List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

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Submarines of the United States Navy are built in classes, using a single design for a number of boats. Minor variations occur as improvements are incorporated into the design, so later boats of a class may be more capable than earlier. Also, boats are modified, sometimes extensively, while in service, creating departures from the class standard. However, in general, all boats of a class are noticeably similar.

Experimental use: an example is USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which used an unprecedented hull design. In this list such single boat "classes" are marked with "(unique)".

Pre–World War I

Pre–World War I
Class name No. Laid down Last comm. Notes
Alligator[1] 1 1861 1862 First submarine in the U.S. Navy. Purpose was to protect wooden ships against ironclads.
Holland[2][3] 1 1896 1900 5 others were made; only Holland (SS-1) entered the U.S. Navy as it was the first officially commissioned submarine purchased on 11 April 1900.
Plunger[4] 7 1900 1903 Later renamed A class in November 1911, when Navy stopped naming submarines. Essentially enlarged, more powerful Holland.
B[5][6][7][8] 3 1905 1907 Last in series of Holland-like submarines. Originally known as Viper class.
C[9] 5 1905 1910 Designed by Lawrence York Spear. Originally known as the Octopus class.
D[10] 3 1908 1910 Originally known as the Narwhal class. Designed to survive flooding in one compartment.
E[11] 2 1909 1912 First US Navy diesel-powered submarine. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
F[12] 4 1909 1913 In 1920, the class was designated SS-20–SS-23.
G[13][14][15][16] 4 1909 1914 Used gasoline engine. G-1 (SS-19½) set the submerged depth record in 1915, 256 feet (78 m). G-1 (SS-19½) was given the number 19½ because SS- numbers were given after her decommissioning; she was between SS-19 & SS-20.
H[17][18] 9 1911 1918 Three originally ordered by U.S. Navy. 18 ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy, 12 delivered. Other 6 bought by U.S. Navy. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
K[19][20] 8 1912 1912 Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. K-1 (SS-32), K-2 (SS-33), K-5 (SS-36), K-6 (SS-37) were the first U.S. submarines to see action in World War I.
L[21] 11 1914 1918 The first US submarines with a deck gun. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Designed for coastal defense.
M-1[22] 1 1914 1918 Double-hull design. Twenty percent larger than the K class. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Considered failure by the submarine community.
N[23] 7 1915 1918 Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Used for coastal patrol.
O[24][25] 16 1916 1918 Each cost $550,000. First submarines with reliable diesel engines. Every man had his own berth and locker. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. O-11 through O-16 (built by Lake Torpedo Boat Company) also known as the "modified O-class". Modified boats proved to be disappointing and were scrapped in 1930.
AA-1[26] 3 1916 1922 Later renamed T class. Designed for 5,540 miles (8,920 km) at 14 knots (7.2 m/s), but performed 3,000 miles (4,800 km) at 11 knots (5.7 m/s). Prototype "fleet submarines"—submarines fast enough (21 knots (11 m/s)) to travel with battleships. Twice the size of any concurrent or past U.S. submarine. A poor tandem engine design caused the boats to be decommissioned by 1923 and scrapped in 1930.

World War I

World War I
Class name No. Laid down Last comm. Notes
R[27][28] 20 1917 1918 Larger conning tower to serve as commanding officer's battle station. Fired Mark 10 torpedoes and traveled 5,000 miles (8,000 km) at 10 knots (5.1 m/s).
R-21[29] 7 1917 1919 Designed by Simon Lake. Generally similar to R-class, but reverted to 18" torpedo tubes. Scrapped in 1930.
S 51 1917 1922 The S class is subdivided into four groups of different designs.

Between the world wars

Between the world wars
Class name No. First ship laid down Last ship commissioned Notes
Barracuda 3 USS Barracuda (SS-163) and
USS Bass (SS-164)
20 October 1921		 USS Bonita (SS-165)
22 May 1926
Argonaut 1 1 May 1925 2 April 1928 Unique submarine; mine-laying submarine
Narwhal 2 USS Narwhal (SS-167)
10 May 1927		 USS Nautilus (SS-168)
1 July 1930
Dolphin 1 14 June 1930 1 June 1932 Unique submarine
Cachalot 2 USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)
7 October 1931		 USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)
8 June 1934
Porpoise 10 USS Porpoise (SS-172)
24 October 1933		 USS Pompano (SS-181)
12 June 1937
Salmon 6 USS Salmon (SS-182)
15 April 1936		 USS Skipjack (SS-184)
30 June 1938
Sargo 10 USS Sargo (SS-188)
12 May 1937		 USS Seawolf (SS-197)
1 December 1939
Tambor 12 USS Tambor (SS-198)
16 January 1939		 USS Grayback (SS-208)
30 June 1941
Mackerel 2 USS Mackerel (SS-204)
6 October 1939		 USS Marlin (SS-205)
1 August 1941
Gato 77 USS Drum (SS-228)
11 September 1940		 USS Croaker (SS-246)
21 April 1944		 USS-Drum was only boat actually commissioned before US Entry to WWII

