US Navy Virginia Class Nuclear Attack Submarines

Jeff Head said:

the Scorpions

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You surely meant

I hope the future Barracuda SSN come out without any flaws.

Back on topic, what are the main missions of the Virignia class
and what are the main missions of Seawolf class ?

From my original understanding Seawolf class was deemed excellent by the USN but too expensive: The Virginia came out as a more affordable Seawolf. But from reading posts in this thread, I get this is not a correct interpretation.

navyreco said:

You surely meant

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Yes...my bad. I corrected the spelling in my oringinal post.

navyreco said:

Back on topic, what are the main missions of the Virignia class and what are the main missions of Seawolf class ?

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They are the same in terms of their main function. Warfare at sea. Anti-submarine and anti-shipping. Those are both vessels main functions.

The Virginia has been optimized for littoral combat as well and has the ability to embark and land special forces. The third Sea Wolf was significantly altered and enlarged and also has a very strong capability to embark and land special forces.

navyreco said:

From my original understanding Seawolf class was deemed excellent by the USN but too expensive: The Virginia came out as a more affordable Seawolf. But from reading posts in this thread, I get this is not a correct interpretation.

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You are correct in your thinking. The Sea Wolf was deemed too expensive after the end of the cold war and so the Clinton Administration canceled it.

The Virginia Class was a way to get the same types of capabilities into a smaller, less expensive boat. But mission creep, the higher cost of more modern systems, etc. led to them costing virtually as much as a Sea Wolf. But at the same time, GD Electric Boat is coming in below projected costs and ahead of schedule.

In the end it will work out just fine. the Virginias are the equal or better of anything else out there and will maintain their advantage for a long time to come because they have been built to be upgraded and modernized as the US developes new technology and systems.

Other difference Seawolf is the more fast sub in service, 40 nœuds ( during trial 45 ) ! and plunges deeper.
The more fast ever built with Soviet Alfa who used a unusual reactor liquid metal.

One question please what is the number of torpedoes carry by one Ohio ?

FORBIN said:

Other difference Seawolf is the more fast sub in service, 40 nœuds ( during trial 45 ) ! and plunges deeper.
The more fast ever built with Soviet Alfa who used a unusual reactor liquid metal.

One question please what is the number of torpedoes carry by one Ohio ?

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Really? How fast was the Alfa Class?

FORBIN said:

One question please what is the number of torpedoes carry by one Ohio ?

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Torpedoes

The Ohio Class submarine is fitted with four 533mm torpedo tubes with a mk118 digital torpedo fire control system. The torpedoes are the Gould mk48 torpedoes.

The mk48 is a heavy weight torpedo with a warhead of 290kg, which has been operational in the US Navy since 1972. The torpedo can be operated with or without wire guidance and the system has active and/or passive acoustic homing.

Range is up to 50km at a speed of 40kt. After launch the torpedo carries out target search, acquisition and attack procedures delivering to a depth of 3,000ft.

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A Virginia class has the same type tubes and carriers up to 26 torpedoes.

asif iqbal said:

Really? How fast was the Alfa Class?

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Alfa class SSN could max speed in a sprint at 47Kn submerged. Mind you the crew would be getting quite the radiation bath.

asif iqbal said:

Really? How fast was the Alfa Class?

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Here a specialised French blog on Soviet/Russian sub

41 noeuds in fact, rarely above 39

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Those interested in subs should really read the whole thing:

navyreco said:

Those interested in subs should really read the whole thing:

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WOW! and I mean that in a negative connotation! the sub is practically brand new.

navyreco said:

Those interested in subs should really read the whole thing:

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This has been an issue, and as this author points out, it is a potentially serious one depdning on how much comes off. These coatings should not peel off in a few days...or a few missions. You have to believe the US Navy is working hard on this issue...and that it does not want the fact published to the world. But it already has been.

Now, I do wonder about this statement:

article said:

Sure, vets can tell us all about how that, in their day, huge numbers of hull-coating bricks would peel away during a single cruise. But that’s the point. A brick is a single piece–it can be replaced. The MIP/SHT on the Virginias is put into place as a largely unitary system–fixing and replacing it is hard. And expensive.

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It is in fact a coating, but I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that as a coating, it does not have to be applied all at once over the entire ship in maintenance. I am willing to be that they can patch the areas impacted. They may well have to treat the adjoining areas, and may have to do things temperature/environment wise to make it happen resulting in a smooth patch, but I cannot imagine a maintenance regiment that says if any area is impacted you have to replace the whole, which is the implication above.

We know that when the coating is working, the vessels are exrrmely quiet. They just have to ensure that that coating is more durable.

We never heard of such issues with the Sea Wolf class. Or even to this extent with the coating placed on the later flight LA Class boats. Perhaps they can use those materials until this issue is solved. A coating that stays on, even if it is not quite as effective as the new technology coating, is still better than the new technology stuff once it starts coming off in any appreciable amounts.

Given the danger of the newer AIP SSKs in the litorals, where these SSNs were designed by definition to go, and given the Russian advances with their new Yassen class, the US Navy is not going to allow the Virginia boats to be compromised and go into harm's way against those types of adversaries without having a patch or workaround to this issue.