AHC: Seawolf-class submarines not cancelled
- Thread starter Vingilótë
- Start date
That, or a desire to maintain the EB production line until the Virginia-class boats are ordered. Electric Boat was smarting over losing Seawolf, and the last six Trident boats (they were never formally ordered, and so weren't actually cancelled). Hull numbers SSBN-744 to 749 are still reserved for them...
I loved the SS-21s. That being said, they were for a different world. They were designed to go after Soviet fleets and gut them while having the ability to also go under the ice cap and find Soviet boomers.
The USSR collapsed and gutted their fleet without any help. The Russians also followed the late Soviet strategy of keeping their boats in easily defended bastions rather than pursuing the under ice strategy (probably a good idea since the ice is getting a bit thin).
With both reasons for existing gone, it was almost impossible to justify the cost of the SSN-21 boats. Procurement of 12 hulls was projected to price out at $33B (in 2002 dollars, right around $40B in 2013 dollars). The 774 Class (Virgina class) runs around $2.7B in current dollars or 19% less than the Seawolf and her sisters, despite have much more advanced electronics and sensors. Put at the most basic you can have five Virginias for the cost of four Seawolves. When you need 60+ boats, that is a serious savings.
The 774s are reputed to be more maneuverable, and even quieter than the SSN-21s, while being noticeably faster and having a greater test depth (good luck on finding out either figure, the USN hasn't changed the "official" published numbers since the Skipjack (SSN 585) and her sisters were launched).
The USSR collapsed and gutted their fleet without any help. The Russians also followed the late Soviet strategy of keeping their boats in easily defended bastions rather than pursuing the under ice strategy (probably a good idea since the ice is getting a bit thin).
With both reasons for existing gone, it was almost impossible to justify the cost of the SSN-21 boats. Procurement of 12 hulls was projected to price out at $33B (in 2002 dollars, right around $40B in 2013 dollars). The 774 Class (Virgina class) runs around $2.7B in current dollars or 19% less than the Seawolf and her sisters, despite have much more advanced electronics and sensors. Put at the most basic you can have five Virginias for the cost of four Seawolves. When you need 60+ boats, that is a serious savings.
The 774s are reputed to be more maneuverable, and even quieter than the SSN-21s, while being noticeably faster and having a greater test depth (good luck on finding out either figure, the USN hasn't changed the "official" published numbers since the Skipjack (SSN 585) and her sisters were launched).
And Seawolf technology did find its way into the Virginias anyway. Though the Naval Flight Officer I wanted to be is still angry with the then-CNO in 1993, ADM Frank Kelso, who went ahead with the second and third units of the class. It was either that, or pay for the A-6 rewinging and upgrade. He was a sub guy, so guess what he did? (I wanted to be an A-6 B/N at the time)
Delta Force
Banned
It would also allow for older submarines to be replaced without causing numbers to dip too much. Or alternatively, more submarines could be replaced by the more capable ones. The cancellation of the Seawolf class meant the United States lost a decade in submarine replacement timetables, leaving the Sturgeon and Los Angeles class submarines in service for longer than planned.