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SSBN-598 George Washington-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division; Newport News Shipbuilding; Mare Island; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Power Plant: S5W Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor,
2 geared turbines at 15,000 shp to one shaft
Length: 381.6 feet ( meters)
Beam: 33 feet ( meters)
Displacement: Light 5,400 tons
Surface 5,959-6,019 tons
Submerged 6709-6888Approx tons
Speed: 20 knots surfaced,
25 knots submerged
Test Depth: 700 feet
Crew: Officers, Enlisted
Armament: 16 - tubes for Polaris missiles
6 - torpedo tubes
The USS George Washington (SSBN 598) was the worlds first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine. Arguably, it can be considered the submarine that has most influenced world events in the 20th Century. With its entry into service in December 1959 the United States instantly gained the most powerful deterrent force imaginable - a stealth platform with enormous nuclear firepower.
These first nuclear-powered submarines armed with long-range strategic missiles were ordered on 31 December 1957, with orders to convert two attack submarine hulls to missile-carrying FBM Weapon System ships. With some compromise in delivery schedules, the Navy agreed in January 1958 to slip the launch dates for two hunter-killer Skipjack types of fast attack submarines, the just-begun attack submarine Scorpion (SSN-589) and the not-yet-started USS Sculpin (SSN-590). Funding was provided with a supplement to the FY 1958 ship construction programm on 11 February 1958.
The first two are essentially of the hunter-killer type with a missile compartment inserted between the ship's control navigation areas and the nuclear reactor compartment. The keel of the first of these two ships had already been laid at Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, as the "Scorpion" and it was actually cut apart in order to insert the new 130 ft missile compartment ("Sherwood Forest"), thus extending the ship's length. At other shipyards, three more ships of the same type were built, making a total of five. The shipyards were Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. These were designated the 598 class ships since the first submarine, the USS George Washington was the SSBN-598. The term SSBN means Ship Submersible Ballistic (Nuclear) with the "Nuclear" referring to the ship's propulsive power.
The President signed the FY 58 Supplemental Appropriation Act on 12 February 1958 funding the first three submarines. The construction, which had begun in January 1958, used funds "borrowed" from other Navy programs. The President authorized construction of submarines 4 and 5 on 29 July 1958.
The USS George Washington (SSBN-598) slipped underwater on the first strategic FBM patrol on 15 November 1960. The USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) departed for patrol on 31 January 1961. The USS George Washington (SSBN-598) resumed from patrol on 21 January 1961, coming alongside the tender USS Proteus (AS-19) at New London, Connecticut. The USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) resumed from patrol on 8 March 1961, but she came alongside the same USS Proteus which had moved to Holy Loch, Scotland becoming the first SSBN to use Holy Loch as a refit and upkeep anchorage.
On 1 July 1958, Submarine Squadron Fourteen was established.
On 15 November 1960, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598) deployed on operational patrol with 16 POLARIS At (1200 nm) missiles 4 years 11 months after RADM William F. "Red" Raborn became the director of SP, and 3 years 11 months after the SECDEF authorized the POLARIS
On 2 June 1964, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598). returned to Charleston, South Carolina, to off-load missiles in preparation for overhaul at General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. This ended the initial deployment of the first FBM submarine, with POLARIS A1's which began in November 1960. Finally on 14 October 1965, the USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) returned to the U.S., completing her initial deployment. She was the last of the first five SSBNs carrying the POLARIS A1 to return to the U.S. for overhaul. This marked the official retirement of the POLARIS A1 missile from active fleet duty. These first five boats were being refitted to carry POLARIS A3 missiles.
in the early 1980s SSBN-598 George Washington, SSBN-599 Patrick Henry and SSBN-601 Robert E Lee had their missiles removed and were reclassified as attack submarines, a role in which they served for several years prior to decommissioning.
SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division;
Newport News Shipbuilding
Power Plant: S5W nuclear reactor
two geared steam turbines, one shaft
Length: feet ( meters)
Beam: feet ( meters)
Displacement: Approx.00 tons (0 metric tons) submerged
Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +kph)
Crew: Officers, Enlisted
Armament: 16 tubes for Polaris, six torpedo tubes.
Because the first five U.S. SSBNs were actually built as a variant of the earlier USS Skipjack (SSN-585) configuration, Ethan Allen was the first submarine specifically designed for the strategic SSBN role. Ethan Allen class (SSBN-608) FBM Submarines were larger than the George Washingtons, incorporating the hull features of the Thresher/Permit class with a test depth of 1,300 feet. Their deeper diving capabilities were developed at Carderock, DTMB, and EES. These 7,800-ton boats (GW class was 6,700 tons) had only four torpedo tubes compared with GW's six. They also had Thresher-type machinery and quieting.
The Polaris SLBM was a revolutionary weapon system. First, Polaris incorporated major technical advances with respect to submarines and missiles. Also significant was the almost unprecedented growth potential of the system; essentially the same submarine types carried each new generation of missile-from Polaris A-1 to the A-2, A-3, Poseidon, and Trident I missiles. There were in fact three distinct classes of Polaris submarines:
The United States has had an operational SLBM force since November 1960, when the first Polaris-carrying submarine, the U.S.S. George Washington, put out to sea on patrol This was five years after the first U.S. nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, was launched. This five-year period was needed to develop a solid propellant missile system to launch an SLBM from a submerged submarine. The first successful underwater launch of a Polaris missile occurred in July 1960, again from the Washington. A total of five submarines were fitted with the 1200 nautical-mile-range A-1 Polaris missiles. To improve the capability of the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) force, the 1500 nautical-mile-range A-2 Polaris was developed. The A-2 was first launched from the U.S.S. Ethan Allen off the Florida coast in October 1961.
The submarines were powered by steam turbines that get their energy from water-cooled nuclear reactors. With an atmospheric control system of immense capacity, the submarine did not even have to raise a snorkel to obtain air. If it were not for the needs and endurance of the human crew, these submarines could stay on station almost indefinitely. Each submarine carried a crew of 12 to 14 officers and about 130 enlisted personnel, and each has two crews, a Gold and a Blue one. While one crew was on patrol, the other is in port training, orienting new crew members, taking leave, and in general getting ready for the next cruise. Normally, the submarines are on station for sixty-day periods.
The Polaris and Poseidon missiles were launched from the submarine's 16 tubes while the craft is submerged and out of sight. The missile is ejected from the tube either by compressed air or by a gas and steam generator system. Once the missile reaches the water's surface, the first stage of the missile is ignited and sent on its way. There is access to each of the 16 independently controlled launch tubes even during patrol at sea for performing inspection and maintenance of the missiles. It should be noted that all Polaris submarines were fitted with launch tubes that were much larger in diameter than the original missile, which permitted the use of larger and more advanced missiles as they were developed over the years. A total of 33 boats were equipped with the A-3, including the original five A-1 carrying boats which were refitted with the A-3. SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class carried the Polaris A-1, A-2, and A-3 strategic ballistic missiles at various stages of her career.
Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), operating in the Pacific as part of Joint Task Force 8 in Operation Frigate-Bird, fired the only nuclear-armed Polaris missile ever launched on 6 May 1962. The Polaris A1 missile was launched while the Ethan Allen was submerged in the Pacific, and its nuclear warhead was detonated over the South Pacific at the end of its programmed flight. The shot was made during the 1962 atomic tests. Subsequent analysis of the recorded data and cloud samples taken by Air Force B-57 Canberra aircraft revealed that the air burst took place 1.25 miles from the nominal aim point and that the Polaris W-47 thermo-nuclear warhead performed up to expectations, with a yield in the 600-kiloton range.
To date, this is the only complete proof test of a U.S. strategic missile. Because of the ban on atmospheric testing, similar tests are unlikely. Of the three components of the Triad, the land-based ICBMs were the only force that was not extensively tested. Bombers regularly took off, flew missions, and dropped bombs; prior to test-ban agreements, bombers dropped nuclear weapons (and dummy bombs) in full-system tests. Similarly, submarines regularly fired unarmed ballistic missiles-sans warheads-on test ranges. But no nuclear-armed ICBM has been launched from an operational silo. Periodically, the silo crews fired various ICBMs from test facilities at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and from Cape Kennedy in Florida under highly controlled conditions. But even periodic efforts to launch an ICBM with reduced fuel and no warhead from an operational silo have failed, and Congress has refused approval of full-range test firings from an operational silo that would take even an unarmed missile over urban areas. After returning to the Atlantic from Operation Dominic, Ethan Allen commenced her first deterrent patrol in late June 1962 and eventually completed 57 deterrent patrols before conversion to an SSN in September 1980. The ship was decommissioned in March 1983 and spent her final years at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where her dismantling and nuclear recycling were completed in July 1999.
John Marshall (SSBN-611) became the last submarine to give up her Polaris A2s for Polaris A3 capability when she went into overhaul on 1 November 1974. Some of these submarines were later reclassified as attack submarines under the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) agreements. The boats were decommissioned in 1983 (two boats), 1985, 1991, and 1992.
SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division. Mare Island Naval Shipyard Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Newport News Shipbuilding
Power Plant: S5W nuclear reactor
two geared steam turbines, 15,000 SHP, one shaft
Length: 425 feet (129.6 meters)
Beam: 33 feet (10.06 meters)
Displacement:
light 6,650 tons
standard 7,250 tons
submerged 8,250 tons
Speed:
Surfaced 16-20 knots
submerged: 22 -25 knots
Test depth: 1,300 feet
Crew: 13 Officers, 130 Enlisted
Armament: 16 tubes for Polaris or Poseidon
4 - 21" Torpedo Tubes (All Foward)
MK 14/16 Anti-ship Torpedo
MK 37 Anti-Submarine Torpedo
MK 45 ASTOR NuclearTorpedo
MK 48 Anti-Submarine Torpedo
The USS James Monroe (SSBN-622) on 9 January 1968 became the first submarine with POLARIS A2's to enter overhaul and to receive POLARIS A3 capability.
In 1974 the SSBN Extended Refit Program (ERP). was initiated. Previously, an operational SSBN was scheduled to undergo an overhaul approximately every 7 years, which resulted in taking it off line for almost 2 years. To increase the SSBNs at sea effectiveness, it was decided to initiate a program to accomplish some preventive/corrective maintenance (mini-overhaul) on SSBNs at its normal refit site. This was done by extending a normal 32-day refit/upkeep between patrols to provide a 60-day extended refit period. This was to be conducted at 4-year and 7 year intervals after initial deployment or overhaul of a SSBN. The time between overhauls was then extended to 10 years versus the 7 years. The first SSBN to undergo ERP was the USS James Madison (SSBN-627); the ERP was conducted at the Holy Loch, Scotland, tender refit site in September- November 1974.
Lockheed commenced the TRIDENT I (C4) program in November of 1973 with the missile's IOC date established as 1979. The first of the new Ohio-Class submarines was authorized in 1974 but would not be available until 1979. Thus the Navy decided to borrow a page from the Extended Refit Program (ERP) book and a C3 to C4 SSBN "backfit" program was initiated in mid- 1976. Five additional SSBNs 629, 630, and 634 underwent a "pierside backfit" while three other SSBNs (627, 632, and 633) were backfitted during their normally-scheduled second shipyard overhauls.
