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Nuclear submarines - comparison projects

Nuclear submarines - comparison projects

The renowned beekeeper Albert Einstein once famously said, «As long as bees survive, so too will the human race.» In a sense, the same can be said of nuclear submarines. These missile- and nuclear-armed bees toil day and night, plowing the depths of the world's oceans, and the strategic survival of any power depends on them. But what do we know about submarines and whose nuclear «stingers» are more powerful?

American Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines

Ohio-class nuclear submarines are an impressive 170 meters long—almost the length of one and a half football fields—and are considered among the quietest submarines in the world. But what makes them unique is not this, but the number of nuclear missiles they carry—24. No other submarine on the planet can boast such an arsenal.

Nuclear submarines first set sail in the early 1980s and are still sailing the world's oceans. The first Ohio-class nuclear submarine was commissioned in November 1981, and the eighteenth and final submarine, the Louisiana, was commissioned in the fall of 1997.

Despite their impressive size, these submarines are very difficult to detect because they are virtually silent. American shipbuilders achieved this through the submarine's special lightweight hull design. A light hull is the outer shell of a nuclear submarine, completely enclosing the main hull and making the submarine streamlined. The space between the hulls is filled with water, making the submarine buoyant and highly maneuverable. It is this design feature of American submarines that makes them so silent that enemy sonar systems are virtually unable to detect them.

During patrols, even the helmsmen don't know the submarine's location; only a few people do. Extreme secrecy prevents the submarine from being detected. Ohio-class nuclear submarines can remain submerged for an almost unlimited period; the only limitation is their food supply. A nuclear submarine's nuclear fuel lasts for 20 years.

But the pride of these nuclear submarines, which earned them another name for their class, is their Trident ballistic missiles. Each is 13 meters long and weighs 65 tons. They possess truly destructive power and can destroy an enemy at a range of up to 10,000 km. The Trident missile is equipped with ten independent nuclear warheads, each of which can be individually targeted. Thus, a single nuclear submarine can monitor a vast area with a diameter of 20,000 km. The submarine has a crew of 172.

However, in accordance with the START II Treaty, US military experts will soon reequip Ohio-class nuclear submarines, replacing their Trident nuclear missiles with Tomahawk missiles. Experts believe that the oldest submarines, the USS Ohio (SSBN 726), USS Michigan (SSBN 727), USS Florida (SSBN 728), and USS Georgia (SSBN 729), will be without nuclear missiles. This will not upset the balance of US nuclear power, as 50 percent of America's nuclear missile potential will remain in the depths of the world's oceans.

The American strategic nuclear submarine OhioThe American strategic nuclear submarine Ohio

Thanks to new visions for the future of American naval power, it would be unwise to leave the modern and very expensive Ohio-class nuclear submarines idle, much less scrap them. Therefore, without their main battery, the submarines will be converted into large multipurpose submarines with nuclear propulsion. According to military experts, the Ohio-class submarines will be adapted for conflicts anywhere on the planet. The continental shelf and shallow waters will become the stage for their new theater of operations. The powerful Ohio-class nuclear submarines will carry an entire arsenal of Tomahawk missiles, exceeding 130 units. This capability will be fully consistent with the new US littoral strategy. American analysts are confident that no country in the world will be able to block a massive Tomahawk strike, especially since a new generation of these cruise missiles is expected to emerge in the coming years. Their range will double and their flight speed will increase fivefold. 21st century Tomahawk missiles will be supersonic and, if necessary, can be retargeted mid-flight to other targets.

Akula-class strategic nuclear submarines

In Russia, the Severstal Akula-class third-generation submarine can rival American nuclear submarines. Built in 1989, it is the largest submarine in the world, exactly twice the size of the Ohio-class submarines. It has a crew of 150. The interior is so spacious that the submarine even has a sauna.

Submarines of this class (NATO classification: Typhoon) carry true giants: Variant ballistic missiles, which weigh up to 90 tons. Each carries 10 independently targetable nuclear warheads, which can be launched within seconds of each other. This means it can unleash a veritable torrent of power and fire on the enemy. But most importantly, the force of such a strike would be 1,400 times greater than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. No air defense system in the world could repel such an attack. True, this missile has a range of 8,500 km, but even that is sufficient to destroy a target on another continent. The Akula nuclear submarine carries 20 of these missiles. Furthermore, Variant intercontinental ballistic missiles can be launched from a depth of 55 meters, the best in the world. Even adverse weather conditions cannot hinder successful salvos. This submarine's armament is so powerful that during the Cold War, NATO surface ships, as well as special submarines known as hunters, closely monitored nuclear submarines of this class.

Strategic nuclear submarine AkulaStrategic nuclear submarine Akula

Unlike Russian nuclear submarines, American submarines are designed to operate in the open ocean in relatively warm latitudes. The Akula-class submarines, however, were specifically designed to navigate beneath the Arctic ice, allowing their conning towers to penetrate ice up to 2.5 meters thick. Today, Akula-class submarines have been refitted for testing the new Bulava ballistic missile. Three of the submarines have been decommissioned, and the remaining two are still in service with the Russian Navy, but they are moored and do not sail.

Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine

To replace the giant Akula-class submarines, the Russian Navy received a new Borey-class nuclear submarine. The first submarine of this type was launched in 2010. Many of its production technologies are classified, but one thing is known: the new submarine is one and a half times faster than its predecessors and can reach a speed of 35 knots underwater. The modern submarines will also be armed with Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Strategic nuclear submarine BoreyStrategic nuclear submarine Borey

Stealth and speed make nuclear submarines a formidable weapon. As long as the ocean depths remain inaccessible to sonar, submarines will remain the most treacherous weapon of war on our planet.

See also:
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The submarine Type VII-class
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At 21 minutes to eight in the evening of 3 September 1939, the SS Asthenia, outward bound from Liverpool to Montreal with 1400 passengers, was struck by a torpedo. This was the first attack in the Second World War to be made by the German Navy, and the torpedo was fired by U-30 type VII U-boat, commissioned in 1936. On 10 July 1945, the British st...
First submarine designed in 1578
First submarine designed in 1578
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) made sketches of a submarine and William Bourne, a British mathematician, drew plans for a submarine in 1578. But it was only in 1620 that Cornelius van Drebbel, a Dutch inventor, managed to build a submarine. He wrapped a wooden rowboat tightly in waterproof leather and had air tubes with floats to the surface to prov...
The last submarine U-995 type VIIC
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