Strategic Power, Tactical Limitations: Inside the Navy’s Most Capable—and Least Versatile—Submarines
The Ohio-class SSBN was conceived in the early 1970s and, at 560 feet, became the largest submarines ever built by the US Navy. USS Ohio (SSGN 726), the first of her class, joined the Navy on November 11, 1981. The ship was the fourth US Navy vessel to bear that name.
With the end of the Cold War, the first four Ohio-class SSBNs—Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia—were scheduled for decommissioning in the early 2000s. However, the remaining 14 were retained in service as ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) carrying the Trident II D-5 missile. A parallel initiative converted the first four Ohio-class vessels into guided missile submarines (SSGNs), reconfiguring their 22 Trident launch tubes to carry either canisters containing seven Tomahawk cruise missiles each—for a total of up to 154 missiles—or special operations weapons and equipment. The other two launch tubes were converted to lockout chambers for the embarkation and deployment of special operations forces such as Navy SEALs. These conversions gave Ohio-class submarines unprecedented strike and special operations capabilities.
Operational Reality: What Happens After a Full ICBM Launch
Despite their strategic significance, the reality of launching ICBMs from an Ohio-class SSBN is sobering. According to Steve McDermott, a US Navy Nuclear Submariner who served on Ohio-class SSBNs, the procedures following a full launch are brutal and fraught with danger:
After launching all loaded missile tubes, the submarine must “clear datum and go deep. Run. Run as fast and as quiet as possible. What’s left of the enemy or their allies will be in a murderous rage to sink your boat.”
The psychological toll would be severe. McDermott noted that “killing millions indiscriminately is not really a life goal for anyone, especially a vetted and trained submariner.” Crew morale would collapse, with the possibility that “there may be some attempt by one or two crew to scuttle the ship due to grief. And they may succeed.”
Depending on where in the patrol cycle the submarine found itself, it might require return to port within weeks. “Her remaining sea time will be fraught with danger from within and out,” McDermott explained. The vessel would be fortunate to reach a friendly port at all, with the best-case scenario being something resembling the film “On the Beach.” As McDermott concluded darkly: “There would be no reason to lash a broom to the #1 scope coming into port, if there’s a port to return to. No reason to announce you’re the last line of defense and you failed miserably. Those birds can fly, and we prove it regularly to ensure the rest of the world knows we can make them fly. God help the crew that ever launch them, because there will likely be no one else they know to help.”
Buoyancy and Ballast Systems: Debunking a Common Myth
A persistent rumor holds that Ohio-class submarines lack sufficient ballast to remain submerged after firing all their SLBMs. James Clark, a former US Navy Submarine Chief Petty Officer, addressed this misconception, explaining that the rumor is partially based on fact but largely misunderstood:
“If a Trident submarine launched all of its missiles the water that backfilled into the now empty tubes would not have enough weight to keep the submarine sufficiently negatively buoyant to remain submerged,” Clark confirmed.
A Trident D5 missile has a mass of 59,000 kilograms, while water of the same volume has considerably less mass. “The difference is so large that if multiple missiles have been fired then the trim system would be incapable of handling it,” Clark explained. This is why Ohio-class submarines feature a dedicated compensation system: massive tanks that extend from top to bottom and side to side between compartments, functioning as giant spacers. “These are flooded during launch to bring on extra water to maintain proper buoyancy,” ensuring the submarine remains properly trimmed throughout the firing sequence.
Hunter-Killer Capability: A Fundamental Mismatch
Despite their impressive arsenal, Ohio-class SSBNs are categorically unsuited for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. William Toti, a retired US Navy Captain who served as the former Executive Officer of USS Florida (SSBN-728), former Commanding Officer of the Los Angeles-class SSN USS Indianapolis (SSN-697), and former commodore of an SSN squadron, provided a definitive assessment of the viability of using an Ohio-class SSBN as a hunter-killer:
“Short answer: no,” Toti stated bluntly.
The fundamental problem is maneuverability. “Doesn’t matter what weapons you carry, if you can’t turn the ship in time to attack or evade, you are dead,” Toti explained, offering an apt analogy: “Think of an F/A-18 engaged in a dogfight with a B-2. Even if the B-2 carried air-to-air missiles, it’s not gonna prevail.”
Toti recalled joking with his crew aboard the Trident: “Put the rudder over. I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we are on course.” The submarine’s massive size and design for silent strategic patrols made it fundamentally incompatible with the rapid maneuvering required in ASW engagements.
Acknowledging these limitations, Toti noted that during his command, Ohio-class SSBNs were indeed required to conduct ASW missions as part of their Tactical Readiness Evaluation (TRE), “but we all knew this was for self-defense only. No commodore or admiral in their right mind would send a Trident out to hunt/kill an SSN.”
The Ohio-class SSBN represents a triumph of engineering and strategic deterrence, yet its design embodies profound trade-offs. While capable of unprecedented strategic strike and special operations missions, it remains fundamentally vulnerable in combat scenarios requiring maneuverability, and its crews would face extraordinary psychological and practical challenges in the event of an actual ICBM launch. The sophisticated ballast and compensation systems that enable these vessels to operate effectively across diverse patrol profiles are engineering solutions to a complex problem—but no technology can fully mitigate the human and operational realities of nuclear deterrence.
Photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Lynn Friant / U.S. Navy