On 10 June 1985, the White House announced the decision to dismantle a ballistic missile submarine to remain within the SALT II ceiling on MIRVed missiles. USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635) was selected to fulfill this requirement and was deactivated on 16 September 1985, with missile tubes filled with concrete and tube hatches removed.
The USS Sam Rayburn was converted into a training platform - Moored Training Ship (MTS-635). The Sam Rayburn arrived for conversion on February 1, 1986, and on July 29, 1989 the first Moored Training Ship achieved initial criticality. Modifications included special mooring arrangements including a mechanism to absorb power generated by the main propulsion shaft. USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) was converted to the second Moored Training Ship (MTS2 / MTS 626) in 1993. The Moored Training Ship Site is located at Charleston, SC. The USS Sam Rayburn is scheduled to operate as an MTS until 2014 while undergoing shipyard availabilities at four year intervals.
USS James Madison (SSBN-627) - Note, The Ben Franklin and James Madison Classes are evolution of the Lafayette Class FBM
Specifications
*See Lafayette Class
The USS James Madison (SSBN-627) was the second ship of the US Navy’s fleet to be named in honor of James Madison (1751-1836)—the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817). Valued as one of our country’s most influential thinkers and statesmen, James Madison authored 29 of the famous Federalist Papers, proposed the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution (the Bill of Rights), and served both in the House (1789-1797) and as Secretary of State under President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). In commission for over 28 years, USS James Madison was the premier ship in her class of ten nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
Construction
The keel of the USS James Madison was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, located in Newport News, Virginia, on March 5, 1962. Mrs. A.S. “Mike” Monroney—wife of the US Senator from Oklahoma—christened the vessel at her launch on March 15, 1963. Sixteenth months later, on July 28, 1964, the USS James Madison was commissioned and at the ready to defend her country.
Equipped with 16 missile tubes and four 21 inch torpedo tubes, the USS James Madison employed a complement numbering 147 divided into two crews, Blue and Gold, as was commonplace with SSBNs. Capable of speeds of up to 21 knots, the James Madison measured 425 feet in length and displaced 7,325 tons (surfaced) and 8,251 tons (submerged).
Naval History
The USS James Madison launched her career in mid-1964 with a series of shakedown exercises in conjunction with Polaris missile testing conducted by both the Blue and Gold crews. Post-shakedown repairs ensued for the months of November and December of 1964 in preparation for a series of deployments.
January 17, 1965 marked the commencement of James Madison’s first deterrent patrol. Mainly patrolling the waters around Europe, she completed 10 successful patrols by the end of 1966.
With seventeen deterrent patrols to her credit by February 3, 1969—mainly based out of Rota, Spain and Charleston, South Carolina—James Madison underwent an overhaul and weapons system upgrade to the Poseidon Missile System at the shipyard of the General Dynamics Corporation’s Electric Boat Division located in Groton, Connecticut. The Poseidon conversion required extensive modifications to the James Madison which were completed by June 28, 1970. A period of shakedown operations, followed by a complete evaluation and cycle of testing of the Poseidon missiles, were carried out into August of 1970.
Two Extended Refit Periods (ERPs) were performed on James Madison—a first on November 6, 1974 followed by a second on November 2, 1977. These maintenance procedures were designed to allow the ship to operate at a level of peak performance in between overhaul periods with the goal of increasing the number of patrols the vessel could accomplish over the course of her lifetime.
After the completion of thirty-two consecutive deterrent patrols, James Madison underwent a major overhaul at the Newport News Shipbuilding and DryDock Company, located in Newport News, Virginia. Initiated on August 3, 1979, this overhaul, which included a refueling and an upgrade to the Trident C-4 missile system, would last through February of 1982.
Subsequent to the overhaul, James Madison conducted sea trials, shakedown operations, and test launches of the Trident missiles. For the remainder of her time in service, James Madison continued her cycle of deterrent patrols in an effort to preserve peace and protect the United States against the threat of war.
After having been simultaneously decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day—November 20, 1992—USS James Madison ceased to exist as of October 24, 1997 after having been completely scrapped via the US Navy’s Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.
SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division.
Power Plant: One S8G nuclear reactor
core reloaded every nine years
two geared steam turbines,
one shaft, output of 60,000 hp
Length: 560 feet (170.69 meters)
Beam: 42 feet (10.06 meters)
Displacement: Surfaced: 16,764 tons
Submerged:18,750 tons
Speed: Official: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +kph)
Actual: 25 knots submerged speed
Operating Depth: Official: "greater than 800 feet"
Actual: greater than 1,000 feet
Armament: 24 - tubes for Trident I and II,
4 - torpedo tubes with Mk48 Torpedoes
Sensors: BQQ-6 Bow mounted sonar
BQR-19 Navigation
BQS-13 Active sonar
TB-16 towed array
Crew: 15 Officers, 140 Enlisted
Unit Operating Cost
Annual Average $50,00,000 [source: [FY1996 VAMOSC]
Strategic deterrence has been the sole mission of the fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) since its inception in 1960. The SSBN provides the nation's most survivable and enduring nuclear strike capability. The Ohio class submarine replaced aging fleet ballistic missile submarines built in the 1960s and is far more capable.
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay hosted the commissioning of USS LOUISIANA (SSBN 743) 06 September 1997 at the TRIDENT Refit Facility Drydock. The commissioning of LOUISIANA completed the Navy's fleet of 18 fleet ballistic missile submarines. The ten Trident submarines in the Atlantic fleet were initially equipped with the D-5 Trident II missile. The eight submarines in the Pacific were initially equipped with the C-4 Trident I missile. In 1996 the Navy started to backfit the eight submarines in the Pacific to carry the D-5 missile.
Features
SSBN-726 class FBM submarines can carry 24 ballistic missiles with MIRV warheads that can be accurately delivered to selected targets from almost anywhere in the world's oceans. Earlier FBM ships carry 16 missiles. A cylindrical pressure hull structure of HY-80 steel is supported by circular frames and enclosed by hemispherical heads at both ends. The pressure hull provides an enclosure large enough for weapons, crew, and equipment with enough strength to enable the ship to operate deep enough to avoid easy detection.
A streamlined (fish-shaped) outer hull permits the ship to move quietly through the water at high speeds. This outer hull surrounds the forward and aft end of the pressure hull and is not built to withstand deep submergence pressure. It is normally considered as the main ballast tanks. The superstructure is any part of the ship that is above the pressure hull. This would include the sail or fairwater area, and the area above the missile tubes. The streamlined hull was designed specifically for efficient cruising underwater; the Skipjack was the first nuclear-powered ship to adopt this hull form.
The larger hulls accommodate more weapons of larger size and greater range, as well as sophisticated computerized electronic equipment for improved weapon guidance and sonar performance. Improved silencing techniques reduce the chances of detection.
The Ohio-class submarines are specifically designed for extended deterrent patrols. To increase the time in port for crew turnover and replenishment, three large logistics hatches are fitted to provide large diameter resupply and repair openings. These hatches allow sailors to rapidly transfer supply pallets, equipment replacement modules and machinery components, significantly reducing the time required for replenishment and maintenance. The class design and modern main concepts allow the submarines to operate for 15+ years between overhauls. Each SSBN is at sea at least 66 percent of the time, including major overhaul periods of twelve months every nine years. One SSBN combat employment cycle includes a 70-day patrol and 25-day period of transfer of the submarine to the other crew, between-deployment maintenance, and reloading of munitions.
Like all submarines in use by the U.S. Navy today, the Ohio class submarine is powered by a pressurized water reactor (PWR) driving steam turbines to a single propeller shaft. It can attain depths in excess of 800 feet at speeds in excess of 25 knots.
Background
The STRAT-X study in 1967 recognized that the submarine-launched ballistic missile system was one of the more survivable legs in the Triad strategic nuclear deterrent system. However, it also recognized three important facts concerning American strategic defense capabilities which had assumed central significance in deliberations of U.S. defense planners. First, the submarine-launched ballistic system was recognized as the most survivable element in the triad of strategic nuclear deterrents. Second, though the POSEIDON missile provided an important upgrade of the system, the SSBN force itself was aging and would require replacement. Third, the threat of improved Soviet ASW capability made an enlarged SSBN operating area highly desirable.
The Navy (SSPO) commenced studies of a new Undersea Long-range Missile System (ULMS), which culminated in the Deputy SECDEF approving a Decision Coordinating Paper (DCP) No. 67 on 14 September 1971 for the ULMS. The ULMS program was a long-term modernization plan which proposed development of a new, longer-range missile and a new, larger submarine, while preserving a nearer-term option to develop an extended range POSEIDON. In addition to the new ULMS (extended-range POSEIDON) missile, which was to achieve a range twice that of POSEIDON, the SECDEF decision described an even longer-range missile to be required for a new submarine, whose parameters it would, in part, determine. This second missile, subsequently termed ULMS II, was to be a larger, higher-performance missile than the extended-range POSEIDON and to have a range capability of approximately 6000 nm. The term TRIDENT (C4) replaced the extended-range missile (Advanced POSEIDON) nomenclature in May 1972, and the name TRIDENT II was used to designate the new longer range missile.
On 14 September 1971 the Deputy SECDEF had approved the Navy's DCP No. 67, which authorized both a new, large, higher-speed submarine and the TRIDENT (C4) Missile System. It was also constrained to fit in the circular SSBN cylinder launch tube which just contained the C3 so that the new missile could be used in then-existing POLARIS submarines.
A Navy decision was made in November 1971 to accelerate the ULMS program with increased funding for the ULMS SSBN. The SECDEF Program Budget Decision (PBD) of 23 December 1971 authorized the accelerated schedule with a projected deployment of the ship in 1978.
The President signed the FY74 Appropriations Authorization Act providing funds for the first TRIDENT submarine on 15 November 1973, and on 25 July 1974 the Navy awarded a fixed-price incentive contract to General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, for construction of this first TRIDENT SSBN.
In 1974 the initial Ohio program was projecte to consist of 10 submarines deployed at Bangor Washington carrying the Trident-1 C-4 missile. By 1981 the program had been modified to include 15 boats, and at least 20 boats were planned by 1985. In 1989 the Navy anticipated a total fleet of at least 21 boats, while plans the following year envisioning a total of 24 boats, 21 of which would carry strategic missiles with the remaining three supporting other missions, such as special forces. However, in 1991 Congress directed the termination of the program with the 18th boat, citing anticipated force limits under the START-1 arms control agreement and the results of the Bush Administration's Major Warship Review, which endorsed capping the program at 18 boats.
The first eight Ohio class submarines (Tridents) were originally equipped with 24 Trident I C-4 ballistic missiles. Beginning with the ninth Trident submarine, USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), all new ships are equipped with the Trident II D-5 missile system as they were built, and the earlier ships are being retrofitted to Trident II. Trident II can deliver significantly more payload than Trident I C-4 and more accurately. All 24 missiles can be launched in less than one minute.
