Los Angeles-class submarine

	Los Angeles-class SSN profile
	USS Los Angeles, lead boat of the class.
Class overview
Builders	Newport News Shipbuilding; General Dynamics Electric Boat;
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Sturgeon class
Succeeded by	Seawolf class
Cost	$900 million, 1990 dollars; $1.86 billion, 2023 dollars
Built	1972–1996
In commission	1976–present
Completed	62
Active	24
Laid up	1 (Active, Awaiting Decommissioning)
Retired	35
Preserved	2 (as moored training ships)
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement	Surfaced: 6,082 tonnes (5,986 long tons); Submerged: 6,927 tonnes (6,818 long tons);
Length	362 ft (110 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion	1 × S6G nuclear reactor (150–165 MW); 2 × steam turbines (30,000–33,500) shp; 1 × shaft; 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW);
Speed	Surfaced: 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h); Submerged: Over 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h), official; 33+ knots, reported;
Range	Refueling required after 30 years
Endurance	90 days
Test depth	450 m (1,480 ft)
Complement	129
Sensors and ; processing systems	BQQ-5 suite which includes active and passive systems sonar, BQS-15 detecting and ranging sonar, WLR-8V(2) ESM receiver, WLR-9 acoustic receiver for detection of active search sonar and acoustic homing torpedoes, BRD-7 radio direction finder, BPS-15 radar
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	WLR-10 countermeasures set
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 37 × Mk 48 torpedo, Tomahawk land attack missile, Harpoon anti-ship missile, Mk 67 mobile, or Mk 60 CAPTOR mines (FLTII and 688i FLTIII have a 12-tube VLS)

The Los Angeles class of submarines are nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) in service with the United States Navy. Also known as the 688 class (pronounced "six-eighty-eight") after the hull number of lead vessel USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), 62 were built from 1972 to 1996, the latter 23 to an improved 688i standard. As of 2024, 24 of the Los Angeles class remain in commission—more than any other class in the world—and they account for almost half of the U.S. Navy's 50 fast attack submarines.^[7]

Submarines of this class are named after American towns and cities, such as Albany, New York; Los Angeles, California; and Tucson, Arizona, with the exception of USS Hyman G. Rickover, named for the "father of the nuclear Navy." This was a change from traditionally naming attack submarines after marine animals, such as USS Seawolf or USS Shark. Rickover's response to the decision to name the submarines after cities (and occasionally politicians influential in defense issues) was that "Fish don't vote."^[8]

^ ^a ^b SSN-688 Los Angeles class Archived 13 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine from Federation of American Scientists retrieved 29 February 2008 :The 18 SSN-688 class submarines that will be refueled in their midlives could make good candidates for a service life extension because they could operate for nearly 30 years after the refueling. After these submarines serve for 30 years, they could undergo a two-year overhaul and serve for one more 10-year operating cycle, for a total service life of 42 years.
^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Polmar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Polmar, Norman "The U. S. Navy Electronic Warfare (Part 1)" United States Naval Institute Proceedings October 1979 p.137
^ "Attack Submarines - SSN". United States Navy. Retrieved 12 March 2023. General Characteristics, Los Angeles class [...] Speed: 25+ knots (28+ miles per hour, 46.3 +kph)
^ "Officials: U.S. submarine hit undersea mountain". CNN. 11 January 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2008. The submarine was traveling in excess of 33 knots—about 35 mph—when its nose hit the undersea formation head-on, officials said.
^ "Submarine Force Facts". Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
^ Clarity, James F.; Weaver, Warren Jr. (22 April 1985). "BRIEFING; Navy Reverts to Fish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

[fas-1] SSN-688 Los Angeles class Archived 13 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine from Federation of American Scientists retrieved 29 February 2008 :The 18 SSN-688 class submarines that will be refueled in their midlives could make good candidates for a service life extension because they could operate for nearly 30 years after the refueling. After these submarines serve for 30 years, they could undergo a two-year overhaul and serve for one more 10-year operating cycle, for a total service life of 42 years.

[inflation-USGDP-2] Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.

[Polmar-3] Cite error: The named reference Polmar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[proceedings-4] Polmar, Norman "The U. S. Navy Electronic Warfare (Part 1)" United States Naval Institute Proceedings October 1979 p.137

[5] "Attack Submarines - SSN". United States Navy. Retrieved 12 March 2023. General Characteristics, Los Angeles class [...] Speed: 25+ knots (28+ miles per hour, 46.3 +kph)

[6] "Officials: U.S. submarine hit undersea mountain". CNN. 11 January 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2008. The submarine was traveling in excess of 33 knots—about 35 mph—when its nose hit the undersea formation head-on, officials said.

[7] "Submarine Force Facts". Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

[8] Clarity, James F.; Weaver, Warren Jr. (22 April 1985). "BRIEFING; Navy Reverts to Fish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

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Class overview
Los Angeles-class SSN profile
USS Los Angeles, lead boat of the class.
Builders	Newport News Shipbuilding General Dynamics Electric Boat
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Sturgeon class
Succeeded by	Seawolf class
Cost	$900 million, 1990 dollars;^[1] $1.86 billion, 2023 dollars^[2]
Built	1972–1996
In commission	1976–present
Completed	62
Active	24
Laid up	1 (Active, Awaiting Decommissioning)
Retired	35
Preserved	2 (as moored training ships)
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement	Surfaced: 6,082 tonnes (5,986 long tons) Submerged: 6,927 tonnes (6,818 long tons)
Length	362 ft (110 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion	1 × S6G nuclear reactor (150–165 MW) 2 × steam turbines (30,000–33,500) shp 1 × shaft 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
Speed	Surfaced: 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) Submerged: Over 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h), official;^[5] 33+ knots, reported^[3]^[6]
Range	Refueling required after 30 years^[1]
Endurance	90 days
Test depth	450 m (1,480 ft)^[3]
Complement	129
Sensors and processing systems	BQQ-5 suite which includes active and passive systems sonar, BQS-15 detecting and ranging sonar, WLR-8V(2) ESM receiver, WLR-9 acoustic receiver for detection of active search sonar and acoustic homing torpedoes, BRD-7 radio direction finder,^[4] BPS-15 radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	WLR-10 countermeasures set^[4]
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 37 × Mk 48 torpedo, Tomahawk land attack missile, Harpoon anti-ship missile, Mk 67 mobile, or Mk 60 CAPTOR mines (FLTII and 688i FLTIII have a 12-tube VLS)