Function: Nuclear powered Fast Attack submarine.





History: Deployed on November 13, 1976, the Los Angeles (SSN688) fast attack submarine marked a technological leap forward in submarine design. Built from the screw forward as a dedicated antisubmarine warfare (ASW) platform, the Los Angeles class submarines were designed to guard American Carrier Battle Groups by hunting Soviet submarines and anti-surface warfare (ASUW) capitol ships like the Kirov class BCGN. The Los Angeles submarines were faster, quieter, carried more sophisticated sensors and possessed better weapons than any other submarine in existence. In addition to their primary function as offensive ASW weapons the 688 boats perform a number of additional duties to include sub surface precision land attack strikes (using tube launched Tomahawk cruise missiles), intelligence gathering, mine warfare, and special operations support (SEAL deployment and recovery). In fact, their performance was so revolutionary that beginning with USS Providence (SSN719) the hull was lengthened to accommodate 12 vertical launch system (VLS) tubes to allow the submarines to launch Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. Nearing the end of their 30-year lives, the Los Angeles class submarines are slowly being replaced by the Improved Los Angeles (San Juan SSN751), the Seawolf (SSN21) and ultimately by the Virginia class (SSN774).





General Characteristics, Los Angeles Class



Cost:

About $900 million each





Builders:

General Dynamics Electric Boat Division





Power Plant:

One S6G nuclear reactor, one shaft, 35,000 shaft horse power





Date Deployed:

November 13, 1976 (USS Los Angeles)





Length, Overall:

360 feet (109.73 meters)





Beam:

33 feet (10.06 meters)





Draft:

35 feet (10.67 meters)





Displacement:

6,927 tons (7,010.73 metric tons) submerged





Speed:

32 knots submerged





Crew:

13 Officers; 121 Enlisted





Armament:

Mk 48 ADCAP Torpedoes, launched from four 533mm torpedo tubes



Harpoon anti-ship missiles (tube launched)



Tomahawk anti-ship/ land attack missiles (tube launched SSN688 - SSN718, VLS launched SSN719 - SSN751)







Sensors:

BSY-1 combat data system





Radar:

1 AN/BPS-5 surface search radar



1 AN/BPS-15 navigation and fire control radar





Sonar:

1 TB-16 passive towed sonar array



1 TB-23 passive "thin line" towed sonar array



1 AN/BQG-5 wide aperture flank array



1 AN/BQQ-5 low frequency spherical bow sonar array



1 AN/BQS-15 close range active sonar (ice detection)



Mine and Ice Detection and Avoidance System (MIDAS)



SADS-TG active detection sonar)





Optics:

1 Type 2 attack periscope



1 Type 18 search periscope





Countermeasures:

WLR-9 acoustic intercept receiver



WLQ-4 ESM



WLY-1 torpedo decoy









Ships:

USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Philadelphia (SSN-690), Groton, CT

USS Memphis (SSN-691), Groton, CT

USS Bremerton (SSN-698), San Diego, CA

USS Jacksonville (SSN-699), Norfolk, VA

USS Dallas (SSN-700), Groton, CT

USS La Jolla (SSN-701), San Diego, CA

USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705), Groton, CT

USS Albuquerque (SSN-706), Groton, CT

USS Portsmouth (SSN-707), San Diego, CA

USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (SSN-708), Norfolk, VA

USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), Norfolk, VA

USS Augusta (SSN 710), Groton, CT

USS San Francisco (SSN-711), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Houston (SSN-713), San Diego, CA

USS Norfolk (SSN-714), Norfolk, VA

USS Buffalo (SSN-715), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716), San Diego, CA

USS Olympia (SSN-717), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Honolulu (SSN-718), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Providence (SSN-719), Groton, CT

USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720), Groton, CT

USS Chicago (SSN-721), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Key West (SSN-722), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), Norfolk, VA

USS Louisville (SSN-724), Pearl Harbor, HI

USS Helena (SSN-725), San Diego, CA

USS Newport News (SSN-750), Norfolk, VA