Ohio-class/Trident ballistic missile submarines provide the sea-based "leg" of the triad of U.S. strategic offensive forces. By the turn of the century, the 18 Trident SSBNs (each carrying 24 missiles), will carry 50 percent of the total U.S. strategic warheads. Although the missiles have no pre-set targets when the submarine goes on patrol, the SSBNs are capable of rapidly targeting their missiles should the need arise, using secure and constant at-sea communications links.
The Clinton Administration's Nuclear Posture Review was chartered in October 1993, and the President approved the recommendations of the NPR on September 18, 1994. As a result of the NPR, US strategic nuclear force structure will be adjusted to 14 Trident submarines -- four fewer than previously planned -- carrying 24 D-5 missiles, each with five warheads, per submarine. This will require backfitting four Trident SSBNs, currently carrying the Trident I (C- 4) missile, with the more modern and capable D-5 missile system. Under current plans, following START II's entry into force, the other four SSBNs will either be converted into special-purpose submarines or be retired.
SSBN 726 Class Submarine shipboard equipment which requires significant maintenance during the planned operating cycle, industrial level maintenance, which is beyond the capability of Ship's Force, and which cannot be accomplished during the refit period (without unacceptable impact on other refit requirements), is supported by TRIDENT Planned Equipment Repair (TRIPER) program. TRIPER equipment is removed from the ship for refurbishment ashore, replaced with pre-tested, Ready for Issue units and the affected system restored to full operational condition prior to completion of the refit period. Replacement is accomplished on a planned basis at intervals designed to preclude the failure of the equipment or significant degradation of its associated system.
Recent Developments
As of 1995 the Navy was studying an extension from 30 to 40 years for the SSBN-726 class submarines. While 30 years was long the standard number for submarine operating lifetime, the SSBNs would seem to have a rather more benign operating history than the SSNs. They typically operate at somewhat shallower depths, they do not experience nearly as many excursions from their normal operating depth, and they would not operate below their test depth with any degree of freqency. Consequently, it would be expected that they could have a longer operating life than attack submarines [just as fighters wear out so much faster than bombers or transports]. As of late 1998 Navy cost and planning factors assumed that the Ohio-class submarines would have an expected operating lifetime of at least 42 years: two 20-year operating cycles separated by a two-year refueling overhaul.
As part of its long-term plan to divide the Trident fleet equally between the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, beginning in 2002 the Navy will transfer three of the 10 Trident subs now based at King's Bay to Bangor. Of the eight Trident submarines assigned to Bangor -- USS Alaska, USS Nevada, USS Henry M. Jackson and USS Alabama -- will convert from the older Trident I (C-4) missile to the more powerful Trident II (D-5) missile. The Nevada is scheduled to enter the Bremerton shipyard in early 2001 to begin its conversion, and the final pair are scheduled for the refitting in 2005 and 2006.
US Navy Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles - Reverse Chronological Order
Trident D5
W88
The W88 is a warhead used by the Navy on the Trident II missile. The W-88 is a miniaturized, tapered thermonuclear warhead. It is the United States' most sophisticated strategic thermonuclear weapon. In the US arsenal, the W-88 warhead is mated to the D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile carried aboard the Trident nuclear submarine. The Los Alamos National Laboratory program to develop the W88 warhead for the Trident II 5D missile was completed in 1989. The W88 is one of two types of warheads on US submarine launched missiles. There are now nearly 400 W88 warheads in the stockpile and more than 3,000 W76s, the other warhead on US submarine launched missiles.
The deployment of W88 warheads on the Trident D-5 missiles was slowed by the closure of the Rocky Flats plutonium processing plant in November 1989 due to safety and environmental concerns. At the time, independent unofficial esimates were that only 400 Mk 88s had been produced before the plant closed, versus the originally planned. Rear Admiral Raymond G. Jones Jr. has stated that there are enough Mark-5/W88 warheads to outfit four east-coast Trident submarines, with the remainder loaded 100-kiloton Mark-4/W76 warheads. This would imply that a total of nearly 800 of the W88 weapons had been produced, with each submarined loaded with 192 warheads [8 each on 24 missiles].
The FY2003 NNSA budget request provided for adding as many as 10 new W88 warheads to the stockpile per year beginning as early as 2007. In 2003 Los Alamos delivered the first certifiable W88 pit from the interim pit production capability. This was the first certifiable pit made by the United States since the shut down of Rocky Flats in 1989.
In 1990 a panel established by the House Armed Services Committee and chaired by Dr. Sydney Drell of Stanford found that there was a significant danger that a W-88 warhead would detonate by accident. There were three serious design issues with the W88, according to the "Report of the Panel on Nuclear Weapons Safety," written by Sidney Drell, John Foster, and Charles Townes for the House Armed Services Committee, completed in December 1990.
Flight tests involve the actual dropping or launching of a weapon from which the nuclear components have been removed. DOE uses specially designed equipment-referred to as telemetry packages-to test the integration and functioning of the weapon's electrical and mechanical subsystems. Only 3 W88 stockpile flight tests (of the 12 planned) were conducted during the 4-year period from fiscal year 1992 through 1995. Flight testing of W88 warheads taken from the stockpile was halted for more than 1 year because an important safety study required for disassembly and inspection of the warhead at DOE's Pantex plant lacked approval. A Nuclear Explosive Safety Study is required for each weapon type before DOE's Pantex Plant can disassemble and inspect a weapon selected for testing. Without disassembly and inspection capability, surveillance tests, including flight tests of sample warheads from the stockpile (the nuclear components must be removed and replaced by the telemetry equipment), cannot be conducted. DOE and national laboratory officials were not concerned about the reliability of the W88 warhead because they have collected considerable data over the past few years by testing W88 warheads that had never been placed in the stockpile. Because the W88 warhead is a relatively new weapon, DOE officials believe that the information from these "new material" tests provides good reliability data.
During the mid-1990s the W88 warhead was considered by DOE to be of concern in relation to nonnuclear systems laboratory tests. These tests involve testing the nonnuclear systems-such as the radar systems and fuzes-in the weapon to detect defects due to handling, aging, manufacturing, or design. DOE officials said the Department should have conducted about 28 laboratory tests, but over during the 4-year period from fiscal year 1992 through 1995, only 15 (or 54 percent) tests were performed. According to DOE and national laboratory officials, the tests were not conducted because of the absence of an approved safety study at Pantex.
In 1999 it was reported that China had received secret design information for the most modern U.S. nuclear warhead-the W88 warhead, which sits atop the submarine-launched Trident II ballistic missile, and un-named US officials said "the top suspect is an American scientist working at a U.S. Department of Energy weapons laboratory." Edward Curran, the Energy Department's new counterintelligence director, said that "Department labs 'have the best computers and the smartest scientists in the world . . . without a question they are the No. 1 target' for foreign countries trying to steal U.S. technology." On 09 March 1999 Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese-American computer scientist who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, was fired by the United States Energy department on suspicion of stealing nuclear secrets.
The abrupt closure of the Rocky Flats Plant in 1989 stopped production of W88 pits before sufficient pits were produced to meet the stockpile surveillance requirements for the projected 20-year design life of the W88 warhead. A pit is the fissile core of a nuclear weapon's physics package. In the near term, DOE's Pit Manufacturing and Certification Campaign is focused mainly on W88 pit manufacturing and certification and planning for a Modern Pit Facility. However, in addition to meeting the W88 surveillance requirements, the NNSA is committed "to reestablishing and maintaining sufficient levels of production to support requirements for the safety, reliability, and performance of United States nuclear weapons" as delineated in the January 26, 1996, START II Treaty Ratification Text.
As of 2001 the United States was the only nuclear weapons state that cannot produce plutonium pits for its weapons. Milestones continued to slip for production and certification of a plutonium pit for a W88 warhead at the interim Los Alamos TA-55 facility. Conceptual design work for an adequate long-term facility continues to be delayed.
Production and certification of plutonium pits remain congressional interest items. For the FY2002 pit manufacturing and certification campaign, the House Armed Services Committee recommended the budget request of $128.5 million, including $122.5 million for W88 pit manufacturing and certification, $4.0 million to begin the task of understanding manufacturing and certification requirements for other stockpile warheads, and $2.0 million to support pre-conceptual design activities in support of a modern pit facility. Only one W88 warhead surveillance pit remained for destructive testing purposes but good progress was being made toward establishing a limited manufacturing capability at Los Alamos National Laboratory, with production of certifiable pits scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2003. In contrast, W88 pit certification has slipped from fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2009, with no commitment to meeting the latter date. This reflected both the difficulty of certifying a pit with extremely high confidence in the absence of nuclear testing, as well as the potential national security consequences of a failure in this area.
In the absence of nuclear testing, the fabrication and certification of pits that meet quality requirements for the nuclear weapon stockpile war reserve remains a major challenge. The W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan, March 2001, has identified approximately 18,000 activities and 350 individual work packages to complete the pit production and certification task reflecting the magnitude of this major challenge.
The goals of the campaign are to:
Development pits will be manufactured while manufacturing processes are defined and qualified. As a part of reestablishing the capability to manufacture war reserve pits, the production controls and quality infrastructure necessary to meet quality requirements and consistency of product will be established. Once completed, the first Qualification Pit will be manufactured as a "certifiable" pit. Further Qualification Pits will be manufactured to support engineering and physics testing for certification of the manufactured pits.
To confirm nuclear performance of the W88 pit without underground nuclear testing, the W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan (W88 PMCIPP), March 2001, identifies the required engineering tests, physics experiments, dynamic experiments and integral experiments. A thorough peer review of the plan and activities required for W88 pit certification and manufacturing will be performed. Engineering tests will be identified and scheduled for use in evaluating: the intrinsic radiation signature. plutonium hydriding structural response to environments delineated in the Stockpile-to-Target-Sequence including deployment and flight thermal and mechanical environments, pressure effects, and long-term material compatibility Physics laboratory experiments will be planned and scheduled to confirm that Los Alamos National Laboratory plutonium fabrication techniques produce equivalent compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties when compared to Rocky Flats manufactured material. Data from these material property experiments will be used to confirm consistent production results; to improve physics models used in ASC simulation codes; and to help predict and compare military performance. Integral tests will include explosively driven experiments to extrapolate material performance models in more realistic weapons environments, provide data to compare Rocky Flats material properties to LANL material properties, and to assist in development of advanced diagnostic techniques for more complex follow-on experiments. Additional integral dynamic tests will use actual geometry experiments to quantify performance differences that may result from differences in manufacturing between Rocky Flats and LANL. These experiments will also be the principal basis for computational ties to the prior nuclear test database.
Pit manufacturing and certification activities not specifically supporting the W88 are conducted in the third element of the restructured campaign. These activities include identifying and scheduling the reestablishment of key manufacturing technologies for the W87 and B61-7 pits which, together with the W88, span technical variations of pits within the stockpile. This activity also provides technology development spinoff for the Modern Pit Facility.
