to complete all the conversions by 2007.

The naval shipyards at Puget Sound and Norfolk, Va., are each carrying out two SSGN conversions under the direction of General Dynamics Electric Boat at Groton, Conn., which built all 18 of the original Trident submarines.

The Navy has no further SSGN conversions planned, and intends to operate a force of 14 Trident submarines in the nuclear deterrence role.

The Navy plans to “redeliver” the Ohio to the fleet early next year.

LINKAROO

Will the new Russian AA missile batteries that Iran bought be able to bring down our cruisers?

ahhh.. a carrier task group or twos worth of tomahawks in one submarine..... bet weree gonna park it by NK....


hmm wonder if they have to single fire em or can ripple launch

Quoted: Will the new Russian AA missile batteries that Iran bought be able to bring down our cruisers?

not if they run them in tree scraping mode, but they can be taken down by an aircraft launched heat seaker. basicly they can stay so low that a ground unit would never have enough of a lock to launch. but an air craft above and behind can get a lock. i was a torpeado man and we had a video of a tlam that was hiting tall branches on trees, no way a ground unit unless on real high ground could lock on long enough to launch

Quoted: Will the new Russian AA missile batteries that Iran bought be able to bring down our cruisers?

Will they be alive to try, or will the Air Force blow them to bits to clear a path?

It's purdy.

That's very slick, It's like the arsenal ship proposal from a few years back but more survivable.

I'm courious if any of the Ohios have had their tridents loaded with the deep penetrating kinetic energy RVs that have been rumored.

Quoted: Quoted: ahhh.. a carrier task group or twos worth of tomahawks in one submarine..... bet weree gonna park it by NK.... hmm wonder if they have to single fire em or can ripple launch One Tico cruiser has 127 VLS Cells .

yah but a good many of em are usually filled with other things... SAMs, antiship missles etc, soon theyll all have a few SDI as well I assume

day crew bump

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ahhh.. a carrier task group or twos worth of tomahawks in one submarine..... bet weree gonna park it by NK.... hmm wonder if they have to single fire em or can ripple launch One Tico cruiser has 127 VLS Cells . yah but a good many of em are usually filled with other things... SAMs, antiship missles etc, soon theyll all have a few SDI as well I assume

IIRC there was talk of giving the SSGN missile defense capability ala' the Burkes since it could stay on location for such a long time.

SSGNs Take Significant Step Towards Rejoining the Fleet
 
 
(Source: US Navy; issued Dec. 22, 2005)
 
 
BREMERTON, Wash. --- USS Ohio (SSGN 726), the Navy’s first modern guided-missile submarine, took a significant step towards rejoining the fleet Dec. 19, when it arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., with a broom atop its sail to signify its clean sweep of the ship’s initial sea trials.  

Ohio's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Michael Cockey, expressed satisfaction with the ship’s performance and noted its great potential.  

“It’s great to be completing an arduous overhaul and conversion period and moving on to demonstrating the tremendous capability this ship brings to the fleet. The Ohio crew will be pioneers in tactics and employment of this amazing class of ships.”  

“SSGNs will provide us with one of the most capable and versatile strike options in the Navy,” said Rear. Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer for submarines. “We are eager to have Ohio and her sister ships rejoin the fleet.”  

Ohio is the first of four fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to be converted into SSGNs. Prior to the conversion process, each boat unloaded its complement of Trident Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles. Twenty-two of the 24 missile tubes on each boat are being retrofitted to carry up to seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, for a maximum load out of 154 missiles per boat. The remaining two tubes are being converted into Lock-in/Lock-out chambers for use by Special Operations Forces (SOF).  

Each SSGN will be able to carry and support up to 66 Special Operation Forces for an extended period of time. These ships will have a specialized planning area, physical fitness equipment, and laser shooting ranges for use by the Operators. Further, SSGNs will be able to carry two Advanced SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Delivery Systems, two Dry deck Shelters, or one of each using the lock-in/lock-out chambers as their docking sites.  

“The ability to carry a large Special Operations Force, coupled with its Tomahawk strike capability and inherent stealth characteristics make SSGN a unique and powerful platform for combatant commanders to carry out a variety of missions,” said Capt. David Norris, SSGN program manager (PMS 398).  

In addition to the strike capabilities of SSGNs, the submarines will also have improved Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance equipment, enhancing their ability to carry out clandestine operations.  

Due to its size and layout, SSGNs offer expanded living and training space for embarked SOF. This space includes increased bunk capacity, as well as improved training and physical conditioning areas that allow the SOF operators to maintain their high operating capacity.  

