Posted on 06/13/2007 8:53:20 AM PDT by RDTF
The USS Michigan was welcomed back to duty Tuesday during a ceremony at Naval Base Kitsap that celebrated its conversion to a guided-missile submarine.
The afternoon fanfare marked the end of a $1 billion, nearly three-year modification process at neighboring Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on the Kitsap Peninsula. The Bangor-based Michigan was transformed from a Trident missile sub, equipped to carry nuclear missiles, to one capable of using conventional Tomahawk cruise missiles and supporting special operations forces.
"This transformation ... will bring incredible payload, incredible volume in terms of conventional strike capabilities with its Tomahawk cruise missiles and ability to insert and extract special operations forces," Navy Capt. Kerry Ingalls, commander of Submarine Squadron 19, which includes the USS Michigan, said in a telephone interview.
The Michigan was commissioned in 1982, and the conversion breathes new life into the aging sub.
The guided-missile submarine "brings with her the opportunity to experiment with new payloads ... so that we can continue to transform, continue to improve on the concept as we see the need down the road," Ingalls said.
-snip-
The Michigan's makeover began in March 2004. It will be able to carry as many as 154 Tomahawk missiles, more than double the number of cruise missiles carried by standard Navy attack submarines. It also can carry and support as many as 66 special operations forces for up to 90 days.
The 560-foot-long submarine has a war room and extra bunks, and two of its 40-foot, Trident missile-firing tubes were converted to airlocks so Navy SEALs in scuba gear can exit the sub underwater.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
So we are adjusting to a changing world, it would seem.
How many Trident missile subs does that leave on active duty?
Designing SSGNs was fun. We just let the SOF people and sailors fight over the real estate.
Load those puppies with targeting data...Iranian targeting data.
Three years and a $billion? They could have just about build one from scratch for that, instead of recycling a 25 year old hull. I smell pork. Counting up - after the conversion program, it looks like the US will only have about 14 ballistic missile subs left.
The sub can still carry a nuclear payload in the Tomahawk missiles.
How would you rate the quietness of a Trident against that of a SeaWolf/Virginia? Simply put, which has the lower acoustic signature? Thanks.
I thought the going rate was about a billion and a half per boat.
I like it.
I did a patrol on the Michigan and a couple on the Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) in an exchange program, they were like Cadillacs compared to anything else under the sea.
Who writes this stuff. The normal SSN has twelve tubes for TLAMs. At 154, the SSGNs carry more than 12 times that number.
The Michigan’s makeover began in March 2004. It will be able to carry as many as 154 Tomahawk missiles, more than double the number of cruise missiles carried by standard Navy attack submarines.
Who writes this stuff. The normal SSN has twelve tubes for TLAMs. At 154, the SSGNs carry more than 12 times that number.
I’m sure even though the SSN has 12 tubes, it has more then 12 missiles.
Well, the VLS tubes are reloaded externally, not from the inside. They can carry 12 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMS). From the Los Angeles class boat SSN-719 and on to the completion of the LA class boats...that's all they could carry. We have like 31 of those boats so they are by far and away the most numerous and represent the current "face" of the US Navy sub force.
Now, the better route was on the Sea Wolf and Virginia class SSNs. The Sea Wolf carries eight large 660mm torpedo tubes that can launch the Tomahawk missiles from those tubes and can carry the missiles internally like torpedoes. Up to 50 of them if so desired...or any mixture of 50 torpedoes and missiles.
So the max for a Sea Wolf is 50...which they would never carry because they would be defenseless against other subs and ships. We only have three Sea Wolfs.
For the Virginias, they have 12 externally loaded TLAMS, and then four 533mm torpedo tubes that can also launch Tomahawk missiles. With the 12, I believe four more or carried for a max of 16.
The max internal weapons they can carry is 26. And that can consist of the Tomnahawks, MK-48 torpedoes, or Harpoon anti-shipping missiles. We only have two Virginias out there thus far.
So, for 31 of our boats, the max is 12. For five others, they can carry more.
It is interesting because the most capable are the Sea WOlfs. We stopped construction of the Sea Wolfs at three. Said they were too expensive. Then we began building the less capable Virginia class (in terms of fire power and speed)...and now they cost more. Go figure.
Yeah, but now Hillary lost the chance to sell the USS Michigan to China!
;-)
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