List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

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 nameNo.Laid downLast comm.Notes
Alligator[1]118611862First submarine in the U.S. Navy. Purpose was to protect wooden ships against ironclads.
Holland[2][3]1189619005 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][5][6][7]719001903Later renamed A class in November 1911, when Navy stopped naming submarines. Essentially enlarged, more powerful Holland.
B[8][9][10][11]319051907Last in series of Holland-like submarines. Originally known as Viper class.
C[12]519051910Designed by Lawrence York Spear. Originally known as the Octopus class.
D[13]319081910Originally known as the Narwhal class. Designed to survive flooding in one compartment.
E[14]219091912First US Navy diesel-powered submarine. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
F[15]419091913In 1920, the class was designated SS-20–SS-23.
G[16][17][18][19]419091914Used 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[20][21]9191119183 originally ordered by U.S. Navy. 17 ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy, 11 delivered. Other 6 bought by U.S. Navy. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
K[22][23]819121912Known 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[24]1119141918The 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[25]119141918Double-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[26]719151918Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Used for coastal patrol.
O[27][28]1619161918Each 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[29]319161922Later 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 nameNo.Laid downLast comm.Notes
R[30][31]2019171918Larger 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[32]719171919Designed by Simon Lake. Generally similar to R class, but reverted to 18-inch torpedo tubes. Scrapped in 1930.
S5119171922The S class is subdivided into four groups of different designs.

Between the world wars

Between the world wars
Class nameNo.First ship laid downLast ship commissionedNotes
Barracuda3USS Barracuda (SS-163) and
USS Bass (SS-164)
20 October 1921		USS Bonita (SS-165)
22 May 1926
Argonaut11 May 19252 April 1928Unique submarine; mine-laying submarine
Narwhal2USS Narwhal (SS-167)
10 May 1927		USS Nautilus (SS-168)
1 July 1930
Dolphin114 June 19301 June 1932Unique submarine
Cachalot2USS Cachalot (SS-170)
7 October 1931		USS Cuttlefish (SS-171)
8 June 1934
Porpoise10USS Porpoise (SS-172)
24 October 1933		USS Pompano (SS-181)
12 June 1937
Salmon6USS Salmon (SS-182)
15 April 1936		USS Skipjack (SS-184)
30 June 1938
Sargo10USS Sargo (SS-188)
12 May 1937		USS Seawolf (SS-197)
1 December 1939
Tambor12USS Tambor (SS-198)
16 January 1939		USS Grayback (SS-208)
30 June 1941
Mackerel2USS Mackerel (SS-204)
6 October 1939		USS Marlin (SS-205)
1 August 1941
Gato77USS 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 nameNo.First ship laid downLast ship commissionedNotes
Balao120USS Devilfish (SS-292)
31 March 1942		USS Tiru (SS-416)
1 September 1948
Tench29USS 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 nameNo.First boat laid downLast boat commissionedNotes
Barracuda3USS Barracuda (SSK-1)
1 July 1949		USS Bonita (SSK-3)
11 January 1952
Tang6USS Tang (SS-563)
18 April 1949		USS Gudgeon (SS-567)
21 November 1952
Albacore115 March 19526 December 1953Unique submarine; teardrop hull form; no weapons
T-12USS 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
Nautilus114 June 195230 September 1954First nuclear submarine; hull design enlarged from fleet boat
Sailfish2USS Sailfish (SSR-572)
8 December 1953		USS Salmon (SSR-573)
25 August 1956		Radar picket
Grayback2USS Grayback (SSG-574)
1 July 1954		USS Growler (SSG-577)
30 August 1958
Seawolf17 December 195330 March 1957Unique submarine; liquid metal cooled (sodium) S2G reactor (replaced with a pressurized-water reactor in 1959)
Darter110 November 195420 October 1956Unique submarine
Skate4USS Skate (SSN-578)
21 July 1955		USS Seadragon (SSN-584)
5 December 1959
Barbel3USS Barbel (SS-580)
18 May 1956		USS Blueback (SS-581)
15 October 1959		U.S. Navy's last conventionally-powered submarines
Skipjack6USS 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.
Triton129 May 195610 November 1959Unique submarine; Radar picket
Halibut111 April 19574 January 1960Unique submarine; cruise missile submarine
Thresher/Permit14USS 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
Tullibee126 May 19589 November 1960Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
George Washington5USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
1 November 1957		USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602)
11 March 1961
Ethan Allen5USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608)
14 September 1959		USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618)
4 January 1963		Ethan Allen only SSBN to fire live missile and explode nuclear warhead at test range proving theory.
Lafayette9USS Lafayette (SSBN-616)
17 January 1961		USS John Adams (SSBN-620)
12 May 1964
James Madison10USS Daniel Boone (SSBN-629)
6 February 1962		USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636)
19 December 1964
Dolphin19 November 196217 August 1968Unique submarine; research and development; last operational U.S. Navy diesel-electric submarine; Decommissioned 15 January 2007
Sturgeon37USS 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 Franklin12USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640)
25 May 1963		USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659)
1 April 1967		Redesigned using lessons learned from loss of Thresher.
Narwhal117 January 196612 July 1969Unique submarine; natural circulation S5G reactor
Glenard P. Lipscomb15 June 197121 December 1974Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
Los Angeles62USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)
8 January 1972		USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)
13 September 1996
Ohio18USS Ohio (SSBN-726)
10 April 1976		USS Louisiana (SSBN-743)
6 September 1997
Seawolf3USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
25 October 1989		USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)
19 February 2005

Post–Cold War

Post–Cold War
Class nameNumber of boatsFirst boat laid downLast boat commissionedNotes
Virginia48 (planned)USS Virginia (SSN-774)
2 September 1999		15 commissioned as of May, 2018
Columbia12 (planned)USS Columbia (SSBN-826)
(Planned)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Alligator IV (Submarine)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "USS Holland (Submarine # 1) -- Construction". USN Ships. Department of the Navy. 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  3. ↑ "Holland I (SS-1)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "A-1 I (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "A-2 (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 3)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "A-5 (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 6)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. ↑ Friedman 1995, p. 28.
  8. ↑ "B class - Navy Ships". Military Factory. 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  9. ↑ "B-1". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  10. ↑ "B-3". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  11. ↑ John Pike. "SS-10 B-1 Viper".
  12. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-9 C-1 Octopus". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  13. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-17 D-1 Narwhal". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  14. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-24 E-1 Skipjack". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  15. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-20 F-1 Carp". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  16. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-19(1/2) G-1 Seal". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  17. ↑ "G-1". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  18. ↑ "G-4". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  19. ↑ "California Naval History: The City of Los Angeles . . . An Inland City with the First Submarine Base on the Pacific Coast". militarymuseum.org. 2002. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  20. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-28 H-1 Seawolf". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  21. ↑ "H-9". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  22. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-32 K-1 Haddock". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  23. ↑ "USS K-1 (Submarine # 32)". USN Ships. Department of the Navy. 2004-06-17. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  24. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-40 L-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  25. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-47 M-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  26. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-53 N-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  27. ↑ Pike, John (2005-06-08). "SS-62 O-1". Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  28. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-72 O-11". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  29. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-52 T-1 Schley". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  30. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-78 R-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  31. ↑ "R-20". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  32. ↑ Pike, John (2005-04-27). "SS-98 R-21". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  • Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.

General references

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

  • "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 2001-10-05. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  • Pike, John (2008-07-23). "Submarine Warfare". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
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