List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

Submarines of the United States Navy are built in classes, using a single design for a number of boats. Minor variations occur as improvements are incorporated into the design, so later boats of a class may be more capable than earlier. Also, boats are modified, sometimes extensively, while in service, creating departures from the class standard. However, in general, all boats of a class are noticeably similar.

Experimental use: an example is USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which used an unprecedented hull design. In this list such single boat "classes" are marked with "(unique)".

Pre–World War I

Pre–World War I

Class name	No.	Laid down	Last comm.	Notes
Alligator^[1]	1	1861	1862	First submarine in the U.S. Navy. Purpose was to protect wooden ships against ironclads.
Holland^[2]^[3]	1	1896	1900	5 others were made; only Holland (SS-1) entered the U.S. Navy as it was the first officially commissioned submarine purchased on 11 April 1900.
Plunger^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]	7	1900	1903	Later renamed A class in November 1911, when Navy stopped naming submarines. Essentially enlarged, more powerful Holland.
B^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]	3	1905	1907	Last in series of Holland-like submarines. Originally known as Viper class.
C^[12]	5	1905	1910	Designed by Lawrence York Spear. Originally known as the Octopus class.
D^[13]	3	1908	1910	Originally known as the Narwhal class. Designed to survive flooding in one compartment.
E^[14]	2	1909	1912	First US Navy diesel-powered submarine. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
F^[15]	4	1909	1913	In 1920, the class was designated SS-20–SS-23.
G^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]	4	1909	1914	Used gasoline engine. G-1 (SS-19½) set the submerged depth record in 1915, 256 feet (78 m). G-1 (SS-19½) was given the number 19½ because SS- numbers were given after her decommissioning; she was between SS-19 & SS-20.
H^[20]^[21]	9	1911	1918	3 originally ordered by U.S. Navy. 17 ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy, 11 delivered. Other 6 bought by U.S. Navy. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape.
K^[22]^[23]	8	1912	1912	Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. K-1 (SS-32), K-2 (SS-33), K-5 (SS-36), K-6 (SS-37) were the first U.S. submarines to see action in World War I.
L^[24]	11	1914	1918	The first US submarines with a deck gun. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Designed for coastal defense.
M-1^[25]	1	1914	1918	Double-hull design. Twenty percent larger than the K class. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Considered failure by the submarine community.
N^[26]	7	1915	1918	Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. Used for coastal patrol.
O^[27]^[28]	16	1916	1918	Each cost $550,000. First submarines with reliable diesel engines. Every man had his own berth and locker. Known as "pig boats", or "boats", due to foul living quarters and unusual hull shape. O-11 through O-16 (built by Lake Torpedo Boat Company) also known as the "modified O-class". Modified boats proved to be disappointing and were scrapped in 1930; Lake went out of business in 1925.
AA-1^[29]	3	1916	1922	Later renamed T class. Designed for 5,540 miles (8,920 km) at 14 knots (7.2 m/s), but performed 3,000 miles (4,800 km) at 11 knots (5.7 m/s). Prototype "fleet submarines"—submarines fast enough (21 knots (11 m/s)) to travel with battleships. Twice the size of any concurrent or past U.S. submarine. A poor tandem engine design caused the boats to be decommissioned by 1923 and scrapped in 1930.

World War I

World War I

Class name	No.	Laid down	Last comm.	Notes
R^[30]^[31]	20	1917	1918	Larger conning tower to serve as commanding officer's battle station. Fired Mark 10 torpedoes and traveled 5,000 miles (8,000 km) at 10 knots (5.1 m/s).
R-21^[32]	7	1917	1919	Designed by Simon Lake. Generally similar to R class, but smaller and reverted to 18-inch torpedo tubes. Scrapped in 1930; Lake went out of business in 1925.
S	51	1917	1922	The S class is subdivided into four groups of different designs.