The limited manufacturing capacity being established to support the W88 requirements is insufficient to meet manufacturing requirements for the long term support of the stockpile. In addition, the capability to manufacture pits is essential to replace pits that are destructively evaluated as part of surveillance activities or to replace pits that have exhibited unacceptable aging effects. Planning for a modern pit facility with the capability to meet requirements is essential to establish a viable readiness posture. The conceptual design scheduled to begin in early FY 2002, subsequent to a critical decision validating the mission need, will be postponed. The FY 2003 budget request would allow for continued planning activities.
In mid-2003 the Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) successfully made the first nuclear weapons "pit" in 14 years that meets specifications for use in the U.S. stockpile. The plutonium pit, called Qual-1 because it was built with and fully met qualified processes, is for the W88 warhead, which is carried on the Trident II D5 Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile, a cornerstone of the US nuclear deterrent. The six-year effort at LANL's plutonium processing facility restores a US capability lost when DOE's Rocky Flats Plant shut down in 1989. DOE identified LANL as the site to make nuclear weapon pits through the 1996 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Environmental Impact Statement.
Under the W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan, the major focus of FY 2004 activities is preparation for integral experiments in FY 2005. The experiments have been re-baselined to support the acceleration of W88 pit certification from FY 2009 to FY 2007. Following passage of the FY 2003 appropriation,this schedule will be reviewed. FY 2004 efforts will focus on the following activities to support pit certification.Engineering tests will be identified and scheduled for use in evaluating: the intrinsic radiation signature; plutonium hydriding; structural response to environments delineated in the Stockpile-to-Target-Sequence including deployment and flight thermal and mechanical environments;pressure effects; and long-term material compatibility. Physics laboratory experiments will be planned and scheduled to confirm that LANL plutonium fabrication techniques produce equivalent compositions,microstructures and mechanical properties when compared to Rocky Flats manufactured material. Data from these material property experiments will be used to confirm consistent production results; to improve physics models used in Advanced Simulation and Computing simulation codes; and to help predict and confirm military performance. Preparations for two major integral tests will be finalized in FY 2004. The tests will include explosively driven experiments to extrapolate material performance models in more realistic weapons environments, provide data to compare Rocky Flats material properties to LANL material properties,and to assist in development of advanced diagnostic techniques for more complex follow-on experiments. The increase in FY 2004 funding reflects increased work scope on subcritical and dynamic experiments to prepare for additional integral dynamic tests which will quantify performance differences that may result from differences in manufacturing processes between Rocky Flats and LANL. These experiments will also be the principal basis for computational ties to the prior nuclear test database.
The United States learned about the Chinese theft of the W-88 Trident D-5 warhead information, as well as about the theft of information regarding several other thermonuclear weapons, in 1995. A "walk-in" approached the Central Intelligence Agency outside the PRC and provided an official PRC document classified "Secret" that contained specific design information on the W-88 Trident D-5, and technical information on other thermonuclear warheads. The CIA later determined that the "walk-in" was directed by the PRC intelligence services. Nonetheless, CIA and other Intelligence Community analysts that reviewed the document concluded that it contained U.S. warhead design information.
The PRC has the infrastructure and technical ability to use elements of the stolen U.S. warhead design information in the PLA's next generation of ther-monuclear weapons. If the PRC attempted to deploy an exact replica of the US W-88 Trident D-5 warhead, it would face considerable technical challenges. However, the PRC could build modern thermonuclear warheads based on stolen US design information, including the stolen W-88 design information, using processes similar to those developed or available in a modern aerospace or precision guided munitions industry.
Poseidon C3
On 18 January 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in a special message to the Congress that his administration proposed to develop a new missile for the FBM System POSEIDON. The POSEIDON C3 was to be 74 in. in diameter as compared to the 54 in. POLARIS. It was to be 3 ft longer than the 31 ft A3 and approximately 30,000 lb heavier. Despite this increase in size, the growth potential of the ballistic missile submarine launching system was to enable POSEIDON to fit into the same 16 launch tubes that carried POLARIS; modifications to the launch tubes and a new fire control system for the more complex MIRV targeting problem were to be required. POSEIDON was to carry twice the payload of the POLARIS A3 with significantly-improved accuracy.
The Poseidon C3 was a two-stage solid propellant missile with a length of 34.1 ft. 74 in. diameter with a range of approximately 2500 nm, weight of approximately 65,000 lb. The ES (forward of the SS) is 72 in. in diameter which separates from the booster. It is equipped with the missile all inertial guidance system, a solid-propellant gas generator PBCS and RVs. This provides maneuvering of the ES and ejection of reentry vehicles into ballistics trajectories to individual targets, MIRVs. Both rocket motors have fiberglass cases, with single movable nozzles. The second stage motor had six thrust termination ports (thrusting forward) which are activated at ES separation. Multiple individual-targeted small reentry vehicles (Mk 3) were developed as the POSEIDON payload.
The POSEIDON C3 could carry up to 14 of the small Mk 3 RVs. These could be targeted bodies and could be targeted independently in the MIRV mode. Trajectory loft options were available, and the range could be extended by off-loading portions of the payload. The Post Boost Control System (PBCS), colloquially known as the "Bus," gave a large attack The increased accuracy and flexibility of the weapon system would permit its use against a broader spectrum of possible targets and give added insurance of penetration of enemy defenses. As envisioned at that time, POSEIDON was to increase the system and force effectiveness of the FBM System by a factor of eight. This revolutionary multiple target per missile concept changed the course of national policy, strategic force structures, targeting doctrines, and operational planning. It also altered the quantitative and qualitative strategic balance.
Apart from the much-increased size and weight, the main difference between the POLARIS A3 and the POSEIDON C3 was the latter's capability of delivering reentry vehicles to single or multiple targets. Thus the principal area of development involved flight of the ES with the guidance system and reentry vehicles after they had separated from the booster. The ES's solid-propellant gas generator and associated steering capability allowed the guidance system to maneuver the ES and to eject reentry vehicles into ballistic trajectories to individual aim points.
Development of propulsion for C3 was undertaken by a joint venture of Hercules, Inc., and Thiokol Chemical Corporation. Both stages now had fiberglass cases. The first stage used a composite propellant and the second stage propellant was a double base. The C3 rocket motors were the first in the FBM program to feature single-movable nozzles actuated by a gas generator and by hydraulic power units.
Other work centered on the development of an advanced all-inertial guidance system. Initial evaluations of a stellar-inertial guidance system were conducted in early 1966. Advanced development of a Mk 4 stellar-inertial guidance system was started in 1968. This effort was of an essential element of a new operational capability which became fully matured in the TRIDENT I and II.
Lockheed entered a 1 year Concept Design Phase (CDP) from February 1965 to February 1966. In March 1966, full-scale engineering development (FSED) began. However it was not until 12 March 1968 that a contract was executed. The Navy awarded Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc. (LMSC) a $456.1 million cost-plus-incentive fee contract for development and production of the POSEIDON missile system. The contract represents one of the first awards made by the Navy Department providing for total operational system development and production (OSDP).
The contract called for 25 development (C3X) type flights to be followed by 5 Production Evaluation Missile (PEM) flights from an SSBN. The first C3X was launched from a flatpad at Cape Kennedy on 16 August 1968 several hours before the first Minuteman III launch. In view of the initial success of the development flights, the test plan was modified to 20 development flights versus 25. The PEMs remained at 5. Of these 20 flights, 13 were complete successes and 7 were failures. The last C3X flight was on 29 June 1970. This was followed on 17 July 1970 by the firsts submerged launch of a POSEIDON PEM successfully conducted from the USS James Madison (SSBN-627). The firing was observed by a Russian ship, LAPTEV, whose crew was unsuccessful in attempts to recover closure plate segments from the water after launch of the missile. The remaining 4 PEMs were also successfully launched from the SSBN-627.
Finally on 31 March 1971, the USS James Madison (SSBN-627) deployed from Charleston, South Carolina, for operational patrol with 16 tactical POSEIDON C3 missiles. Deployment of the USS James Madison (SSBN-627) introduced the POSEIDON missile into the nation's arsenal of operational deterrent weapons and brought to successful fruition the development program announced in January 1965 for a successor weapon system to POLARIS. POSEIDON incorporated substantial improvements in accuracy and resistance to counter-measures over previous generations of missiles, but its principal advantage was in its flexibility, which provided a capacity for delivery for multiple warheads, widely spaced, on separate targets over a variety of target footprints.
Polaris A1
The Polaris A1 weighed 28,800 lb, with a length 28.5 ft and diameter 54 in., it had a range of approximately 1000 nm. The first stage (18,400 lb) had a steel motor case; polyurethane propellant (15,200 lb) with ammonium percholorate (oxidizer) and aluminum additives. The second stage (9,400 lb) also used a steel motor case; polyurethane propellant (7,300 lb) with ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer) and aluminum additives.
The first major development problem in the A1X flight test program manifested itself in A1X-2, the second stage of which failed in the vicinity of No. 5 thrust termination port, due to overheating. It was an insulation and bonding problem, and was a continuation of the type of trouble experienced in earlier flight tests. This failure generated an extensive investigation of head end insulation and bonding. The head end fix with a continuous boot and potting solved one problem but introduced another, since later flights experienced thrust termination port failures; they did not open up and arrest the forward movement of the second stage, which continued on and bumped the reentry vehicle. The continuous boot was probably a major contributor to the anomaly. The solution to the new problem included scoring the boot around the periphery of each thrust termination port.
The launch of a Lockheed-built Polaris A1 Fleet Ballistic Missile was the first in history from a submerged submarine, the USS George Washington (SSBN 598). It occurred July 20, 1960, off Cape Canaveral, Florida, and within three hours a second Polaris test missile was launched. On November 15, 1960, the submarine and its 16 Polaris A1s began the first patrol.
On 2 June 1964, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598). returned to Charleston, South Carolina, to off-load missiles in preparation for overhaul at General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. This ended the initial deployment of the first FBM submarine, with POLARIS A1's which began in November 1960. Finally on 14 October 1965, the USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) returned to the U.S., completing her initial deployment. She was the last of the first five SSBNs carrying the POLARIS A1 to return to the U.S. for overhaul. This marked the official retirement of the POLARIS A1 missile from active fleet duty. These first five boats were being refitted to carry POLARIS A3 missiles.
@Nihonjin1051 @AUSTERLITZ @Slav Defence
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division; Newport News Shipbuilding; Mare Island; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Power Plant: S5W Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor,
2 geared turbines at 15,000 shp to one shaft
Length: 381.6 feet ( meters)
Beam: 33 feet ( meters)
Displacement: Light 5,400 tons
Surface 5,959-6,019 tons
Submerged 6709-6888Approx tons
Speed: 20 knots surfaced,
25 knots submerged
Test Depth: 700 feet
Crew: Officers, Enlisted
Armament: 16 - tubes for Polaris missiles
6 - torpedo tubes
The USS George Washington (SSBN 598) was the worlds first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine. Arguably, it can be considered the submarine that has most influenced world events in the 20th Century. With its entry into service in December 1959 the United States instantly gained the most powerful deterrent force imaginable - a stealth platform with enormous nuclear firepower.
