USS Ohio Submarine Spotted in Australia

The Navy’s fleet of Ohio-class boats represents the largest submarines ever constructed for the service.

Last month, one of the Navy’s four guided-missile nuclear submarines made an appearance in Australia. USS Ohio (SSGN-726) arrived in Brisbane in late July as part of its regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. Notably, Ohio’s emergence coincided with the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day, which marks the end of World War II. According to the Navy, this anniversary commemorates the shared history between Washington and Canberra. “During World War II, Brisbane served as a major submarine hub, hosting over 70 U.S. Navy submarines and three submarine tenders. Steeped in U.S. naval history, Brisbane continues to play a role in the shared history of the two nations, as evidenced by the Frank Cable’s visit,” the service said in a press release.

The Navy’s fleet of Ohio-class boats represents the largest submarines ever constructed for the service. American engineers conceptualized the Ohio boats during the height of the Cold War, as US officials required a new and advanced platform that could better counter the Soviet Union’s own fleet of submarines in the 1970s. Specifically, the Navy desired a new submarine class that could sport Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The initial Ohio submarines to reach operational capacity were equipped with 24 Trident I C4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Later submarines were armed with the three-stage Trident II D5 missile. In terms of armament power, the Ohio-class certainly provides the Navy with unparalleled strike capability.

Following the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, it was determined that the United States could reduce its nuclear load. Specifically, the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review determined that the existing Ohio SSBNs the Navy was operating at the time were excessive. Only 14 of these submarines were required to meet the strategic needs of the United States at the time. Instead of scrapping the remaining four Ohio vessels that were in service with the Navy, the decision was made to convert these submarines into SSGNs (cruise missile submarines.) As detailed by Military.com, “USS Ohio (SSGN 726) entered the shipyard on Nov. 15, 2002, completed conversion in December 2005 and deployed for the first time in October 2007. USS Florida (SSGN 728) commenced its refueling and conversion in August 2003 and returned to the fleet in April 2006. USS Michigan (SSGN 727) started its shipyard availability in October 2004 and delivered in November 2006. USS Georgia (SSGN 729) completed conversion in December 2007.”

The Ohio-class SSGNs are capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk land attack missiles (TLAMs) in addition to torpedo-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Notably, the vertical launch system tubes for the TLAMs can carry supplies, allowing these submarines to remain underway for longer stretches. The Navy’s Ohio-class SSGNs in total represent more than half of the service’s submarine force’s vertical launch payload capacity.

Considering the lethality of the Navy’s Ohio-class SSGNs and SSBNs, the presence of any of these top-tier submarines should serve as the ultimate deterrent to adversaries.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

Image: Wikimedia Commons.