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The US issued an unusual announcement that an Ohio-type nuclear submarine had arrived in the operational area of the US Central Command, and the command published a photo of it passing through the Suez Canal, on Monday. The identity of the submarine was not disclosed and it is not known whether it is one of the four submarines that carry Tomahawk cruise missiles or of the 14 submarines that carry the Trident-II ballistic missiles, but it is still a significant addition to the American deterrence force in the region, and the ability to attack if necessary.

Report: Nuclear-powered USS Michigan to arrive in South Korea April 24 (UPI) -- A nuclear-powered U.S. submarine is to arrive at the South Korean port city of Busan on Tuesday, the same day North Korea is expected to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army. The USS Michigan, the second Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided missile submarine in the U.S. Navy, is to make a visit to South Korea to send a strong message of warning to Pyongyang, South Korean newspaper Donga Ilbo reported Monday. The U.S. supercarrier Carl Vinson is also expected to arrive near the...

Project 885 Yasen-class fourth-generation nuclear submarine © Lev Fedoseyev/TASS TASS-FACTBOX. March 31, 2017. The Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk in northern Russia has floated out the second Project 885 Yasen-class nuclear submarine Kazan. The Project 885 (08850) Yasen-class fourth-generation multipurpose nuclear submarine was developed in the 1990s by the St. Petersburg-based Malakhit Design Bureau of Maritime Machine-Building under the direction of Chief Designer Vladimir Popov. The submarine is based on the Projects 705(K) Lira and 971 Shchuka-B. Sevmash, which is located in Severodvinsk in the Arkhangelsk Region and is part of the United Ship-Building Corporation, is the shipyard engaged in the...

Russia has started the multi-year program to upgrade Project 949A (Antey-class, NATO reporting name: Oscar II) nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles (SSGN), according to a source in Russian defense industry. "The upgraded Project 949A submarines will be designated as Project 949AM (M stands for upgraded, Modernizirovannaya). The number of cruise missiles is planned to be increased from 24 to 72 and 3M45 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) cruise anti-ship missiles (ASM) are to be replaced by a mix of 3M55 Onyx (SS-N-26 Strobile) ASM and 3M54 Kalibr (SS-N-27 Sizzler) ASM/land-attack missiles. The upgrade of Project 949A SSGNs does not require drastic...

Russian Project 885 submarine during sea trials. One of the U.S. Navy’s top submarine officers was so impressed with Russia’s new Project 885 nuclear attack boats that he had a model of K-329 Severodvinsk built for his office. Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) program executive officer (PEO) submarines said he had the model of Severodvinsk placed outside his office in a common area so that he could look at it every day on his way to his office. “We’ll be facing tough potential opponents. One only has to look at the Severodvinsk, Russia’s version of a...

Virginia-Class Subs Could Bolster Cruise Missile Fleet, But Where's the Money? By David Axe The nuclear-powered submarine USS Florida was lying in wait, quietly submerged off the Libyan coast, when the order came from then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to launch its cruise missiles. It was the evening of March 19. Two days before, the U.N. Security Council had unanimously voted to approve Resolution 1973, authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya aimed at protecting civilians against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi's repressive regime. To clear the way for the no-fly zone, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy prepared a barrage...

Russian Navy to receive 10 Graney class attack subs by 2020 The Russian Navy is planning to commission up to 10 Graney class nuclear-powered attack submarines by 2020, a high-ranking Navy official said. "We are expecting to receive about 10 new Yasen [Graney] class attack submarines in the next ten years," the source told RIA Novosti on Friday. The first Graney class sub, the Severodvinsk, will enter service with the Navy by the end of 2011. The second vessel, the Kazan, is being built at the Sevmash shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk. The construction of the third...

Russia set to start construction of 3rd Graney class nuclear sub The construction of the third Graney class nuclear-powered attack submarine will begin in 2011, a spokesman for the Russian Navy said on Thursday. The first Graney class sub, the Severodvinsk, will enter service with the Navy by the end of 2011. The second vessel, the Kazan, is being built at the Sevmash Shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk. Graney class nuclear submarines are designed to launch a variety of long-range cruise missiles (up to 3,100 miles or 5,000 km), with conventional or nuclear warheads, and effectively engage...

