Key Points and Summary: The Seawolf-class submarines are among the U.S. Navy’s most advanced underwater vessels, designed during the Cold War to counter Soviet advancements.
-These submarines boast unparalleled stealth, speed, and torpedo capacity. However, the end of the Cold War and high costs curtailed the original plan for 29 subs to just three: USS Seawolf, USS Connecticut, and the extensively modified USS Jimmy Carter, which specializes in special operations and intelligence missions.
-While replaced by the more versatile Virginia-class, the Seawolf-class remains a vital part of the Navy, with expectations to serve into the 2040s, inspiring future submarine designs like the upcoming SSN(X).
The Seawolf-class is one of the most advanced and capable submarine classes ever put into service with the United States Navy.
Why the U.S. Navy Built Only Three Seawolf-Class Submarines
Developed during the latter stages of the Cold War, the Seawolf-class was intended to counter an increasingly sophisticated underwater threat from Soviet submarines.
At the time, United States naval strategists believed Soviet submarines were close to rivaling the American Los Angeles-class, the backbone of the United States Navy’s submarine fleet and still an important component of the Navy underwater.
The Seawolf was intended to be a next-generation response to perceived Soviet advancements.
To that end, the Seawolf-Class boasted unparalleled stealth capabilities, great speed, exotic building materials, and a significant stealth capability — but the Navy ultimately built just three Seawolf-class submarines.
The End of an Empire, End of the Seawolf-Class?
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought a quick and unexpected end to the Cold War. It also resulted in the collapse of the Seawolves’ primary adversary: the Soviet Navy.
Without a geopolitical rival, there was no need for an immense Seawolf-Class fleet, and the class was significantly curtailed to just three submarines.
In addition, the Seawolf submarines were, though extraordinarily capable, very expensive. At a cost of about $3 billion, the class fell victim to tightening defense budgets and shifting geopolitical priorities.
Ultimately the U.S. Navy cut their planned 29-sub class to a mere three: USS Seawolf, USS Connecticut, and USS Jimmy Carter.
USS Jimmy Carter
Among the three Seawolf submarines, the USS Jimmy Carter stands out.
While similar in overall stealth and combat prowess to its two sister ships, the Navy extensively modified the Jimmy Carter to support special operations and intelligence missions.
A 100-foot hull extension, called a Multi-Mission Platform, accommodates the infrastructure and equipment necessary for tapping underwater cables, handling underwater drones, and special operations.
Given the extensive modifications to the submarine and the resulting 2,500-ton displacement increase, the USS Jimmy Carter could be considered a subclass of the Seawolf-class.
Sunset on Seawolf Submarine
The three Seawolf-class submarines the U.S. Navy operates are among the quietest submarines ever in American service.
Thanks to quiet-running pump-jet propulsion, they have a significant acoustic advantage over submarines equipped with a traditional propeller.
The Virginia-class submarines that succeeded the Seawolves were designed as a more cost-effective alternative and opted to sacrifice some of the Seawolves’ capabilities.
While the Seawolf-class is likely faster, quieter, and has greater torpedo capacity, the Virginia-class is a more versatile platform, better equipped as a class for intelligence gathering and special operations.
The Seawolf-class submarines are expected to remain in service with the United States Navy for several more decades.
With periodic upgrades and maintenance, they could continue operating into the 2040s.
Their retirement will depend on the Virginia-class introduction into service and if build schedules can keep pace with the jump in submarine output due to the trilateral AUKUS agreement.
Future Submarines
In an age where the Chinese Navy is threatening the United States Navy’s position as number one at sea, some U.S. Navy strategists would like to see submarines of the future once again be heavily armed — like the Seawolf-Class.
“The Navy states that the SSN(X) “will be designed to counter the growing threat posed by near-peer adversary competition for undersea supremacy. It will provide greater speed, increased horizontal [i.e., torpedo-room] payload capacity, improved acoustic superiority and non-acoustic signatures, and higher operational availability. SSN(X) will conduct full spectrum undersea warfare and be able to coordinate with a larger contingent of off-hull vehicles, sensors, and friendly forces,” a report from the Congressional Research Service explained.
“Navy officials have stated that the Navy wants the SSN(X) to incorporate the speed and payload of the Navy’s fast and heavily armed Seawolf (SSN-21) class SSN design, the acoustic quietness and sensors of the Virginia-class design, and the operational availability and service life of the Columbia-class design,” the report added.
Seawolf-Class Submarine: A Story in Photos
The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut transits the Pacific Ocean during Annual Exercise. ANNUALEX is a yearly bilateral exercise with the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The first of a revolutionary new class of fast attack submarine, the Seawolf (SSN-21). Shown during construction at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Conn. She was christened by Margaret Dalton, wife of Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton, on June 24, 1995.
Seawolf-Class Submarine USS Seawolf. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
An artist’s concept of the nuclear-powered submarine SEAWOLF (SSN-21). Seawolf-class Submarine.
BREMERTON, Wash. (Dec. 15, 2016) – The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) departs Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for sea trials following a maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Thiep Van Nguyen II/released)
Seawolf-class. Image: U.S. Navy.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
