Sad Fact: The U.S. Navy Only Has 3 Seawolf-Class Submarines
Story by Christian Orr • 2h ago
Why are there so few Seawolf-Class submarines?: In Mother Nature, “seawolf” is another name for the Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus), a rather gruesome-looking sea creature that survives in waters with temperatures as low -1 to 11°C. It preys upon hardshell crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms.
The animal’s namesake in the world of nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines (SSNs), the U.S. Navy’s Seawolf-class submarines, can also survive extremely cold waters. They are deadly predators to would-be seagoing adversaries. However, the Seawolf subs would also probably qualify for the Endangered Species List due to the fact that so few were built, especially in relation to how many were planned.
Spawning the Seawolf Subs
The Seawolfs (or would that be Seawolves?) were conceived as the intended successor to the U.S. Navy’s venerable Los Angeles-class SSNs, which were commissioned between 1974 and 1996. Design work on the Seawolf class at the General Dynamics Electric Boat company began at the height of the Cold War in 1983, with the notional intention of going toe-to-toe with the Soviet ballistic missiles submarines (SSBNs) such as the Typhoon class and attack subs such as the Akula-class boats.
However, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting “peace dividend” threw a proverbial wrench into the works and cast some serious doubts on the future viability of the Seawolf project. As the Seaforces-online website explains:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sad-fact-the-u-s-navy-only-has-3-seawolf-class-submarines/ar-AA15MECM?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=625b3e60a0254b1fb55fc0968e69ea1f