These first nuclear-powered submarines armed with long-range strategic missiles were ordered on 31 December 1957, with orders to convert two attack submarine hulls to missile-carrying FBM Weapon System ships. With some compromise in delivery schedules, the Navy agreed in January 1958 to slip the launch dates for two hunter-killer Skipjack types of fast attack submarines, the just-begun attack submarine Scorpion (SSN-589) and the not-yet-started USS Sculpin (SSN-590). Funding was provided with a supplement to the FY 1958 ship construction programm on 11 February 1958.
The first two are essentially of the hunter-killer type with a missile compartment inserted between the ship's control navigation areas and the nuclear reactor compartment. The keel of the first of these two ships had already been laid at Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, as the "Scorpion" and it was actually cut apart in order to insert the new 130 ft missile compartment ("Sherwood Forest"), thus extending the ship's length. At other shipyards, three more ships of the same type were built, making a total of five. The shipyards were Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. These were designated the 598 class ships since the first submarine, the USS George Washington was the SSBN-598. The term SSBN means Ship Submersible Ballistic (Nuclear) with the "Nuclear" referring to the ship's propulsive power.
The President signed the FY 58 Supplemental Appropriation Act on 12 February 1958 funding the first three submarines. The construction, which had begun in January 1958, used funds "borrowed" from other Navy programs. The President authorized construction of submarines 4 and 5 on 29 July 1958.
The USS George Washington (SSBN-598) slipped underwater on the first strategic FBM patrol on 15 November 1960. The USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) departed for patrol on 31 January 1961. The USS George Washington (SSBN-598) resumed from patrol on 21 January 1961, coming alongside the tender USS Proteus (AS-19) at New London, Connecticut. The USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) resumed from patrol on 8 March 1961, but she came alongside the same USS Proteus which had moved to Holy Loch, Scotland becoming the first SSBN to use Holy Loch as a refit and upkeep anchorage.
On 1 July 1958, Submarine Squadron Fourteen was established.
On 15 November 1960, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598) deployed on operational patrol with 16 POLARIS At (1200 nm) missiles 4 years 11 months after RADM William F. "Red" Raborn became the director of SP, and 3 years 11 months after the SECDEF authorized the POLARIS
On 2 June 1964, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598). returned to Charleston, South Carolina, to off-load missiles in preparation for overhaul at General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. This ended the initial deployment of the first FBM submarine, with POLARIS A1's which began in November 1960. Finally on 14 October 1965, the USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) returned to the U.S., completing her initial deployment. She was the last of the first five SSBNs carrying the POLARIS A1 to return to the U.S. for overhaul. This marked the official retirement of the POLARIS A1 missile from active fleet duty. These first five boats were being refitted to carry POLARIS A3 missiles.
in the early 1980s SSBN-598 George Washington, SSBN-599 Patrick Henry and SSBN-601 Robert E Lee had their missiles removed and were reclassified as attack submarines, a role in which they served for several years prior to decommissioning.
SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division;
Newport News Shipbuilding
Power Plant: S5W nuclear reactor
two geared steam turbines, one shaft
Length: feet ( meters)
Beam: feet ( meters)
Displacement: Approx.00 tons (0 metric tons) submerged
Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +kph)
Crew: Officers, Enlisted
Armament: 16 tubes for Polaris, six torpedo tubes.
Because the first five U.S. SSBNs were actually built as a variant of the earlier USS Skipjack (SSN-585) configuration, Ethan Allen was the first submarine specifically designed for the strategic SSBN role. Ethan Allen class (SSBN-608) FBM Submarines were larger than the George Washingtons, incorporating the hull features of the Thresher/Permit class with a test depth of 1,300 feet. Their deeper diving capabilities were developed at Carderock, DTMB, and EES. These 7,800-ton boats (GW class was 6,700 tons) had only four torpedo tubes compared with GW's six. They also had Thresher-type machinery and quieting.
The Polaris SLBM was a revolutionary weapon system. First, Polaris incorporated major technical advances with respect to submarines and missiles. Also significant was the almost unprecedented growth potential of the system; essentially the same submarine types carried each new generation of missile-from Polaris A-1 to the A-2, A-3, Poseidon, and Trident I missiles. There were in fact three distinct classes of Polaris submarines:
- 5 SSBN-598 George Washington class
- 5 SSBN-608 Ethan Allen class
- 31 SSBN-616 Lafayette class
The United States has had an operational SLBM force since November 1960, when the first Polaris-carrying submarine, the U.S.S. George Washington, put out to sea on patrol This was five years after the first U.S. nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, was launched. This five-year period was needed to develop a solid propellant missile system to launch an SLBM from a submerged submarine. The first successful underwater launch of a Polaris missile occurred in July 1960, again from the Washington. A total of five submarines were fitted with the 1200 nautical-mile-range A-1 Polaris missiles. To improve the capability of the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) force, the 1500 nautical-mile-range A-2 Polaris was developed. The A-2 was first launched from the U.S.S. Ethan Allen off the Florida coast in October 1961.
The submarines were powered by steam turbines that get their energy from water-cooled nuclear reactors. With an atmospheric control system of immense capacity, the submarine did not even have to raise a snorkel to obtain air. If it were not for the needs and endurance of the human crew, these submarines could stay on station almost indefinitely. Each submarine carried a crew of 12 to 14 officers and about 130 enlisted personnel, and each has two crews, a Gold and a Blue one. While one crew was on patrol, the other is in port training, orienting new crew members, taking leave, and in general getting ready for the next cruise. Normally, the submarines are on station for sixty-day periods.
The Polaris and Poseidon missiles were launched from the submarine's 16 tubes while the craft is submerged and out of sight. The missile is ejected from the tube either by compressed air or by a gas and steam generator system. Once the missile reaches the water's surface, the first stage of the missile is ignited and sent on its way. There is access to each of the 16 independently controlled launch tubes even during patrol at sea for performing inspection and maintenance of the missiles. It should be noted that all Polaris submarines were fitted with launch tubes that were much larger in diameter than the original missile, which permitted the use of larger and more advanced missiles as they were developed over the years. A total of 33 boats were equipped with the A-3, including the original five A-1 carrying boats which were refitted with the A-3. SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class carried the Polaris A-1, A-2, and A-3 strategic ballistic missiles at various stages of her career.
Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), operating in the Pacific as part of Joint Task Force 8 in Operation Frigate-Bird, fired the only nuclear-armed Polaris missile ever launched on 6 May 1962. The Polaris A1 missile was launched while the Ethan Allen was submerged in the Pacific, and its nuclear warhead was detonated over the South Pacific at the end of its programmed flight. The shot was made during the 1962 atomic tests. Subsequent analysis of the recorded data and cloud samples taken by Air Force B-57 Canberra aircraft revealed that the air burst took place 1.25 miles from the nominal aim point and that the Polaris W-47 thermo-nuclear warhead performed up to expectations, with a yield in the 600-kiloton range.
To date, this is the only complete proof test of a U.S. strategic missile. Because of the ban on atmospheric testing, similar tests are unlikely. Of the three components of the Triad, the land-based ICBMs were the only force that was not extensively tested. Bombers regularly took off, flew missions, and dropped bombs; prior to test-ban agreements, bombers dropped nuclear weapons (and dummy bombs) in full-system tests. Similarly, submarines regularly fired unarmed ballistic missiles-sans warheads-on test ranges. But no nuclear-armed ICBM has been launched from an operational silo. Periodically, the silo crews fired various ICBMs from test facilities at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and from Cape Kennedy in Florida under highly controlled conditions. But even periodic efforts to launch an ICBM with reduced fuel and no warhead from an operational silo have failed, and Congress has refused approval of full-range test firings from an operational silo that would take even an unarmed missile over urban areas. After returning to the Atlantic from Operation Dominic, Ethan Allen commenced her first deterrent patrol in late June 1962 and eventually completed 57 deterrent patrols before conversion to an SSN in September 1980. The ship was decommissioned in March 1983 and spent her final years at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where her dismantling and nuclear recycling were completed in July 1999.
John Marshall (SSBN-611) became the last submarine to give up her Polaris A2s for Polaris A3 capability when she went into overhaul on 1 November 1974. Some of these submarines were later reclassified as attack submarines under the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) agreements. The boats were decommissioned in 1983 (two boats), 1985, 1991, and 1992.
SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division. Mare Island Naval Shipyard Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Newport News Shipbuilding
Power Plant: S5W nuclear reactor
two geared steam turbines, 15,000 SHP, one shaft
Length: 425 feet (129.6 meters)
Beam: 33 feet (10.06 meters)
Displacement:
light 6,650 tons
standard 7,250 tons
submerged 8,250 tons
Speed:
Surfaced 16-20 knots
submerged: 22 -25 knots
Test depth: 1,300 feet
Crew: 13 Officers, 130 Enlisted
Armament: 16 tubes for Polaris or Poseidon
4 - 21" Torpedo Tubes (All Foward)
MK 14/16 Anti-ship Torpedo
MK 37 Anti-Submarine Torpedo
MK 45 ASTOR NuclearTorpedo
MK 48 Anti-Submarine Torpedo
The USS James Monroe (SSBN-622) on 9 January 1968 became the first submarine with POLARIS A2's to enter overhaul and to receive POLARIS A3 capability.
In 1974 the SSBN Extended Refit Program (ERP). was initiated. Previously, an operational SSBN was scheduled to undergo an overhaul approximately every 7 years, which resulted in taking it off line for almost 2 years. To increase the SSBNs at sea effectiveness, it was decided to initiate a program to accomplish some preventive/corrective maintenance (mini-overhaul) on SSBNs at its normal refit site. This was done by extending a normal 32-day refit/upkeep between patrols to provide a 60-day extended refit period. This was to be conducted at 4-year and 7 year intervals after initial deployment or overhaul of a SSBN. The time between overhauls was then extended to 10 years versus the 7 years. The first SSBN to undergo ERP was the USS James Madison (SSBN-627); the ERP was conducted at the Holy Loch, Scotland, tender refit site in September- November 1974.
Lockheed commenced the TRIDENT I (C4) program in November of 1973 with the missile's IOC date established as 1979. The first of the new Ohio-Class submarines was authorized in 1974 but would not be available until 1979. Thus the Navy decided to borrow a page from the Extended Refit Program (ERP) book and a C3 to C4 SSBN "backfit" program was initiated in mid- 1976. Five additional SSBNs 629, 630, and 634 underwent a "pierside backfit" while three other SSBNs (627, 632, and 633) were backfitted during their normally-scheduled second shipyard overhauls.
On 10 June 1985, the White House announced the decision to dismantle a ballistic missile submarine to remain within the SALT II ceiling on MIRVed missiles. USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635) was selected to fulfill this requirement and was deactivated on 16 September 1985, with missile tubes filled with concrete and tube hatches removed.
The USS Sam Rayburn was converted into a training platform - Moored Training Ship (MTS-635). The Sam Rayburn arrived for conversion on February 1, 1986, and on July 29, 1989 the first Moored Training Ship achieved initial criticality. Modifications included special mooring arrangements including a mechanism to absorb power generated by the main propulsion shaft. USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) was converted to the second Moored Training Ship (MTS2 / MTS 626) in 1993. The Moored Training Ship Site is located at Charleston, SC. The USS Sam Rayburn is scheduled to operate as an MTS until 2014 while undergoing shipyard availabilities at four year intervals.
