SSBN / SSGN Ohio Class Submarine

Designed to be the U.S. Navy’s launch platform for intercontinental missiles, the Ohio-class submarine serves our national interests by its strategic deterrence and nuclear strike capabilities. Highly survivable, the Ohio-class boat’s design permits it to operate for 15 or more years before requiring overhaul. The Ohio-class vessel-with its impressive payload capacity, dual crew deployment concept, and inherent stealth-brings mission flexibility and enhanced capabilities to the Navy’s future fighting force.

The Pacific Fleet submarines are based at Bangor, Washington. The Atlantic Fleet calls Kings Bay, Georgia home. The boats spend 70 days at sea, followed by 25 days in port for overhaul.

Every Ohio-class submarine has had its two most frontal missile tubes converted into ASDS-capable (Advanced SEAL Delivery System) lock-out chambers. Fitted with multiple sonars, GPS/inertial navigation, communications, and electronic support measures (ESM), the Northrop Grumman-produced ASDS system allows the Ohio-class boat to deliver U.S. Navy SEAL teams and their combat gear to the shore.

Equipped with Lockheed Martin’s Trident strategic ballistic missiles, the Ohio-class boat is capable of delivering a weapon payload to a target located 12,000 kilometers away. The boat is engineered with 24 Trident missile tubes in two rows of twelve. An inertial navigation system aided by stellar navigation guides these missiles to their destinations.

The Ohio-class submarine is designed with four 533mm torpedo tubes supported by a MK-118 digital torpedo fire control system. Able to operate without wire guidance, the Gould MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes carry a 290-kilogram warhead via active and/or passive acoustic homing.

For propulsion, the Ohio-class submarine is powered by a General Electric PWR S8G pressure water reactor, two 60,000-horsepower turbines, and a single shaft. The Ohio-class boat is able to reach speeds in excess of 18 knots while surfaced, and 25 knots while submerged.