Seawolf (SSN-575) Class

The second nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Seawolf (SSN-575), which served from the early 1950s through 1987, was unique, and so can be considered the lead boat of the "Seawolf (SSN-575) class". Since she had no sister ships, however, there is no distinction between information about that boat and that "class", and references to Seawolf-class submarines may be safely assumed to refer to the three boats listed below, members of the Seawolf (SSN-21) class.

Seawolf (SSN-21) Class

The Seawolf-class attack submarines (SSN) are quieter than the previous Los Angeles class, faster, have more torpedo tubes, and carry more weapons. They use the more advanced AN/BSY-2 combat system, which includes a new larger spherical sonar array, a wide aperture array (WAA), and a new towed-array sonar. Originally intended as a fleet of 29 submarines to be built over a ten-year period, the end of the Cold War and budget constraints dropped that number to three and led to the design of the Virginia class submarine.

General Characteristics

• Builders: Electric Boat
• Displacement: 8060 tons dived, 7700 tons surfaced
• Length: 350 feet (107 m)
• Beam: 40 feet (12 m)
• Draft: 35 feet (11 m)
• Speed: 35 knots (65 km/h) dived, 20 knots (37 km/h) "silent"
• Propulsion: S6W reactor manufactured by General Electric
• Depth: 610 m
• Complement: 134, including 14 officers
• Armament: eight 30 inch (762 mm) torpedo tubes, 50 torpedoes and missiles, or 100 mines

Ships

• USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
• USS Connecticut (SSN-22)
• USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)