USS James Madison (SSBN-627) - Note, The Ben Franklin and James Madison Classes are evolution of the Lafayette Class FBM
Specifications
*See Lafayette Class
The USS James Madison (SSBN-627) was the second ship of the US Navy’s fleet to be named in honor of James Madison (1751-1836)—the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817). Valued as one of our country’s most influential thinkers and statesmen, James Madison authored 29 of the famous Federalist Papers, proposed the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution (the Bill of Rights), and served both in the House (1789-1797) and as Secretary of State under President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). In commission for over 28 years, USS James Madison was the premier ship in her class of ten nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
Construction
The keel of the USS James Madison was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, located in Newport News, Virginia, on March 5, 1962. Mrs. A.S. “Mike” Monroney—wife of the US Senator from Oklahoma—christened the vessel at her launch on March 15, 1963. Sixteenth months later, on July 28, 1964, the USS James Madison was commissioned and at the ready to defend her country.
Equipped with 16 missile tubes and four 21 inch torpedo tubes, the USS James Madison employed a complement numbering 147 divided into two crews, Blue and Gold, as was commonplace with SSBNs. Capable of speeds of up to 21 knots, the James Madison measured 425 feet in length and displaced 7,325 tons (surfaced) and 8,251 tons (submerged).
Naval History
The USS James Madison launched her career in mid-1964 with a series of shakedown exercises in conjunction with Polaris missile testing conducted by both the Blue and Gold crews. Post-shakedown repairs ensued for the months of November and December of 1964 in preparation for a series of deployments.
January 17, 1965 marked the commencement of James Madison’s first deterrent patrol. Mainly patrolling the waters around Europe, she completed 10 successful patrols by the end of 1966.
With seventeen deterrent patrols to her credit by February 3, 1969—mainly based out of Rota, Spain and Charleston, South Carolina—James Madison underwent an overhaul and weapons system upgrade to the Poseidon Missile System at the shipyard of the General Dynamics Corporation’s Electric Boat Division located in Groton, Connecticut. The Poseidon conversion required extensive modifications to the James Madison which were completed by June 28, 1970. A period of shakedown operations, followed by a complete evaluation and cycle of testing of the Poseidon missiles, were carried out into August of 1970.
Two Extended Refit Periods (ERPs) were performed on James Madison—a first on November 6, 1974 followed by a second on November 2, 1977. These maintenance procedures were designed to allow the ship to operate at a level of peak performance in between overhaul periods with the goal of increasing the number of patrols the vessel could accomplish over the course of her lifetime.
After the completion of thirty-two consecutive deterrent patrols, James Madison underwent a major overhaul at the Newport News Shipbuilding and DryDock Company, located in Newport News, Virginia. Initiated on August 3, 1979, this overhaul, which included a refueling and an upgrade to the Trident C-4 missile system, would last through February of 1982.
Subsequent to the overhaul, James Madison conducted sea trials, shakedown operations, and test launches of the Trident missiles. For the remainder of her time in service, James Madison continued her cycle of deterrent patrols in an effort to preserve peace and protect the United States against the threat of war.
After having been simultaneously decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day—November 20, 1992—USS James Madison ceased to exist as of October 24, 1997 after having been completely scrapped via the US Navy’s Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.
SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines
Specifications
Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division.
Power Plant: One S8G nuclear reactor
core reloaded every nine years
two geared steam turbines,
one shaft, output of 60,000 hp
Length: 560 feet (170.69 meters)
Beam: 42 feet (10.06 meters)
Displacement: Surfaced: 16,764 tons
Submerged:18,750 tons
Speed: Official: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +kph)
Actual: 25 knots submerged speed
Operating Depth: Official: "greater than 800 feet"
Actual: greater than 1,000 feet
Armament: 24 - tubes for Trident I and II,
4 - torpedo tubes with Mk48 Torpedoes
Sensors: BQQ-6 Bow mounted sonar
BQR-19 Navigation
BQS-13 Active sonar
TB-16 towed array
Crew: 15 Officers, 140 Enlisted
Unit Operating Cost
Annual Average $50,00,000 [source: [FY1996 VAMOSC]
Strategic deterrence has been the sole mission of the fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) since its inception in 1960. The SSBN provides the nation's most survivable and enduring nuclear strike capability. The Ohio class submarine replaced aging fleet ballistic missile submarines built in the 1960s and is far more capable.
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay hosted the commissioning of USS LOUISIANA (SSBN 743) 06 September 1997 at the TRIDENT Refit Facility Drydock. The commissioning of LOUISIANA completed the Navy's fleet of 18 fleet ballistic missile submarines. The ten Trident submarines in the Atlantic fleet were initially equipped with the D-5 Trident II missile. The eight submarines in the Pacific were initially equipped with the C-4 Trident I missile. In 1996 the Navy started to backfit the eight submarines in the Pacific to carry the D-5 missile.
Features
SSBN-726 class FBM submarines can carry 24 ballistic missiles with MIRV warheads that can be accurately delivered to selected targets from almost anywhere in the world's oceans. Earlier FBM ships carry 16 missiles. A cylindrical pressure hull structure of HY-80 steel is supported by circular frames and enclosed by hemispherical heads at both ends. The pressure hull provides an enclosure large enough for weapons, crew, and equipment with enough strength to enable the ship to operate deep enough to avoid easy detection.
A streamlined (fish-shaped) outer hull permits the ship to move quietly through the water at high speeds. This outer hull surrounds the forward and aft end of the pressure hull and is not built to withstand deep submergence pressure. It is normally considered as the main ballast tanks. The superstructure is any part of the ship that is above the pressure hull. This would include the sail or fairwater area, and the area above the missile tubes. The streamlined hull was designed specifically for efficient cruising underwater; the Skipjack was the first nuclear-powered ship to adopt this hull form.
The larger hulls accommodate more weapons of larger size and greater range, as well as sophisticated computerized electronic equipment for improved weapon guidance and sonar performance. Improved silencing techniques reduce the chances of detection.
The Ohio-class submarines are specifically designed for extended deterrent patrols. To increase the time in port for crew turnover and replenishment, three large logistics hatches are fitted to provide large diameter resupply and repair openings. These hatches allow sailors to rapidly transfer supply pallets, equipment replacement modules and machinery components, significantly reducing the time required for replenishment and maintenance. The class design and modern main concepts allow the submarines to operate for 15+ years between overhauls. Each SSBN is at sea at least 66 percent of the time, including major overhaul periods of twelve months every nine years. One SSBN combat employment cycle includes a 70-day patrol and 25-day period of transfer of the submarine to the other crew, between-deployment maintenance, and reloading of munitions.
Like all submarines in use by the U.S. Navy today, the Ohio class submarine is powered by a pressurized water reactor (PWR) driving steam turbines to a single propeller shaft. It can attain depths in excess of 800 feet at speeds in excess of 25 knots.
Background
The STRAT-X study in 1967 recognized that the submarine-launched ballistic missile system was one of the more survivable legs in the Triad strategic nuclear deterrent system. However, it also recognized three important facts concerning American strategic defense capabilities which had assumed central significance in deliberations of U.S. defense planners. First, the submarine-launched ballistic system was recognized as the most survivable element in the triad of strategic nuclear deterrents. Second, though the POSEIDON missile provided an important upgrade of the system, the SSBN force itself was aging and would require replacement. Third, the threat of improved Soviet ASW capability made an enlarged SSBN operating area highly desirable.
The Navy (SSPO) commenced studies of a new Undersea Long-range Missile System (ULMS), which culminated in the Deputy SECDEF approving a Decision Coordinating Paper (DCP) No. 67 on 14 September 1971 for the ULMS. The ULMS program was a long-term modernization plan which proposed development of a new, longer-range missile and a new, larger submarine, while preserving a nearer-term option to develop an extended range POSEIDON. In addition to the new ULMS (extended-range POSEIDON) missile, which was to achieve a range twice that of POSEIDON, the SECDEF decision described an even longer-range missile to be required for a new submarine, whose parameters it would, in part, determine. This second missile, subsequently termed ULMS II, was to be a larger, higher-performance missile than the extended-range POSEIDON and to have a range capability of approximately 6000 nm. The term TRIDENT (C4) replaced the extended-range missile (Advanced POSEIDON) nomenclature in May 1972, and the name TRIDENT II was used to designate the new longer range missile.
On 14 September 1971 the Deputy SECDEF had approved the Navy's DCP No. 67, which authorized both a new, large, higher-speed submarine and the TRIDENT (C4) Missile System. It was also constrained to fit in the circular SSBN cylinder launch tube which just contained the C3 so that the new missile could be used in then-existing POLARIS submarines.
A Navy decision was made in November 1971 to accelerate the ULMS program with increased funding for the ULMS SSBN. The SECDEF Program Budget Decision (PBD) of 23 December 1971 authorized the accelerated schedule with a projected deployment of the ship in 1978.
The President signed the FY74 Appropriations Authorization Act providing funds for the first TRIDENT submarine on 15 November 1973, and on 25 July 1974 the Navy awarded a fixed-price incentive contract to General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, for construction of this first TRIDENT SSBN.
In 1974 the initial Ohio program was projecte to consist of 10 submarines deployed at Bangor Washington carrying the Trident-1 C-4 missile. By 1981 the program had been modified to include 15 boats, and at least 20 boats were planned by 1985. In 1989 the Navy anticipated a total fleet of at least 21 boats, while plans the following year envisioning a total of 24 boats, 21 of which would carry strategic missiles with the remaining three supporting other missions, such as special forces. However, in 1991 Congress directed the termination of the program with the 18th boat, citing anticipated force limits under the START-1 arms control agreement and the results of the Bush Administration's Major Warship Review, which endorsed capping the program at 18 boats.
The first eight Ohio class submarines (Tridents) were originally equipped with 24 Trident I C-4 ballistic missiles. Beginning with the ninth Trident submarine, USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), all new ships are equipped with the Trident II D-5 missile system as they were built, and the earlier ships are being retrofitted to Trident II. Trident II can deliver significantly more payload than Trident I C-4 and more accurately. All 24 missiles can be launched in less than one minute.
Ohio-class/Trident ballistic missile submarines provide the sea-based "leg" of the triad of U.S. strategic offensive forces. By the turn of the century, the 18 Trident SSBNs (each carrying 24 missiles), will carry 50 percent of the total U.S. strategic warheads. Although the missiles have no pre-set targets when the submarine goes on patrol, the SSBNs are capable of rapidly targeting their missiles should the need arise, using secure and constant at-sea communications links.
The Clinton Administration's Nuclear Posture Review was chartered in October 1993, and the President approved the recommendations of the NPR on September 18, 1994. As a result of the NPR, US strategic nuclear force structure will be adjusted to 14 Trident submarines -- four fewer than previously planned -- carrying 24 D-5 missiles, each with five warheads, per submarine. This will require backfitting four Trident SSBNs, currently carrying the Trident I (C- 4) missile, with the more modern and capable D-5 missile system. Under current plans, following START II's entry into force, the other four SSBNs will either be converted into special-purpose submarines or be retired.
