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Nuclear Submarines Return To Action

In Desert Warfare

Once considered expensive anachronisms rendered obsolete by the end of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines has found a modern-day combat role, vividly illustrated by the unfolding campaign against Iraq. Two Los Angeles-class attack submarines, the USS Montpelier and the USS Cheyenne, were among the six U.S. vessels that opened the war by firing Tomahawk cruise missiles at an Iraqi leadership compound believed occupied by Saddam Hussein. Since then, Navy attack subs have been contributing to cruise missile salvos now numbering in the hundreds.

It might come as a surprise that submarines would contribute heavily to a war in a desert nation. The vessels' ability to silently glide to a secret location, then suddenly unleash a barrage of missiles, gives them a valuable role. "The enemy can predict the flight of missiles fired from surface ships, but not those from submarines," said retired Rear Adm. Charles Beers, a board member of the U.S. Naval Institute. "Their stealthiness is a definite advantage."

Because of the Persian Gulf conflict and other world trouble spots, about a third of the U.S. submarine fleet of 54 vessels is now on deployment - more than at any time since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. "More than a third of the Tomahawks that have been launched in Operation Enduring Freedom (in Afghanistan) were launched by submarines," said Capt. Bill Toti, assistant chief of staff of U.S. submarine forces. "I wouldn't be surprised if in this war it isn't higher."

Nimitz battle group -- USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal, and nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis -- in the North Persian Gulf.

Submarines are part of five aircraft carrier battle groups the Navy is operating in the Eastern Mediterranean or Persian Gulf area. Others are operating independently. One of the new post-Cold War duties for nuclear submarines is to serve as floating bases for a variety of special operations missions, launching Navy SEAL teams, Army Rangers, Marine Corps reconnaissance units and other special warfare forces.

But the submarine program has long had its share of critics, who argue that the subs' contribution to modern warfare falls far short of their expense to American taxpayers. Costing some $1.3 billion each to build, the attack subs are considered by some to be expensive missile launchers. "Tomahawks can be launched more efficiently by surface vessels," said naval analyst Norman Polmar, who opposes several aspects of the submarine program.

Still, Polmar acknowledged that the vessels add to the available missile supply in the Gulf region. "They're in the fleet, they have the missiles, and we might as well use them," he said. Retired Adm. Steve Baker, a military analyst for the Center for Defense Information, agreed. "They're part of the team," Baker said. "They move around and can provide Central Command with flexibility and a backup."

Most submarines fire their missiles through torpedo tubes, as many as four at a time, and a typical Los Angeles-class sub can carry as many as 20 missiles. Some, such as the new Virginia class, also have vertical launch tubes and can carry 32 Tomahawks. The Navy is spending $3 billion transforming four huge ICBM-firing Ohio Class subs into Tomahawk shooters, each of which will carry 154 of the cruise missiles. In addition to firing missiles, the subs also take on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions. Submarines are equipped with a complicated array of sensors that allow them to monitor activities in the air, on the surface and underwater.

While the U.S. military is otherwise busy with the Iraq campaign, U.S. subs are lying off coastlines all over the world, keeping watch on nations such as North Korea in case they attempt to take advantage of America's preoccupation with Saddam Hussein. "Anywhere the president thinks our presence would be helpful to monitor world situations, if there's a coastline, we'll be there," Toti said. "The great thing about a submarine is it's like a ghost."

Under a post-Cold War reduction program, the nation's fleet of nuclear attack subs has been cut by nearly half, from 95 to 54, while the number of missions has tripled. "During the entire Cold War, the nuclear submarine was devoted to countering the Soviet submarine force," said Vice Admiral John Grossenbacher, commander of U.S. naval submarine forces. "We made sure we dealt with the Russian submarine force in their backyard, not ours, and made the oceans free for the rest of our Navy."

The underwater cat-and-mouse games played by Soviet and American subs sometimes risked igniting a broader confrontation between the two superpowers. But, Grossenbacher said, U.S. submarines contributed to the end of the Cold War because the Soviets "realized they couldn't compete in an area where they devoted an enormous amount of their resources."

After the Cold War, with many Russian subs rusting away in harbors, the U.S. submarine program came under criticism as a waste of money. "The predictions of many people were, 'What do we need these submarines for?' " Grossenbacher said. "The predictions were that the submarine force was going to get smaller and less relevant."

Although the force has been drastically reduced, the admiral contends subs have become more relevant because of their stealth and ability to project U.S. power and surveillance. North Korea has been threatening confrontation, while China remains a potential enemy if it should attack Taiwan. Both nations have long coastlines where U.S. submarines would play a significant role.

But Polmar said the Iraqi war that is giving the submarines a chance to prove their worth may also be the undoing of any expanded submarine program. "The president has presented the Congress a bill for $75 billion for this war," Polmar said. "That money has to come from somewhere, and the most likely place is the Navy's shipbuilding program."

Illustrated Directory of Submarines More than 250 submarines, from the Civil War to the missile-launching, nuclear-powered vessels of today, are described in detail and illustrated with contemporary and archival photography and drawings. Arranged by types: diesel-electrics, non-nuclear, nuclear-attack, missile-armed, and special-role vessels-the book provides a comprehensive overview of every major submarine class around the globe. Each entry includes specifications and incisive development and battle histories.

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