Ohio-class

The United States Navy’s sea-based strategic deterrent — 14 nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines carrying Trident II D5 SLBMs, and 4 converted guided-missile submarines, the largest subs ever built for the US fleet.

Overview

The Ohio-class is the backbone of the US sea-based nuclear deterrent and a major conventional strike platform. Eighteen boats were built by General Dynamics Electric Boat, with USS Ohio commissioning in 1981. Fourteen continue as SSBNs, each capable of launching up to 24 Trident II D5/D5LE ballistic missiles, while four were converted in the 2000s to SSGNs that carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and host special operations forces. The class remains in service, with the oldest hulls beginning to retire as the Columbia-class SSBN enters the fleet in the early 2030s.

Development

The Ohio-class was designed in the 1970s to replace the earlier Benjamin Franklin- and Lafayette-class SSBNs, providing a larger, quieter, and far more powerful deterrent platform. The first boat, USS Ohio (SSBN-726), was laid down in 1976 and commissioned in November 1981, according to Naval Technology. A total of 18 hulls were built through 1997. After the Cold War, under arms-control agreements, the four oldest boats—Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia—were converted to SSGNs between 2002 and 2008, each refitted to carry massive cruise-missile loads and SOF support spaces. The 14 remaining SSBNs currently form the sea-based leg of the US nuclear triad, with one replacement Columbia-class boat under construction for delivery by the early 2030s.

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