SSBN 726 Class Submarine shipboard equipment which requires significant maintenance during the planned operating cycle, industrial level maintenance, which is beyond the capability of Ship's Force, and which cannot be accomplished during the refit period (without unacceptable impact on other refit requirements), is supported by TRIDENT Planned Equipment Repair (TRIPER) program. TRIPER equipment is removed from the ship for refurbishment ashore, replaced with pre-tested, Ready for Issue units and the affected system restored to full operational condition prior to completion of the refit period. Replacement is accomplished on a planned basis at intervals designed to preclude the failure of the equipment or significant degradation of its associated system.
Recent Developments
As of 1995 the Navy was studying an extension from 30 to 40 years for the SSBN-726 class submarines. While 30 years was long the standard number for submarine operating lifetime, the SSBNs would seem to have a rather more benign operating history than the SSNs. They typically operate at somewhat shallower depths, they do not experience nearly as many excursions from their normal operating depth, and they would not operate below their test depth with any degree of freqency. Consequently, it would be expected that they could have a longer operating life than attack submarines [just as fighters wear out so much faster than bombers or transports]. As of late 1998 Navy cost and planning factors assumed that the Ohio-class submarines would have an expected operating lifetime of at least 42 years: two 20-year operating cycles separated by a two-year refueling overhaul.
As part of its long-term plan to divide the Trident fleet equally between the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, beginning in 2002 the Navy will transfer three of the 10 Trident subs now based at King's Bay to Bangor. Of the eight Trident submarines assigned to Bangor -- USS Alaska, USS Nevada, USS Henry M. Jackson and USS Alabama -- will convert from the older Trident I (C-4) missile to the more powerful Trident II (D-5) missile. The Nevada is scheduled to enter the Bremerton shipyard in early 2001 to begin its conversion, and the final pair are scheduled for the refitting in 2005 and 2006.
US Navy Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles - Reverse Chronological Order
Trident D5
W88
The W88 is a warhead used by the Navy on the Trident II missile. The W-88 is a miniaturized, tapered thermonuclear warhead. It is the United States' most sophisticated strategic thermonuclear weapon. In the US arsenal, the W-88 warhead is mated to the D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile carried aboard the Trident nuclear submarine. The Los Alamos National Laboratory program to develop the W88 warhead for the Trident II 5D missile was completed in 1989. The W88 is one of two types of warheads on US submarine launched missiles. There are now nearly 400 W88 warheads in the stockpile and more than 3,000 W76s, the other warhead on US submarine launched missiles.
The deployment of W88 warheads on the Trident D-5 missiles was slowed by the closure of the Rocky Flats plutonium processing plant in November 1989 due to safety and environmental concerns. At the time, independent unofficial esimates were that only 400 Mk 88s had been produced before the plant closed, versus the originally planned. Rear Admiral Raymond G. Jones Jr. has stated that there are enough Mark-5/W88 warheads to outfit four east-coast Trident submarines, with the remainder loaded 100-kiloton Mark-4/W76 warheads. This would imply that a total of nearly 800 of the W88 weapons had been produced, with each submarined loaded with 192 warheads [8 each on 24 missiles].
The FY2003 NNSA budget request provided for adding as many as 10 new W88 warheads to the stockpile per year beginning as early as 2007. In 2003 Los Alamos delivered the first certifiable W88 pit from the interim pit production capability. This was the first certifiable pit made by the United States since the shut down of Rocky Flats in 1989.
In 1990 a panel established by the House Armed Services Committee and chaired by Dr. Sydney Drell of Stanford found that there was a significant danger that a W-88 warhead would detonate by accident. There were three serious design issues with the W88, according to the "Report of the Panel on Nuclear Weapons Safety," written by Sidney Drell, John Foster, and Charles Townes for the House Armed Services Committee, completed in December 1990.
- First, the warheads on the D-5 are mounted in close proximity to the rocket motor, arranged in a circle around the missile's third stage. The warheads on other American ballistic missiles are mounted on a platform which provides some insulating material between the warheads and a fuel fire. The rocket motors use a highly volatile 1.1 class propellant, which can both burn and explode [it is almost impossible to detonate a 1.3 class propellant].
- Second, W88 designers had to choose whether to use the traditional high explosives [HE], or the safer insensitive high explosive [IHE], which possess a unique insensitivity to certain abnormal environments, such as fires, crashes or unexpected impacts. Unlike the conventional explosive, IHE is extremely unlikely to detonate in any of these crises. It also is not used in the D-5 missile system.
- Third, the Drell Panel was also concerned that in choosing the plutonium pit in the W88 warhead did not include Fire Resistant Pit which includes materials which can withstand temperatures of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit [however, since rocket fuel burns at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, the Fire Resistant Pit isn't much safer than a regular pit when used in a warhead carried by a missile].
Flight tests involve the actual dropping or launching of a weapon from which the nuclear components have been removed. DOE uses specially designed equipment-referred to as telemetry packages-to test the integration and functioning of the weapon's electrical and mechanical subsystems. Only 3 W88 stockpile flight tests (of the 12 planned) were conducted during the 4-year period from fiscal year 1992 through 1995. Flight testing of W88 warheads taken from the stockpile was halted for more than 1 year because an important safety study required for disassembly and inspection of the warhead at DOE's Pantex plant lacked approval. A Nuclear Explosive Safety Study is required for each weapon type before DOE's Pantex Plant can disassemble and inspect a weapon selected for testing. Without disassembly and inspection capability, surveillance tests, including flight tests of sample warheads from the stockpile (the nuclear components must be removed and replaced by the telemetry equipment), cannot be conducted. DOE and national laboratory officials were not concerned about the reliability of the W88 warhead because they have collected considerable data over the past few years by testing W88 warheads that had never been placed in the stockpile. Because the W88 warhead is a relatively new weapon, DOE officials believe that the information from these "new material" tests provides good reliability data.
During the mid-1990s the W88 warhead was considered by DOE to be of concern in relation to nonnuclear systems laboratory tests. These tests involve testing the nonnuclear systems-such as the radar systems and fuzes-in the weapon to detect defects due to handling, aging, manufacturing, or design. DOE officials said the Department should have conducted about 28 laboratory tests, but over during the 4-year period from fiscal year 1992 through 1995, only 15 (or 54 percent) tests were performed. According to DOE and national laboratory officials, the tests were not conducted because of the absence of an approved safety study at Pantex.
In 1999 it was reported that China had received secret design information for the most modern U.S. nuclear warhead-the W88 warhead, which sits atop the submarine-launched Trident II ballistic missile, and un-named US officials said "the top suspect is an American scientist working at a U.S. Department of Energy weapons laboratory." Edward Curran, the Energy Department's new counterintelligence director, said that "Department labs 'have the best computers and the smartest scientists in the world . . . without a question they are the No. 1 target' for foreign countries trying to steal U.S. technology." On 09 March 1999 Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese-American computer scientist who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, was fired by the United States Energy department on suspicion of stealing nuclear secrets.
The abrupt closure of the Rocky Flats Plant in 1989 stopped production of W88 pits before sufficient pits were produced to meet the stockpile surveillance requirements for the projected 20-year design life of the W88 warhead. A pit is the fissile core of a nuclear weapon's physics package. In the near term, DOE's Pit Manufacturing and Certification Campaign is focused mainly on W88 pit manufacturing and certification and planning for a Modern Pit Facility. However, in addition to meeting the W88 surveillance requirements, the NNSA is committed "to reestablishing and maintaining sufficient levels of production to support requirements for the safety, reliability, and performance of United States nuclear weapons" as delineated in the January 26, 1996, START II Treaty Ratification Text.
As of 2001 the United States was the only nuclear weapons state that cannot produce plutonium pits for its weapons. Milestones continued to slip for production and certification of a plutonium pit for a W88 warhead at the interim Los Alamos TA-55 facility. Conceptual design work for an adequate long-term facility continues to be delayed.
Production and certification of plutonium pits remain congressional interest items. For the FY2002 pit manufacturing and certification campaign, the House Armed Services Committee recommended the budget request of $128.5 million, including $122.5 million for W88 pit manufacturing and certification, $4.0 million to begin the task of understanding manufacturing and certification requirements for other stockpile warheads, and $2.0 million to support pre-conceptual design activities in support of a modern pit facility. Only one W88 warhead surveillance pit remained for destructive testing purposes but good progress was being made toward establishing a limited manufacturing capability at Los Alamos National Laboratory, with production of certifiable pits scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2003. In contrast, W88 pit certification has slipped from fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2009, with no commitment to meeting the latter date. This reflected both the difficulty of certifying a pit with extremely high confidence in the absence of nuclear testing, as well as the potential national security consequences of a failure in this area.
In the absence of nuclear testing, the fabrication and certification of pits that meet quality requirements for the nuclear weapon stockpile war reserve remains a major challenge. The W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan, March 2001, has identified approximately 18,000 activities and 350 individual work packages to complete the pit production and certification task reflecting the magnitude of this major challenge.
The goals of the campaign are to:
- Manufacture a certifiable W88 pit by the end of FY 2003;
- Establish a limited (10 pit/year) production capability for W88 pits by 2007 to meet the programmatic needs of the DoD;
- Establish the certification requirements and plan and implement the activities required to certify a W88 pit built at LANL without underground nuclear testing by FY 2009, with a goal of achieving an earlier date of FY 2007;
- Reestablish the capability to manufacture all pit types within the stockpile; and
- Plan the design and construction of a Modern Pit Facility to support long term pit manufacturing.
Development pits will be manufactured while manufacturing processes are defined and qualified. As a part of reestablishing the capability to manufacture war reserve pits, the production controls and quality infrastructure necessary to meet quality requirements and consistency of product will be established. Once completed, the first Qualification Pit will be manufactured as a "certifiable" pit. Further Qualification Pits will be manufactured to support engineering and physics testing for certification of the manufactured pits.
To confirm nuclear performance of the W88 pit without underground nuclear testing, the W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan (W88 PMCIPP), March 2001, identifies the required engineering tests, physics experiments, dynamic experiments and integral experiments. A thorough peer review of the plan and activities required for W88 pit certification and manufacturing will be performed. Engineering tests will be identified and scheduled for use in evaluating: the intrinsic radiation signature. plutonium hydriding structural response to environments delineated in the Stockpile-to-Target-Sequence including deployment and flight thermal and mechanical environments, pressure effects, and long-term material compatibility Physics laboratory experiments will be planned and scheduled to confirm that Los Alamos National Laboratory plutonium fabrication techniques produce equivalent compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties when compared to Rocky Flats manufactured material. Data from these material property experiments will be used to confirm consistent production results; to improve physics models used in ASC simulation codes; and to help predict and compare military performance. Integral tests will include explosively driven experiments to extrapolate material performance models in more realistic weapons environments, provide data to compare Rocky Flats material properties to LANL material properties, and to assist in development of advanced diagnostic techniques for more complex follow-on experiments. Additional integral dynamic tests will use actual geometry experiments to quantify performance differences that may result from differences in manufacturing between Rocky Flats and LANL. These experiments will also be the principal basis for computational ties to the prior nuclear test database.