The Severodvinsk: stealthily prowling after aircraft carriers Oleg Nekhai The Russian Navy is set to receive a powerful shot in the arm – the marines will welcome the newest multipurpose Yasen-class submarine - the Severodvinsk. The nuclear powered attack submarine is armed with several types of cruise missiles and torpedo launchers, and can be used to accomplish a wide range of tasks, including seeking out enemy aircraft carriers. But its core function is supporting ballistic missile-carrying nuclear submarines that are part of the country’s strategic nuclear forces, notes an expert at the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, Alexander Khramchikhin....

In the last month, three of the four American SSGNs (former ballistic missile subs each now carrying 154 cruise missiles and SEAL commando teams) appeared in the Pacific and Indian oceans (the Philippines, South Korea and Diego Garcia). Some through this was a message for China, but, in fact, the SSGNs go where the potential trouble is. When questioned, U.S. Navy officials responded that, for the first time, all four SSGNs were operating at sea, in locations distant from their bases. Two years ago, the U.S. Navy completed the conversion of the last of four Ohio class ballistic missile submarines...

Russia to float out new nuclear sub on May 7 A new Russian nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine will be floated out on May 7, a shipyard spokesman said on Monday. Construction of the Severodvinsk, a Project 885 Yasen (Graney) class submarine, began in 1993 at the Sevmash shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk but has since been dogged by financial setbacks. "A floating out ceremony for Russia's new Severodvinsk nuclear submarine at the Sevmash shipyard has been scheduled for May 7," the official said. Graney-class nuclear submarines combine the ability to launch a variety of long-range cruise missiles...

The Navy this month completed its fourth conversion of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine into an extremely powerful, conventionally armed cruise missile launcher and covert transporter of U.S. special operations force. The last converted missile sub the USS Georgia is now being readied for deployment around the world at its home port of Kings Bay, Ga., said skipper, Cmdr. Rodney E. Hutton. The conversion of the nuclear missile submarines into Tomahawk-firing submarines is one element of a new Pentagon strategy of building up forces to be ready to counter any emerging threat from China. Cmdr. Hutton said the Georgia...

No plans to commission Belgorod nuclear submarine - minister 15:29 | 20/ 07/ 2006 SEVERODVINSK, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister said Thursday the ministry would not allocate funds to finish building a nuclear submarine in the same class as the doomed Kursk submarine and hinted it could be sold. "The Defense Ministry does not need the Belgorod nuclear submarine," Sergei Ivanov said. "Therefore it will not finance its further construction." The Oscar-II class Belgorod was laid in July 1992. Its construction, frozen in 1990s, was resumed after the K-141 Kursk nuclear submarine of the same class sank...

No room for mistakes in a nuclear Navy Shishir Gupta With only two years to go before the Indian Navy is to transform itself to a blue water Navy—an elite club comprising mostly of the P5 countries—a string of incidents give clue to how unprepared the force is for it.Consider the following: • Last month, the sonar dome—an anti-submarine device—of the guided missile warship Talwar, got seriously damaged after the ship’s anchor was accidentally dropped on it. • In April, missile corvette Prahar sank after colliding with merchant ship Rajiv Gandhi. • In December 2005, a speeding INS Trishul, another...

The US Navy’s new Virginia-class guided missile sub (SSGN) is experiencing simultaneous technological praise and cost criticism. Being built to be the Navy’s first 21st century attack submarine and a specialist in littoral warfare support, it will replace the older Los Angeles-class boats. The construction contract for the first four Virginia-class submarines was awarded on September 30, 1998, to Electric Boat Corporation, with Newport News Shipbuilding serving as the major subcontractor. In July, RADM John Butler, the Navy's program executive officer for submarines, gave an interview in which he said the Navy is investigating a novel modular system that could...

As noted earlier on www.navlog.org, the US Navy is converting four Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to cruise missile subs (SSGNs) with the dual duty of launching and supporting special warfare operations. Toward that end, in late January, the Navy held “Giant Shadow,” an exercise off the Bahamas’ Berry Islands to test this concept. Tested was an integral part of these boats’ new mission: launching and employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). “Giant Shadow” tested how the SSGN, special warfare forces, UUVs, UAVs, and various sensors could provide ISR support to generate a course of action...