Interwar

Interwar

Class name	No.	First ship laid down	Last ship commissioned	Notes
Barracuda	3	USS Barracuda (SS-163) and USS Bass (SS-164) 20 October 1921	USS Bonita (SS-165) 22 May 1926
Argonaut	1	1 May 1925	2 April 1928	Unique submarine; mine-laying submarine
Narwhal	2	USS Narwhal (SS-167) 10 May 1927	USS Nautilus (SS-168) 1 July 1930
Dolphin	1	14 June 1930	1 June 1932	Unique submarine
Cachalot	2	USS Cachalot (SS-170) 7 October 1931	USS Cuttlefish (SS-171) 8 June 1934
Porpoise	10	USS Porpoise (SS-172) 24 October 1933	USS Pompano (SS-181) 12 June 1937
Salmon	6	USS Salmon (SS-182) 15 April 1936	USS Skipjack (SS-184) 30 June 1938
Sargo	10	USS Sargo (SS-188) 12 May 1937	USS Seawolf (SS-197) 1 December 1939
Tambor	12	USS Tambor (SS-198) 16 January 1939	USS Grayback (SS-208) 30 June 1941
Mackerel	2	USS Mackerel (SS-204) 6 October 1939	USS Marlin (SS-205) 1 August 1941
Gato	77	USS Drum (SS-228) 11 September 1940	USS Croaker (SS-246) 21 April 1944	USS Drum was only boat actually commissioned before US Entry to WWII

World War II

World War II

Class name	No.	First ship laid down	Last ship commissioned	Notes
Balao	120	USS Devilfish (SS-292) 31 March 1942	USS Tiru (SS-416) 1 September 1948	62 cancelled
Tench	29	USS Amberjack (SS-522), USS Grampus (SS-523), USS Pickerel (SS-524), and USS Grenadier (SS-525) 8 February 1944	USS Grenadier (SS-525) 10 February 1951	51 cancelled

Cold War

Diesel-Electric Submarines (SSs, SSKs, and SSGs)

Class Name						No.		First boat laid down						Last boat commissioned								Notes																																			Silhouette/Image
Barracuda						3		USS Barracuda (SSK-1) 1 July 1949						USS Bonita (SSK-3) 11 January 1952
Tang						6		USS Tang (SS-563) 18 April 1949						USS Gudgeon (SS-567) 21 November 1952
Grayback						2		USS Grayback (SSG-574) 1 July 1954						USS Growler (SSG-577) 30 August 1958								Regulus missile submarines
Darter						1		10 November 1954						20 October 1956								Unique submarine
Barbel						3		USS Barbel (SS-580) 18 May 1956						USS Blueback (SS-581) 15 October 1959								First production submarines with teardrop hull. U.S. Navy's last conventionally-powered submarines

Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSNs)

Class Name	No.	First boat laid down	Last boat commissioned	Notes	Silhouette/Image
Nautilus	1	14 June 1952	30 September 1954	First nuclear submarine; hull design enlarged from fleet boat
Seawolf	1	7 December 1953	30 March 1957	Unique submarine; liquid metal cooled (sodium) S2G reactor (replaced with a pressurized-water reactor in 1959)
Skate	4	USS Skate (SSN-578) 21 July 1955	USS Seadragon (SSN-584) 5 December 1959
Skipjack	6	USS Skipjack (SSN-585) 29 May 1956	USS Snook (SSN-592) 24 October 1961	First nuclear submarine class with teardrop hull form. USS Scorpion lost at sea 1968.
Thresher/Permit	14	USS Thresher (SSN-593) 28 May 1958	USS Gato (SSN-615) 25 January 1968	First class with bow sonar sphere. Known as Thresher class until the loss of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) in 1963
Tullibee	1	26 May 1958	9 November 1960	Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
Sturgeon	37	USS Sturgeon (SSN-637) 10 August 1963	USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687) 16 August 1975	Redesign of Thresher/Permit class using lessons learned from loss of Thresher.
Narwhal	1	17 January 1966	12 July 1969	Unique submarine; natural circulation S5G reactor
Glenard P. Lipscomb	1	5 June 1971	21 December 1974	Unique submarine; turbo-electric transmission
Los Angeles	62	USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) 8 January 1972	USS Cheyenne (SSN-773) 13 September 1996
Seawolf	3	USS Seawolf (SSN-21) 25 October 1989	USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) 19 February 2005	Planned successor of Los Angeles class. High costs caused only three to be built.