Pit manufacturing and certification activities not specifically supporting the W88 are conducted in the third element of the restructured campaign. These activities include identifying and scheduling the reestablishment of key manufacturing technologies for the W87 and B61-7 pits which, together with the W88, span technical variations of pits within the stockpile. This activity also provides technology development spinoff for the Modern Pit Facility.
The limited manufacturing capacity being established to support the W88 requirements is insufficient to meet manufacturing requirements for the long term support of the stockpile. In addition, the capability to manufacture pits is essential to replace pits that are destructively evaluated as part of surveillance activities or to replace pits that have exhibited unacceptable aging effects. Planning for a modern pit facility with the capability to meet requirements is essential to establish a viable readiness posture. The conceptual design scheduled to begin in early FY 2002, subsequent to a critical decision validating the mission need, will be postponed. The FY 2003 budget request would allow for continued planning activities.
In mid-2003 the Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) successfully made the first nuclear weapons "pit" in 14 years that meets specifications for use in the U.S. stockpile. The plutonium pit, called Qual-1 because it was built with and fully met qualified processes, is for the W88 warhead, which is carried on the Trident II D5 Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile, a cornerstone of the US nuclear deterrent. The six-year effort at LANL's plutonium processing facility restores a US capability lost when DOE's Rocky Flats Plant shut down in 1989. DOE identified LANL as the site to make nuclear weapon pits through the 1996 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Environmental Impact Statement.
Under the W88 Pit Manufacturing and Certification Integrated Project Plan, the major focus of FY 2004 activities is preparation for integral experiments in FY 2005. The experiments have been re-baselined to support the acceleration of W88 pit certification from FY 2009 to FY 2007. Following passage of the FY 2003 appropriation,this schedule will be reviewed. FY 2004 efforts will focus on the following activities to support pit certification.Engineering tests will be identified and scheduled for use in evaluating: the intrinsic radiation signature; plutonium hydriding; structural response to environments delineated in the Stockpile-to-Target-Sequence including deployment and flight thermal and mechanical environments;pressure effects; and long-term material compatibility. Physics laboratory experiments will be planned and scheduled to confirm that LANL plutonium fabrication techniques produce equivalent compositions,microstructures and mechanical properties when compared to Rocky Flats manufactured material. Data from these material property experiments will be used to confirm consistent production results; to improve physics models used in Advanced Simulation and Computing simulation codes; and to help predict and confirm military performance. Preparations for two major integral tests will be finalized in FY 2004. The tests will include explosively driven experiments to extrapolate material performance models in more realistic weapons environments, provide data to compare Rocky Flats material properties to LANL material properties,and to assist in development of advanced diagnostic techniques for more complex follow-on experiments. The increase in FY 2004 funding reflects increased work scope on subcritical and dynamic experiments to prepare for additional integral dynamic tests which will quantify performance differences that may result from differences in manufacturing processes between Rocky Flats and LANL. These experiments will also be the principal basis for computational ties to the prior nuclear test database.
The United States learned about the Chinese theft of the W-88 Trident D-5 warhead information, as well as about the theft of information regarding several other thermonuclear weapons, in 1995. A "walk-in" approached the Central Intelligence Agency outside the PRC and provided an official PRC document classified "Secret" that contained specific design information on the W-88 Trident D-5, and technical information on other thermonuclear warheads. The CIA later determined that the "walk-in" was directed by the PRC intelligence services. Nonetheless, CIA and other Intelligence Community analysts that reviewed the document concluded that it contained U.S. warhead design information.
The PRC has the infrastructure and technical ability to use elements of the stolen U.S. warhead design information in the PLA's next generation of ther-monuclear weapons. If the PRC attempted to deploy an exact replica of the US W-88 Trident D-5 warhead, it would face considerable technical challenges. However, the PRC could build modern thermonuclear warheads based on stolen US design information, including the stolen W-88 design information, using processes similar to those developed or available in a modern aerospace or precision guided munitions industry.
Poseidon C3
On 18 January 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in a special message to the Congress that his administration proposed to develop a new missile for the FBM System POSEIDON. The POSEIDON C3 was to be 74 in. in diameter as compared to the 54 in. POLARIS. It was to be 3 ft longer than the 31 ft A3 and approximately 30,000 lb heavier. Despite this increase in size, the growth potential of the ballistic missile submarine launching system was to enable POSEIDON to fit into the same 16 launch tubes that carried POLARIS; modifications to the launch tubes and a new fire control system for the more complex MIRV targeting problem were to be required. POSEIDON was to carry twice the payload of the POLARIS A3 with significantly-improved accuracy.
The Poseidon C3 was a two-stage solid propellant missile with a length of 34.1 ft. 74 in. diameter with a range of approximately 2500 nm, weight of approximately 65,000 lb. The ES (forward of the SS) is 72 in. in diameter which separates from the booster. It is equipped with the missile all inertial guidance system, a solid-propellant gas generator PBCS and RVs. This provides maneuvering of the ES and ejection of reentry vehicles into ballistics trajectories to individual targets, MIRVs. Both rocket motors have fiberglass cases, with single movable nozzles. The second stage motor had six thrust termination ports (thrusting forward) which are activated at ES separation. Multiple individual-targeted small reentry vehicles (Mk 3) were developed as the POSEIDON payload.
The POSEIDON C3 could carry up to 14 of the small Mk 3 RVs. These could be targeted bodies and could be targeted independently in the MIRV mode. Trajectory loft options were available, and the range could be extended by off-loading portions of the payload. The Post Boost Control System (PBCS), colloquially known as the "Bus," gave a large attack The increased accuracy and flexibility of the weapon system would permit its use against a broader spectrum of possible targets and give added insurance of penetration of enemy defenses. As envisioned at that time, POSEIDON was to increase the system and force effectiveness of the FBM System by a factor of eight. This revolutionary multiple target per missile concept changed the course of national policy, strategic force structures, targeting doctrines, and operational planning. It also altered the quantitative and qualitative strategic balance.
Apart from the much-increased size and weight, the main difference between the POLARIS A3 and the POSEIDON C3 was the latter's capability of delivering reentry vehicles to single or multiple targets. Thus the principal area of development involved flight of the ES with the guidance system and reentry vehicles after they had separated from the booster. The ES's solid-propellant gas generator and associated steering capability allowed the guidance system to maneuver the ES and to eject reentry vehicles into ballistic trajectories to individual aim points.
Development of propulsion for C3 was undertaken by a joint venture of Hercules, Inc., and Thiokol Chemical Corporation. Both stages now had fiberglass cases. The first stage used a composite propellant and the second stage propellant was a double base. The C3 rocket motors were the first in the FBM program to feature single-movable nozzles actuated by a gas generator and by hydraulic power units.
Other work centered on the development of an advanced all-inertial guidance system. Initial evaluations of a stellar-inertial guidance system were conducted in early 1966. Advanced development of a Mk 4 stellar-inertial guidance system was started in 1968. This effort was of an essential element of a new operational capability which became fully matured in the TRIDENT I and II.
Lockheed entered a 1 year Concept Design Phase (CDP) from February 1965 to February 1966. In March 1966, full-scale engineering development (FSED) began. However it was not until 12 March 1968 that a contract was executed. The Navy awarded Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc. (LMSC) a $456.1 million cost-plus-incentive fee contract for development and production of the POSEIDON missile system. The contract represents one of the first awards made by the Navy Department providing for total operational system development and production (OSDP).
The contract called for 25 development (C3X) type flights to be followed by 5 Production Evaluation Missile (PEM) flights from an SSBN. The first C3X was launched from a flatpad at Cape Kennedy on 16 August 1968 several hours before the first Minuteman III launch. In view of the initial success of the development flights, the test plan was modified to 20 development flights versus 25. The PEMs remained at 5. Of these 20 flights, 13 were complete successes and 7 were failures. The last C3X flight was on 29 June 1970. This was followed on 17 July 1970 by the firsts submerged launch of a POSEIDON PEM successfully conducted from the USS James Madison (SSBN-627). The firing was observed by a Russian ship, LAPTEV, whose crew was unsuccessful in attempts to recover closure plate segments from the water after launch of the missile. The remaining 4 PEMs were also successfully launched from the SSBN-627.
Finally on 31 March 1971, the USS James Madison (SSBN-627) deployed from Charleston, South Carolina, for operational patrol with 16 tactical POSEIDON C3 missiles. Deployment of the USS James Madison (SSBN-627) introduced the POSEIDON missile into the nation's arsenal of operational deterrent weapons and brought to successful fruition the development program announced in January 1965 for a successor weapon system to POLARIS. POSEIDON incorporated substantial improvements in accuracy and resistance to counter-measures over previous generations of missiles, but its principal advantage was in its flexibility, which provided a capacity for delivery for multiple warheads, widely spaced, on separate targets over a variety of target footprints.
Polaris A1
The Polaris A1 weighed 28,800 lb, with a length 28.5 ft and diameter 54 in., it had a range of approximately 1000 nm. The first stage (18,400 lb) had a steel motor case; polyurethane propellant (15,200 lb) with ammonium percholorate (oxidizer) and aluminum additives. The second stage (9,400 lb) also used a steel motor case; polyurethane propellant (7,300 lb) with ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer) and aluminum additives.
The first major development problem in the A1X flight test program manifested itself in A1X-2, the second stage of which failed in the vicinity of No. 5 thrust termination port, due to overheating. It was an insulation and bonding problem, and was a continuation of the type of trouble experienced in earlier flight tests. This failure generated an extensive investigation of head end insulation and bonding. The head end fix with a continuous boot and potting solved one problem but introduced another, since later flights experienced thrust termination port failures; they did not open up and arrest the forward movement of the second stage, which continued on and bumped the reentry vehicle. The continuous boot was probably a major contributor to the anomaly. The solution to the new problem included scoring the boot around the periphery of each thrust termination port.
The launch of a Lockheed-built Polaris A1 Fleet Ballistic Missile was the first in history from a submerged submarine, the USS George Washington (SSBN 598). It occurred July 20, 1960, off Cape Canaveral, Florida, and within three hours a second Polaris test missile was launched. On November 15, 1960, the submarine and its 16 Polaris A1s began the first patrol.
On 2 June 1964, the USS George Washington (SSBN-598). returned to Charleston, South Carolina, to off-load missiles in preparation for overhaul at General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. This ended the initial deployment of the first FBM submarine, with POLARIS A1's which began in November 1960. Finally on 14 October 1965, the USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) returned to the U.S., completing her initial deployment. She was the last of the first five SSBNs carrying the POLARIS A1 to return to the U.S. for overhaul. This marked the official retirement of the POLARIS A1 missile from active fleet duty. These first five boats were being refitted to carry POLARIS A3 missiles.
@Nihonjin1051 @AUSTERLITZ @Slav Defence
