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.
Occasionally, a class will consist of a single ship as a prototype, or for 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)'.
- USS Alligator (1862) (unique)
- USS Holland (SS-1) (unique, only 1 in USN service, but there were others of the type made)
- Plunger (SS-2) class
- B class (SS-10 to 12)
- C class (SS-9, 13 to 16)
- D class (SS-17 to 19)
- F class (SS-20 to 23)
- G class (SS-19½, 26, 27, 31)
- E class (SS-24 and 25)
- H class (SS-28 through 30, 147 to 152)
- K class (SS-31 to 39)
- L class (SS-40 to 46, 48 to 51)
- USS M-1 (SS-47) (unique)
- N class (SS-53 to 59)
- O class (SS-62 to 77)
- R class (SS-78 to 104)
- S class (SS-105 to 107, 109 to 146, 153 to 162)
- AA-1 (SS-52/SF-1) class
- USS Dolphin (SS-169) (unique)
- Cachalot (SS-170) class
- Porpoise (SS-172) class
- Salmon (SS-182) class
- Sargo (SS-188) class
- Tambor (SS-198) class
- Mackerel (SS-204) class
- This was a two ship class intended to prototype small submarines for wartime use due to the (false) belief that larger submarines could not be mass produced.
- Gato (SS-212) class
- This was the "standard" attack submarine of WWII.
- Balao (SS-285) class
- The Balao class was an upgraded version of the Gato class, mostly noted for its increased diving depth.
- Tench (SS-417) class
- The Tench class was a further refined version of the Gato/Balao types.
- Barracuda (SS-550) class
- The testbed for Project Kayo, experimental ASW operations using passive acoustics with low-frequency, bow sonar arrays
- USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) (unique)
- A deep diving submarine used for various experimental and development purposes.
- Tang (SS-563) class
- A WWII fleet boat with many technical changes based on wartime experience and post-war development.
- USS Albacore (AGSS-569) (unique)
- Built primarily to test the streamlined hull form that is now standard, she later served as a research and development test bed.
- USS Nautilus (SSN-571) (unique)
- The USN's first nuclear powered submarine, her hullform was based on that of a fleet boat
- Sailfish (SSR-572) class
- Purpose built radar picket submarines.
- Grayback (SSG-574) class
- Cruise missile submarines.
- USS Seawolf (SSN-575) (unique)
- Designed and built to test a liquid metal reactor
- Skate (SSN-578) class
- The first attempt to build a standard nuclear submarine, she was essentially a nuclear Tang. This was the last class designed with surface operations in mind.
- Barbel (SS-580) class
- A diesel submarine based on the Albacore. These were the last nonnuclear-powered submarines built for the USN.
- Skipjack (SSN-585) class
- The first class of nuclear submarines to use the whale-like Albacore hull.
- USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586) (unique)
- A nuclear powered radar picket submarine.
- USS Halibut (SSGN/SSN-587) (unique)
- A purpose built cruise missile submarine. When cruise missiles were superseded in the strategic role by ballistic missiles, she was redesignated a fast attack (SSN) submarine.
- USS Thresher/Permit (SSN-594) class
- This class was known as the Thresher class prior the loss of its lead ship
- USS Tullibee (SSKN/SSN-597) (unique)
- The Tullibee was a prototype "hunter-killer" (SSKN) submarine, the nuclear powered equivalent of the Barracuda class. She was built to test the new bow sonar and amidships torpedo room configuration that is now standard for US submarines. Also like the Barracuda and Mackerel classes she was also an attempt to build a smaller cheaper submarine. Like all such attempts she proved inadequate in service and was not repeated.
- George Washington (SSBN-598) class
- Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) class
- Lafayette (SSBN-616) class
- James Madison (SSBN-627) class
- Sturgeon (SSN-637) class
- Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) class
- USS Narwhal (SSN-671) (unique)
- Narwhal was built as a testbed for a new reactor and propulsion plant.
- USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) (unique)
- Built to test electric propulsion for nuclear submarines.
- Los Angeles (SSN-688) class
- Ohio (SSBN-726) class
- Ohio (SSGN-726) class
- Seawolf (SSN-21) class
- The Seawolf class have numbers out of the traditional sequence because they were numbered according to the name of the development project, 'Attack Submarine' (SSN) for the '21st Century', hence SSN-21.
- Virginia (SSN-774) class