Los Angeles-class submarine: built to fight Russia (just like World War III)

Summary and 5 points you should know: The Los Angeles-class submarine, or 688-class, was developed in response to advanced Soviet submarine technology of the 1960s.

-These fast, nuclear-powered submarines entered service in 1976 and were designed to protect U.S. aircraft carriers and counter Soviet threats.

-The Los Angeles class has proven itself highly effective over the decades due to its impressive speed, stealth and firepower, including torpedoes, cruise missiles and mines.

– Today, 26 of these submarines remain in service, making them the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s fast attack fleet.

-Despite some program challenges, the Los Angeles class has proven vital to U.S. Naval supremacy and continues to play an important role in national security.

Developed in response to the advanced Soviet submarines of the 1960s, the Los Angeles class features improved speed, stealth capabilities and armament.

These submarines carry torpedoes, cruise missiles, and mines, which pose a threat to submarines, surface ships, and land targets. Despite some problems, the Los Angeles class has been a highly successful and enduring platform for the U.S. Navy since its introduction.

The Los Angeles class is a vaunted nuclear fast attack submarine, also known as the 688 class. The original 688 class was built from 1972 to 1996 before an improved 688i version was designed.

Today, there are 26 Los Angeles-class submarines in service, meaning there are more active Los Angeles-class submarines than any other class of submarine in the world. And the U.S. Navy, which has the most impressive fleet of nuclear submarines in the world, has 50 fast attack submarines, meaning the Los Angeles-class comprises more than fifty percent of the U.S. Navy’s fast attack fleet. Needless to say, the Los Angeles is an absolute powerhouse.

Introduction of the Los Angeles class to the US Navy

Historically, U.S. attack submarines were named after sea creatures, such as the Seawolf or the Shark. But the Los Angeles class, which consists of individual submarines such as the Albany, New York, Los Angeles and Tucson, are clearly named after U.S. states and cities. When asked about the name change, Hyman Rickover, known as the “father of the nuclear navy,” joked that “fish don’t vote.”

Development of the Los Angeles class was spurred in the 1960s when U.S. intelligence noted the increasing sophistication of Soviet submarine technology, which was beginning to threaten U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. In particular, Soviet fast-attack submarines had developed the ability to operate at speeds sufficient to keep pace with U.S. carriers. Meanwhile, new Soviet missile submarines were being developed with the potential to overwhelm U.S. missile defenses. The American response: the Los Angeles class, which entered development in 1967.

The Los Angeles was based on the older Sturgeon-class submarine, although the Los Angeles was 50 percent larger than the Sturgeon and featured significant improvements in stealth technology and overall speed, allowing the Los Angeles to keep pace with American aircraft carriers and Russian fast attack submarines.

The specifications of the Los Angeles submarines

The Los Angeles was designed to be fast, and the Los Angeles is indeed fast. Although the Department of Defense has announced the Los Angeles’ top speed as over 25 knots, the submarine’s true maximum speed remains a secret.

Prolific military author Tom Clancy once speculated, in Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, that the Los Angeles could actually reach speeds of 37 knots. Whatever the Los Angeles’s actual top speed was, we know it was high, and we can surmise that it matched or exceeded the speeds of the Soviet attack submarines that prompted the Los Angeles’s design in the first place.

To achieve her rated top speed, Los Angeles relies on a General Electric S6G pressurized water reactor. The reactor’s cooling water heats water held in steam generators, which produces enough steam to power the propulsion turbines and turbine generators for ship service.

Like its top speed, the actual operating depth of the Los Angeles is also unclear. The U.S. Navy has stated that the submarine’s maximum operating depth is 650 feet. However, Patrick Tyler claimed in his book Running Critical that the Los Angeles can operate at depths of up to 950 feet. Tyler, who cited the 688-class design committee for his depth figure (the committee has not commented on Tyler’s claim), gives a conservative figure compared to Jane’s. The book Jane’s Fighting Ships, edited by Commodore Stephen Saunders of the Royal Navy, gives the Los Angeles as having a maximum operating depth of 1,475 feet.

For obvious and valid reasons, it appears that the US government has concealed the true specifications of the Los Angeles-class submarine.

The weapons of the Los Angeles submarines

The Los Angeles is, after all, a weapon. And fittingly enough, the submarine can carry about 25 weapons on torpedo tubes, in addition to the Mark 67 and Mark 60 CAPTOR mines it carries. From the torpedo tubes, the Los Angeles can of course launch torpedoes and a variety of cruise missiles, including Tomahawks and Harpoons.

The Los Angeles therefore poses a threat not only to enemy submarines and surface vessels, but also to targets on land.

To detect enemy weapons systems, the Los Angeles is equipped with a variety of sensors and sonars. For example, the AN/BQQ-5 sensor suite gives the Los Angeles sonar capability. The AN-BQQ-5 was based on the previous AN-BQQ-2 sonar system. The sonar system is fed by 104 to 156 hydrophones and two towed arrays.

The improved variant of the 688i was equipped with the advanced AN-BSY-1 SUBACS anti-submarine warfare system, which used an AN-BQQ-5E sensor system. Unfortunately, the AN-BSY-1 SUBACS was a problematic program, resulting in cost overruns and schedule delays.

Issues aside, the Los Angeles class has been a highly successful platform for the U.S. Navy. And while much of the submarines’ participation in U.S. foreign policy has been covert, it’s safe to assume that the Los Angeles class has played an active role in U.S. conflict (and conflict avoidance) over the past half century.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a prolific defense attorney with over 1,000 published articles. Harrison is an attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a pilot trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

All images are Creative Commons.