Another advantage of SSGNs’ size will be its ability to carry an increased payload. In the future, this capacity will allow for the launch and recovery of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). As new capabilities and equipment are developed, they can be inserted relatively easily into SSGNs thanks to its Open Architecture computing systems and the related ability to rapidly integrate new technologies and payloads. SSGN can also offer significant opportunities to serve as a test platform to develop future weapons, sensors and operational concepts.  

“The added payload capacity of the SSGNs gives us mission flexibility and future capability options unlike anything we have ever had,” added Norris.  

The SSGN conversion program is the first truly transformational program in the Navy. President George W. Bush made reference to it in his May 2001 commencement address to the U.S. Naval Academy, and since then, the program will go from the first boat entering the shipyard to the last boat being delivered back to the fleet in less than five years. SSGN embodies a new level of adaptable warfare that is suited for today’s security environment.  

The three other submarines undergoing the SSGN conversion process - USS Michigan (SSGN 727), Florida (SSGN 728), and Georgia (SSGN 729) - are all slated to rejoin the fleet by 2007.  

-ends-  

Quoted: not if they run them in tree scraping mode, but they can be taken down by an aircraft launched heat seaker. basicly they can stay so low that a ground unit would never have enough of a lock to launch. but an air craft above and behind can get a lock. i was a torpeado man and we had a video of a tlam that was hiting tall branches on trees, no way a ground unit unless on real high ground could lock on long enough to launch

Iran's biggest problem is that they do not have an AWAC's and re-feuling tanker infastructure. They can't keep their interceptors on station at the right place at all times. All the US Navy has to do is launch them from multiple directions en masse and the Iranian military will barely have enough time to put their planes in the air.

Quoted: Quoted: not if they run them in tree scraping mode, but they can be taken down by an aircraft launched heat seaker. basicly they can stay so low that a ground unit would never have enough of a lock to launch. but an air craft above and behind can get a lock. i was a torpeado man and we had a video of a tlam that was hiting tall branches on trees, no way a ground unit unless on real high ground could lock on long enough to launch Iran's biggest problem is that they do not have an AWAC's and re-feuling tanker infastructure. They can't keep their interceptors on station at the right place at all times. All the US Navy has to do is launch them from multiple directions en masse and the Iranian military will barely have enough time to put their planes in the air.

+1


Iran and it's "airforce" don't pose much of a threat. This is an awesome capability we now have, and a smart use of resources.

Wow. Being able to haul around 154 Tomahawks is a tremendous capability. That's a lot of whoop ass stashed away underneath the surface of the ocean. Those could come in handy with any potential conflict with Iran, North Korea or China.

General Dynamics Completes Conversion of USS Ohio, First of Four Transformational Submarines for the U.S. Navy
(Source: General Dynamics Electric Boat; issued Jan. 9, 2006)
 
BREMERTON, Wash. --- General Dynamics Electric Boat has completed its conversion of USS Ohio (SSGN-726), the first of four Trident submarines to be reconfigured as multimission vessels optimized for covert tactical strike and special operations support. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.  

Ohio's conversion, undertaken in conjunction with the ship's midlife refueling, provides the Navy with its first truly transformational platform. Ohio will be joined by three additional Tridents undergoing conversion to SSGNs -- USS Michigan at the shipyard here, and USS Florida and USS Georgia at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The conversions are being performed under a $1.4 billion contract awarded to Electric Boat in 2002; work is scheduled for completion in 2007.  

Each SSGN will carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and support up to 66 Special Operations Forces for an extended time. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Pittsfield, Mass., is the systems integrator for the missile-control system. SSGNs will also serve as platforms to develop and test new weapons systems, sensors and operational concepts that could further transform naval warfare. These payloads will include large unmanned undersea vehicles and off-board sensors.  

"The on-time conversion of USS Ohio from a strategic-missile submarine to a guided-missile and special warfare platform is a tribute to the collective efforts of the men and women of Electric Boat, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Navy's Strategic Systems Program and the Naval Sea Systems Command SSGN program office," said EB President John Casey. "Their contributions have provided the Navy with a powerful warship that embodies unparalleled capabilities as well as the opportunity to integrate new technologies and payloads in the future."  

Casey noted that the conversion -- comprising design, manufacturing, installation and at-sea testing -- was completed only three years after the Navy decided to move forward with the program. "That's a remarkable achievement," he said.  

Referring to the overall SSGN conversion program, Casey said, "Work on USS Florida is proceeding smartly -- in fact, its sea trial is on track to follow the lead-ship trial by only three months. This will enable us to provide the U.S. Navy with a second transformational platform over a shorter-than-normal time frame, and at a conversion cost still lower than the lead ship's."  

Quoted: hmm wonder if they have to single fire em or can ripple launch

That would be something to see!

Are there enough spare TLAMs to fill this thing and her sisters?

At least in the Klinton days many US ships sailed around with half empty magazines.

Is this still the case?  Are TLAMs even still in production?