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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 24 (of 66 planned) USS Virginia (SSN-774)
2 September 1999		 USS Iowa (SSN-797)
April 5, 2025		 Attack submarine.
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. Archived from the original on 5 August 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. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  18. ^ "G-4". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004. 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. Archived from the original on 15 March 2004. 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. Archived from the original on 27 July 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. Archived from the original on 10 February 2004. 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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