Nuclear Cruise Missile Submarines (SSGNs)

Note: Several boats were converted into cruise missile submarines after construction, the USS Halibut was the only purpose built SSGN of the US Navy

Class Name					No.		First boat laid down							Last boat commissioned									Notes																											Picture/Silhouette
Halibut					1		11 April 1957							4 January 1960									Unique submarine; Regulus missile submarine

Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs)

Class Name	No.	First boat laid down	Last boat commissioned	Notes	Picture/Silhouette
George Washington	5	USS George Washington (SSBN-598) 1 November 1957	USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) 11 March 1961
Ethan Allen	5	USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) 14 September 1959	USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618) 4 January 1963	Ethan Allen was the only SSBN to fire live missile and detonate nuclear warhead at test range proving theory.
Lafayette	9	USS Lafayette (SSBN-616) 17 January 1961	USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626) 09 April 1964
James Madison	10	USS Daniel Boone (SSBN-629) 6 February 1962	USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) 19 December 1964
Benjamin Franklin	12	USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) 25 May 1963	USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659) 1 April 1967	Redesigned using lessons learned from loss of Thresher.
Ohio	18	USS Ohio (SSBN-726) 10 April 1976	USS Louisiana (SSBN-743) 6 September 1997

Deep-submergence vehicles (DSVs)

Class Name	No.	First boat laid down	Last boat commissioned	Notes	Picture/Silhouette
Trieste class	2	Trieste (DSV-0) 1958	Trieste II (DSV-1) 1969	The Trieste was the first submarine which reached the Challenger Deep by Swiss Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh in 1960.
Alvin class	4	Alvin (DSV-2) 5 June 1964	Nemo (DSV-5) 1970
NR-1	1	10 June 1967	27 October 1969

Miscellaneous Submarines (SSTs, SSRs, AGSSs & SSRNs)

Class Name	No.	First boat laid down	Last boat commissioned	Notes
Albacore	1	15 March 1952	6 December 1953	Unique submarine; teardrop hull form; no weapons
T-1	2	USS T-1, later USS Mackerel (SST-1) 1 April 1952	USS T-2, later USS Marlin (SST-2) 20 November 1953	Training and experimental submarines
Sailfish	2	USS Sailfish (SSR-572) 8 December 1953	USS Salmon (SSR-573) 25 August 1956	Radar picket
Triton	1	29 May 1956	10 November 1959	Unique submarine; Radar picket
Dolphin	1	9 November 1962	17 August 1968	Unique submarine; research and development for deep diving technologies; last operational U.S. Navy diesel-electric submarine; Decommissioned 15 January 2007

Post–Cold War

Post–Cold War

Class name	Number of boats	First boat laid down	Last boat commissioned	Notes
Virginia	48 (planned)	USS Virginia (SSN-774) 2 September 1999	USS Montana (SSN-794) June 25, 2022	21 commissioned as of June 2022^[update]
Columbia	12 (planned)	USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826) (planned)

See also

• Submarines in the United States Navy
• List of submarines of the United States Navy
  • List of Gato class submarines
  • List of Balao class submarines
  • List of Tench class submarines
  • List of Sturgeon class submarines
  • List of Los Angeles class submarines
• List of most successful American submarines in World War II
• Allied submarines in the Pacific War
• List of submarines of the Second World War
• List of ship classes of the Second World War
• List of United States Navy ships

External links

• youtube.com USS Holland
• youtube.com Submarine #1

References

1. "Alligator IV (Submarine)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
2. "USS Holland (Submarine # 1) -- Construction". USN Ships. Department of the Navy. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
3. "Holland I (SS-1)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
4. "A-1 I (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
5. "A-2 (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 3)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
6. "A-5 (Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 6)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
7. Friedman 1995, p. 28.
8. "B class - Navy Ships". Military Factory. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
9. . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
10. . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
11. John Pike. "SS-10 B-1 Viper".
12. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-9 C-1 Octopus". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
13. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-17 D-1 Narwhal". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
14. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-24 E-1 Skipjack". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
15. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-20 F-1 Carp". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
16. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-19(1/2) G-1 Seal". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
17. "G-1". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
18. "G-4". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
19. "California Naval History: The City of Los Angeles . . . An Inland City with the First Submarine Base on the Pacific Coast". militarymuseum.org. 2002. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
20. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-28 H-1 Seawolf". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
21. "H-9". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
22. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-32 K-1 Haddock". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
23. "USS K-1 (Submarine # 32)". USN Ships. Department of the Navy. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
24. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-40 L-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
25. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-47 M-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
26. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-53 N-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
27. Pike, John (8 June 2005). "SS-62 O-1". Retrieved 11 June 2009.
28. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-72 O-11". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
29. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-52 T-1 Schley". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
30. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-78 R-1". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
31. "R-20". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
32. Pike, John (27 April 2005). "SS-98 R-21". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 June 2009.

• Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

• . Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 5 October 2001. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
• Pike, John (23 July 2008). "Submarine Warfare". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 June 2009.