United States Submarine 2026 Calendar
Silent Hunters

The Los Angeles Class: Backbone of the Cold War Submarine Force

By the late 1960s, rapid advances in Soviet submarine speed and missile capability threatened U.S. carrier battle groups. In response, the U.S. Navy launched development of the Los Angeles class in 1967. Larger, faster, and quieter than their Sturgeon-class predecessors, these submarines could finally keep pace with carriers while bringing significant improvements in stealth and firepower. Commissioned in 1976, USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) was the first of 62 boats built between 1976 and 1996—an extraordinary production pace of three to five per year. Submarines in this class are named after American cities, with the exception of USS Hyman G. Rickover, honoring the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.”

Design and Capabilities

Construction: HY-80 steel hull, glass-reinforced plastic bow, maximum operating depth 650–950 ft (emergency dives to ~1,475 ft).

Power: General Electric S6G reactor (DIG-2 core, later D2W), producing up to 33,500 shp.

Weapons: Four torpedo tubes supporting Mk 67/60 mines, Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles; later models added 12 VLS tubes.

Variants:

Flight I (38 boats): Original design.

Flight II (8 boats): Added Tomahawk VLS.

Flight III/688i (23 boats):Improved quieting, electronics, retractable bow planes, reinforced sails for Arctic ops. Some were modified for special operations, carrying SEALs with Dry Deck Shelters and SEAL Delivery Vehicles.

Service and Legacy As of July 2025, 20 remain in active service (four awaiting decommissioning, two as training ships). Others have been retired, with several serving nearly 40 years—remarkable for nuclear submarines. One was tragically lost to arson during overhaul.
The Los Angeles class set the standard for Cold War undersea dominance, blending speed, stealth, and versatility. Though gradually replaced by the Virginia class, their legacy as the Navy’s most numerous and successful nuclear attack submarines endures.

Featuring the following boats: USS Los Angeles SSN 688, USS Memphis SSN 691, USS Dallas SSN 700, USS Portsmouth SSN 707, USS San Francisco SSN 711, USS Salt Lake City SSN 716, USS Honolulu SSN 718, USS Providence SSN 719, USS Chicago SSN 721, USS Newport News SSN 750, USS Scranton SSN 756, and USS Asheville SSN 758.