Los Angeles-Class Attack Subs Run Silent and Deep: Since the United States no longer has the largest navy in the world (that honor belongs to China), it relies on its submarine fleet to project power around the globe. Subsea warfare will be decisive should the country ever go to war with China. That’s why the Los-Angeles class of fast-attack nuclear submarines are so important to U.S. military strategy.
The Los Angeles-class has been around for decades. Originally configured to outlast fast and stealthy Soviet boats in the 1960s, Los Angeles-class subs emerged to dominate the seas in the 1970s and 1980s.
These submarines had improved speed, noise cancellation, and armaments. They were a force to be reckoned with during the latter part of the Cold War and a testament to the expertise of designers and engineers of the U.S. defense industry.
Los Angeles-class Is Desperately Needed
These submarines were based on the 688-class described the boats built from 1972 until 1996—other subs made after this era were designated the 688i (improved) class.
The improved 688s were designed to break through ice and equipped with the BSY-1 combat system.
Currently, there are 26 Los Angeles boats in service. This is the largest class of submarines in the world.
The U.S. Navy Was Concerned About Soviet Advances in Undersea Warfare
Let’s visit the 1960s to better understand the Los Angeles class. The United States was known for its carrier strike groups that patrolled the seas during the Cold War.
Vietnam was raging in the Pacific, but the Americans noticed that in the Atlantic, Soviet submarines were improving. They were becoming harder to track – running faster and stealthier.
The Soviet boats could keep up with American carrier strike groups and perhaps sneak up close enough to take out a carrier with a torpedo. Not to mention, the Soviet subs could attack land targets with missiles.
Better Than the Sturgeon Class
The Americans wanted something better than the existing Sturgeon-class submarine. By 1967, developers seized upon the new Los Angeles-class as the solution to many problems. The Los Angeles-class would be bigger, speedier, and quieter than the Sturgeon-class. The Los Angeles-class was first deployed in 1976.
Putting the ‘Fast’ In Fast-Attack
The Los-Angeles class boats rely on the General Electric S6G pressurized water reactor with one shaft for propulsion. Speed, while classified, could be as high as 37 knots, although the navy admits that top speed is only plus-25 knots. Diving depth is 800-plus feet.
The subs are 360 feet long with a beam of 33 feet. Displacement is around 6,900 tons submerged. The crew is composed of 16 officers and 127 enlisted personnel.
Armed to the Gills
The main armaments are Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, but the Los Angeles-class can also fire the Harpoon anti-ship missile and lay mines. Tomahawks depend on the vertical launching system tubes onboard. Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes can also be deployed.
Los Angeles-Class Submarine USS Dallas. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Captain (retired) William Toti wrote about his assessment of the submarines for the U.S. Naval Institute. “The Los Angeles-class is a fantastic class of submarine, straddling the twilight years of the Cold War through the present day. While details of their missions will likely be classified longer than I will be alive, the achievements of the crews who served in them after the Cold War’s end were greater than most might imagine.”
No Loose Lips
As Captain Toti said, many details about the Los Angeles-class boats are classified. The Navy is sensitive about their location, and they rarely surface. The Navy is purposely vague when describing its mission. As the navy likes to say in the most unassuming manner possible, the subs are “conducting operations to support national security.”
PERSIAN GULF (March 20, 2009) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) is underway in the Persian Gulf after a collision with the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). Hartford sustained damage to her sail,
but the propulsion plant of the nuclear-powered submarine was unaffected by
this collision. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
Most of the boats are believed to be patrolling the Indo-Pacific. Any shooting confrontation with the Chinese would likely involve the Los Angeles-class. The officers and enlisted on board are part of an elite force.
They know their jobs well, and with China’s advantages in ship numbers, it will take every person on board to execute their careers with the highest level of skill possible. The stakes are high, and the United States cannot afford to lose even one Los Angeles-class boat. Let’s hope the Los Angeles-class subs are always ready for combat at a moment’s notice.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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