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List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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; Twin S4G Nuclear Reactors
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

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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 New Jersey (SSN-796)
September 14, 2024		 Attack submarine. 23 commissioned as of September 2024.
Columbia 12 (planned) USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826)
(planned)		 Ballistic missile submarine

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "B-1". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  10. ^ "B-3". 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.
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