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Ethan Allen-class submarine

{{Short description|United States Navy class of fleet ballistic missile submarines}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox ship begin}}

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image=USSEthanAllenSSBN-608.jpg

|Ship caption=USS Ethan Allen

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

|Name=Ethan Allen class

|Builders=*General Dynamics Electric Boat

  • Newport News Shipbuilding{{Cite web |url=https://fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssbn608_ethanallen.html |title="SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class FBM Submarines" from the FAS |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313151605/http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssbn608_ethanallen.html |url-status=dead }}

|Operators= {{naval|United States}}

|Class before={{sclass|George Washington|submarine|4}}

|Class after= {{sclass|Lafayette|submarine|4}}

|Subclasses=

|Built range=1959–1963

|In commission range=1961–1992

|Total ships building=

|Total ships planned=

|Total ships completed=5

|Total ships canceled=

|Total ships active=

|Total ships laid up=

|Total ships lost=

|Total ships retired=5

|Total ships preserved=

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

|Hide header=

|Header caption=

|Ship type=Ballistic missile submarine

|Ship displacement=Surfaced: {{convert|6946|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}

Submerged: {{convert|7884|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = United States Naval Institute | year = 1994 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | pages = 199–200, 244 | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}

|Ship length={{cvt|410|ft|4|in|m}}

|Ship beam={{cvt|33.1|ft|m}}

|Ship draught=

|Ship draft={{cvt|29|ft|10|in|m}}

|Ship propulsion=*1 S5W PWR

  • 2 geared steam turbines ({{convert|15000|shp|abbr=on}}),
  • 1 shaft

|Ship speed=*{{convert|16|kn|km/h}} surfaced

  • {{convert|22|kn|km/h}} submerged

|Ship range=

|Ship endurance=

|Ship test depth={{cvt|1300|ft|m}}

|Ship complement=12 officers and 128 enlisted (two crews, "Blue" and "Gold")

|Ship sensors=

|Ship EW=

|Ship armament=16 Polaris A2/A3 missiles, 4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes

|Ship notes=

}}

The Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine was an evolutionary development from the {{sclass|George Washington|submarine|4}}. The Ethan Allen, together with the George Washington, {{sclass|Lafayette|submarine|5}}, {{sclass|James Madison|submarine|5}}, and {{sclass|Benjamin Franklin|submarine|5}} classes comprised the "41 for Freedom" that were the Navy's main contribution to the nuclear deterrent force through the late 1980s.

Design

Rather than being designed as {{sclass|Skipjack|submarine|0}} attack submarines with a missile compartment added, the Ethan Allens were the first submarines designed "from the keel up" as Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines carrying the Polaris A-2 missile - the Ethan Allen-class was the first to be designed under project SCB 180, and the George Washington-class was a subsequent design (SCB 180A) made for a quickly implemented mobilization effort. They were functionally similar to the George Washingtons, but longer and more streamlined and with torpedo tubes reduced to four. In the early and mid-1970s, they were upgraded to Polaris A3s. Because their missile tubes could not be modified to carry the larger diameter Poseidon missile,

{{Citation

| last1=Polmar

| first1=Norman

| title=The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet

| publisher=Arms and Armour Press

| place=London

| edition=12th

| year=1981

| isbn=0-85368-397-2

| page=22

}} they were not further upgraded.

Conversions

To comply with SALT II treaty limitations as the {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|0}} ballistic missile submarines entered service, in the early 1980s the Ethan Allens were refitted and officially designated SSNs (fast attack submarines), but often referred to as a "slow approach". Their missile fire control systems were removed and the missile tubes were filled with concrete. Sam Houston and John Marshall were further converted to carry SEALs or other Special Operations Forces, accommodating 67 troops each with dry deck shelters to accommodate SEAL Delivery Vehicles or other equipment. The Ethan Allen-class submarines were decommissioned between 1983 and 1992.

{{Citation

| editor-last=Gardiner

| editor-first=Robert

| editor2-last=Chumbley

| editor2-first=Stephen

| title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995

| publisher=Naval Institute Press

| place=Annapolis, USA

| year=1995

| isbn=1-55750-132-7

| page=612

}}

All were disposed of through the nuclear Ship-Submarine Recycling Program 1992–1999.

Boats in class

Submarines of the Ethan Allen class:[http://www.submarinehistory.com/FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines.html California Center of Military History (dead link 2015-05-07)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927221928/http://www.submarinehistory.com/FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines.html |date=27 September 2013 }}

class="wikitable"

! Hull number

! Name

! Builder

! Laid down

! Launched

! Commissioned

! Decommissioned

! Fate

SSBN-608

|{{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608|2}}

|General Dynamics Electric Boat

|14 September 1959

|22 November 1960

|8 August 1961

|31 March 1983

|Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1999

SSBN-609

|{{USS|Sam Houston|SSBN-609|2}}

|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.

|28 December 1959

|2 February 1961

|6 March 1962

|6 September 1991

|Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1992

SSBN-610

|{{USS|Thomas A. Edison|SSBN-610|2}}

|General Dynamics Electric Boat

|15 March 1960

|15 June 1961

|10 March 1962

|1 December 1983

|Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1997

SSBN-611

|{{USS|John Marshall|SSBN-611|2}}

|rowspan="2" align="center" | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.

|4 April 1960

|15 July 1961

|21 May 1962

|22 July 1992

|Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1993

SSBN-618

|{{USS|Thomas Jefferson|SSBN-618|2}}

|3 February 1961

|24 February 1962

|4 January 1963

|24 January 1985

|Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1998

See also

References

{{reflist}}

  • {{DANFS}}

External links

{{Commons category|Ethan Allen class submarines}}

  • [http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/06idx.htm NavSource SSBN photo gallery index]
  • [https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-608.htm Federation of American Scientists]

{{Ethan Allen class submarine}}

{{US submarine classes after 1945}}

Category:Submarine classes

Ethan Allen class