World War II

World War II
Class name No. First ship laid down Last ship commissioned Notes
Balao 128 USS Devilfish (SS-292)
31 March 1942		 USS Tiru (SS-416)
1 September 1948
Tench 29 USS Amberjack (SS-522), USS Grampus (SS-523), USS Pickerel (SS-524), and USS Grenadier (SS-525)
8 February 1944		 USS Grenadier (SS-525)
10 February 1951		 51 cancelled

Cold War

Cold War
Class name No. First ship laid down Last ship commissioned Notes
Barracuda 3 USS Barracuda (SSK-1)
1 July 1949		 USS Bonita (SSK-3)
11 January 1952
Tang 6 USS Tang (SS-563)
18 April 1949		 USS Gudgeon (SS-567)
21 November 1952
Albacore 1 15 March 1952 6 December 1953 Unique submarine; teardrop hull form
T-1 2 USS T-1, later USS Mackerel (SST-1)
1 April 1952		 USS T-2, later USS Marlin (SST-2)
20 November 1953		 Training and experimental submarines
Nautilus 1 14 June 1952 30 September 1954 First nuclear submarine; hull design enlarged from fleet boat
Sailfish 2 USS Sailfish (SSR-572)
8 December 1953		 USS Salmon (SSR-573)
25 August 1956		 Radar picket
Grayback 2 USS Grayback (SSG-574)
1 July 1954		 USS Growler (SSG-577)
30 August 1958
Seawolf 1 7 December 1953 30 March 1957 Unique submarine; liquid metal cooled (sodium) S2G reactor (replaced with a pressurized-water reactor in 1959)
Darter 1 10 November 1954 20 October 1956 Unique submarine
Skate 4 USS Skate (SSN-578)
21 July 1955		 USS Seadragon (SSN-584)
5 December 1959
Barbel 3 USS Barbel (SS-580)
18 May 1956		 USS Blueback (SS-581)
15 October 1959		 U.S. Navy's last conventionally powered submarines
Skipjack 6 USS Skipjack (SSN-585)
29 May 1956		 USS Snook (SSN-592)
24 October 1961		 First combat submarine class with teardrop hull form. USS Scorpion lost at sea 1968.
Triton 1 29 May 1956 10 November 1959 Unique submarine; Radar picket
Halibut 1 11 April 1957 4 January 1960 Unique submarine; cruise missile submarine
Thresher/Permit 14 USS Thresher (SSN-593)
28 May 1958		 USS Gato (SSN-615)
25 January 1968		 First class with bow sonar sphere. Known as Thresher class until the loss of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) in 1963
Tullibee 1 26 May 1958 9 November 1960 Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
George Washington 5 USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
1 November 1957		 USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602)
11 March 1961
Ethan Allen 5 USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608)
14 September 1959		 USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618)
4 January 1963
Lafayette 9 USS Lafayette (SSBN-616)
17 January 1961		 USS John Adams (SSBN-620)
12 May 1964
James Madison 10 USS Daniel Boone (SSBN-629)
6 February 1962		 USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636)
19 December 1964
Dolphin 1 9 November 1962 17 August 1968 Unique submarine; research and development; last operational U.S. Navy diesel-electric submarine
Sturgeon 37 USS Sturgeon (SSN-637)
10 August 1963		 USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687)
16 August 1975		 Redesign of Thresher/Permit class using lessons learned from loss of Thresher.
Benjamin Franklin 12 USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640)
25 May 1963		 USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659)
1 April 1967		 Redesigned using lessons learned from loss of Thresher.
Narwhal 1 17 January 1966 12 July 1969 Unique submarine; natural circulation S5G reactor
Glenard P. Lipscomb 1 5 June 1971 21 December 1974 Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
Los Angeles 62 USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)
8 January 1972		 USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)
13 September 1996
Ohio 18 USS Ohio (SSBN-726)
10 April 1976		 USS Louisiana (SSBN-743)
6 September 1997
Seawolf 3 USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
25 October 1989		 USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)
19 February 2005

Post–Cold War

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See also: Ohio Replacement Submarine
Post–Cold War
Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned Notes
Virginia 48 (planned) USS Virginia (SSN-774)
2 September 2000		 12 commissioned as of Dec, 2015

See also

References

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General references

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

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