Virginia Class Submarines

The U.S. Navy ruled the waves in the 20th century. It met the challenge of World War II and emerged as the greatest navy in the world. And it has worked hard ever since to maintain its mastery of the seas. No navy on earth is its equal or even comes close. It owes its continued dominance, in part, to its submarines and the submariners who man them. About the start of the 21st century, however, both China and Russia expanded their submarine production. They now pose a threat to the U.S. Navy’s undersea superiority. Today, the Navy stands ready to meet any new undersea challenges from potential adversaries. A new underwater strike force has joined the fleet—the Virginia-class new attack submarines. They are designed to keep the Navy’s edge in undersea warfighting. Each boat—as submariners call them—represents engineering and technology elevated to the threshold of perfection. Adversaries beware!

Successors to the US Navy's Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines (presented in volume 1), the Seawolf- and Virginia-class SSNs are presented here from their initial design and construction, through testing and trials, to current operations. From its debut in 1997, the nuclear-powered Seawolf (SSN-21) represented the lead ship of the deadliest submarine ever to be constructed for the USN during the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the Seawolf-class SSNs were limited to the three that were under construction at the time, and the program was terminated. With only three in the class, the supersecret USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) is virtually off limits to any and all photography. The author's unprecedented access onboard a Seawolf-class SSN--the USS Connecticut (SSN-22)--is a first for the Navy and provides exclusive coverage found only in this book. In place of the Seawolf class, the Virginia-class attack submarine is an advanced stealth, multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep-ocean antisubmarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations.

The Navy has been procuring Virginia (SSN-774) class nuclear-powered attack submarines since FY1998. The two Virginia-class boats requested for procurement in FY2017 are to be the 25 and 26th boats in the class. The 10 Virginia-class boats programmed for procurement in FY2014FY2018 (two per year for five years) are being procured under a multiyear-procurement (MYP) contract. The Navy estimates the combined procurement cost of the two Virginia-class boats requested for procurement in FY2017 at $5,408.9 million, or an average of $2,704.5 million each. The boats have received a total of $1,623.3 million in prior-year advance procurement (AP) funding and $597.6 million in prior-year Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) funding. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget requests the remaining $3,188.0 million needed to complete the boats' estimated combined procurement cost. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $1,767.2 million in AP funding for Virginia-class boats to be procured in future fiscal years, bringing the total FY2017 funding request for the program (excluding outfitting and post-delivery costs) to $4,955.2 million. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $97.9 million in research and development funding for the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). The funding is contained in Program Element (PE) 0604580N, entitled Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which is line 128 in the Navy's FY2017 research and development account. The Navy plans to build some of the Virginia-class boats procured in FY2019 and subsequent years with an additional mid-body section, called the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), that contains four large-diameter, vertical launch tubes that the boats would use to store and fire additional Tomahawk cruise missiles or other payloads, such as large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The Navy's FY2017 30-year SSN procurement plan, if implemented, would not be sufficient to maintain a force of 48 SSNs consistently over the long run. The Navy projects under the plan that the SSN force would fall below 48 boats starting in FY2025, reach a minimum of 41 boats in FY2029, and remain below 48 boats through FY2036. Potential issues for Congress regarding the Virginia-class program include whether to procure an additional Virginia-class boat in FY2021 and, more generally, the Virginia-class procurement rate in coming years.

A crew of American naval submariners go up against an unidentified terrorist threat in this military thriller from a U.S. Navy veteran. The U.S.S. Virginia— the first in the most technologically advanced new class of U.S. attack submarines—sets sail, even as the Navy’s high-tech submarine program falls under attack from a Congress ready to cut military spending. But a threat no one anticipated is gliding silently through dangerous waters. A rogue Kilo-class submarine built by a shadowy and powerful ally has become the latest weapon in al Qaeda’s terrorist arsenal. The submarine’s brutal strikes have created a volatile hostage situation in the Pacific . . . and have left hundreds of people dead. This new and stealthy terrorist threat must be eliminated before more innocent lives are lost. But the officers, crew, and Navy SEALs aboard the Virginia will face more than they anticipated in the turbulent waters of the South China Sea—as one untried American sub races toward an explosive confrontation with a cunning, and ruthless enemy.

The Navy has been procuring Virginia (SSN-774) class nuclear-powered attack submarines since FY1998. The two Virginia-class boats requested for procurement in FY2017 are to be the 25th and 26th boats in the class. The 10 Virginia-class boats programmed for procurement in FY2014-FY2018 (two per year for five years) are being procured under a multiyear-procurement (MYP) contract. The Navy estimates the combined procurement cost of the two Virginia-class boats requested for procurement in FY2017 at $5,408.9 million, or an average of $2,704.5 million each. The boats have received a total of $1,623.3 million in prior-year advance procurement (AP) funding and $597.6 million in prior-year Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) funding. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget requests the remaining $3,188.0 million needed to complete the boats' estimated combined procurement cost. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $1,767.2 million in AP funding for Virginia-class boats to be procured in future fiscal years, bringing the total FY2017 funding request for the program (excluding outfitting and post-delivery costs) to $4,955.2 million. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $97.9 million in research and development funding for the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). The funding is contained in Program Element (PE) 0604580N, entitled Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which is line 128 in the Navy's FY2017 research and development account. The Navy plans to build some of the Virginia-class boats procured in FY2019 and subsequent years with an additional mid-body section, called the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), that contains four large-diameter, vertical launch tubes that the boats would use to store and fire additional Tomahawk cruise missiles or other payloads, such as large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The Navy's FY2017 30-year SSN procurement plan, if implemented, would not be sufficient to maintain a force of 48 SSNs consistently over the long run. The Navy projects under the plan that the SSN force would fall below 48 boats starting in FY2025, reach a minimum of 41 boats in FY2029, and remain below 48 boats through FY2036. Potential issues for Congress regarding the Virginia-class program include whether to procure an additional Virginia-class boat in FY2021 and, more generally, the Virginia-class procurement rate in coming years.

The U.S. Navy operates three types of submarines- nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), nuclear-powered cruise missile and special operations forces (SOF) submarines (SSGNs), and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs). This book provides background information and issues for Congress on the Virginia-class SSN program. The Navy's proposed FY2016 budget requests $5,340.1 million in procurement, advance procurement (AP), and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) funding for the program. Decisions that Congress makes on procurement of Virginia-class boats could substantially affect U.S. Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base. Furthermore, this book provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Ohio replacement program (ORP), a program to design and build a new class of 12 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the Navy's current force of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs. The Ohio replacement program is also known as the SSBN(X) program. The Navy wants to procure the first Ohio replacement boat in FY2021, with advance procurement (AP) funding starting in FY2017. The Navy has identified the Ohio replacement program as its top priority program.

The adoption of nuclear power revolutionized submarine design and means that vessels can stay underwater for months, trailing the enemy or training weapons on land targets from secret positions, “always there, never seen.” Jim Christley, a former submariner, explores here the influence of Admiral Hyman Rickover in cautiously introducing these stealthy machines of war, and frankly discusses the power and perils of using nuclear reactors at sea. Using unique and detailed artwork, he outlines the many evolving aspects of design within the submarine classes, from the very first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, to the classes under construction even now.

Explores The Most Complex And Lethal Weapon Ever Devised That Can Lurk In The Ocean, Travel Swiftly And Silently, And Deliver Sudden, Crushing Blows To An Opponent.