Skipjack class submarine
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | United States of America |
| Preceded by: | Skate class submarine |
| Succeeded by: | Thresher class submarine |
| Completed: | 6 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| Retired: | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
Surfaced:3075tons Submerged:3513tons |
| Length: | 251.7ft |
| Beam: | 31.5ft |
| Propulsion: |
1 S5W PWR 15,000shp 1 shaft |
| Speed: |
Surfaced:16knots Submerged:30+knots |
| Range: | unlimited except by food. |
| Complement: | 93 |
| Armament: | 6x21in torpedo tubes |
The Skipjack class of United States Navy nuclear attack submarine was the replacement for the Skate class. A new design from the keel up, they were the first submarines to use a nuclear reactor in an Albacore hull: a round hull with a single shaft. Placement of the bow planes on the sail greatly reduced flow noise at the bow-mounted sonar. Deep-diving and high speed capabilities were the result of HY-80 construction and the new S5W reactor.
The first Skipjack class was authorized in the FY 1956 new construction programmed with the first of the class commissioned in April 1959. Each hull cost around $40 million. The hull of USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was laid down twice as the original hull was redesigned to become the first US ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington (SSBN-598). Also, the material for building USS Scamp (SSN-588) was diverted into building USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) which delayed her progress.
The Skipjack class was not fitted with aft torpedoes because of the sharply tapering sterns. Two mk 45 ASTOR torpedoes with low yield tactical nuclear weapons were deployed on some of the boats. The Skipjack class was also the fastest submarines in the United States Navy until the Los Angeles class submarine entered service. The class also had their engine rooms (except for the reactor and steam turbines) duplicated to minimize total breakdown possibilities.
The Skipjack class submarines were withdrawn from service in the late 1980s and early 1990s except for Scorpion, which sank in the south west Azores while returning from a Mediterranean deployment.
[edit] References
Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day, By Robert Hutchinson.
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