Navy says goodbye to Cold War classic.

Class leader USS Los Angeles is decomissioned after 34 years of service:
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/21807/?SID=1e933e1bf855dce1403d735804c38c42

It's distressing that the boats currently coming off the assembly line are having hull cracking problems, amongst other things. I think the Navy would be wise to create a class of Diesel AIP powered submarines(based on the decomissioned Barbel Class) for coastal/littoral action. These boats could also be constructed for friendly Navies, such as Taiwan and India. Make money money, make money money money?

One by one, the classic boats of my youth have come to die 28 miles from my home, in Bermerton, Wa. Los Angeles underwent a core refuling and intensive updating and refitting at Mare Island Shipyard in Vallejo, Ca from 1992 to 1995, giving her an updated sonar suite, newer reactor, new integrated fire control system and microprocessor based computer systems that enabled her to serve longer than may of her younger sisters. The 688 class is joining the Sturgeon, Permit, Skipjack, Skate and Seawolf classes in nuke sub oblivion. It would be nice if Los Angeles were saved as a monument to nuke subs, since the Nuclear Submarine category in maritime museums is sadly under-represented.

Damn... Skin almost gets to wondering whether her last skipper will steal her to go rescue a crewmember lost at sea, only to have an enemy nation board her, forcing him to blow her up as he tearfully watches from shore.

Or... something.

I really should make the trip up to see the boneyard at Bremerton.

Look out for Super Mutants.

The USN will never build SSK's primarily due to the justified fear that once available Congress will kill many of the more expensive SSN's.

When the Los Angeles (688) class SSNs first entered service they were heavily maligned (as most U.S. weapons are).

They were said to have


1) Hulls that were too thin.
2) Defective hull welds.
3) Too expensive
5) Underarmed

I wonder how many of them were ever in combat (launching cruise missiles that is).

And how many ever bumped hulls with Soviet submarines (more than a few).

This is sad in many ways.

The most important way this is sad is that we don't have the replacements lined up, and China and Russia are saber rattling.

I wonder if, in my lifetime, we'll wake up to a Chinese sub in Los Angeles harbor?

The Virginia class is in production. Should be accelerated though.

In a better world, I'd be able to buy it and live in it.

Many LA's have already been decommed, this is just the class leader. We still have a lot of SSN's and more on the way.

So what do we have on the way? Virginia class subs?

Yep. They are far more capable than the LA's especially in littorals.

OK, well how to they compare to Seawolfs in killing commies?

Yes. They've already got somewhere around 6 or 7 built. Plus 3 Seawolf class boats. And they still have a lot of 688's and 688i's active. Several dozen at least.

After being in service this many years, probably no amount of scrubbing is going to get the smell of seamen out of it.

Different design roles. Seawolf is designed to be the ultimate blue water hunter. Virginia is designed for littorals and blue water hunter. They are better than the LA and very close to Seawolf in that role. The tech has advanced considerably between the two classes.

When the Virginia class was proposed, a lot of people bitched about how they were small and it would be a step back. That's true, if your baseline is the Seawolf class. But, Virginia is the same size and far more capable than the Los Angeles class.

We can build the Virginia class for a far more reasonable cost. Hell, Seawolf cost almost as much as a Carrier and more than the Ohio class SSBN's! Would it be great to have 60 Seawolves? Sure, but we can't afford it.

I thought after all was said and done, that it turned out that each Virginia class sub was going to cost more than each Seawolf sub anyway?

Much like the F/A-18 Hornet was supposed to be the "cheaper alternative" to the F-14 Tomcat but ended up costing more per aircraft anyway.

Yeah I don't know if they cost more, but they did come out a lot more expensive than anticipated. Shocking.

No, Virginia is over $1 billion less per copy.

I'm afraid you're correct. Even though I think it would be a real money maker for us, the way the Germans and French have done for many years. Just a though!

Indeed. 45 Los Angeles class boats are in service, with 17 retired. 30 Virginia class boats are planned, with 7 in commission currently. I don't see Apostle's concern.

Hey, I just had a great idea that should save everyone a lot of money and get us some of the coolest new submarines around.

Just because you can't turn submarines into spaceships doesn't mean you can't turn spaceships into submarines. So why not transform the shuttles into submarines, once they're not being sent into space any more? You'd just have to put a big sign over the button for opening the bay doors that says "DO NOT PRESS WHILE SUBMERGED."

Other than that, I think this has a lot of potential.

Turn subs into lesbian brothels.

Only if we can launch them into the water from conveyor belts powered by otters.

:usn:

Of the ass.

What are you complaining about?

I suppose you think it's your right, as a free American, to press that button whenever you want, and no one should tell you when you can't?

What took a year to decom her?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Los_Angeles_(SSN-688)