Most Heavily Armed Submarine Ever Built

ABC News: USS Jimmy Carter Commissioned in Conn.

"$3.2 Billion USS Jimmy Carter Commissioned in Conn. As Most Heavily Armed Submarine Ever Built

The 453-foot, 12,000-ton submarine has a 50-torpedo payload and eight torpedo tubes. And, according to intelligence experts, it can tap undersea cables and eavesdrop on the communications passing through them.

It can reach speeds of more than 25 knots and carry Tomahawk cruise missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes, and it is engineered to be quieter than the other two Seawolves, making it better for surveillance."


Photo: AP

She was put to sea today. A nice "little" vessel...

There were 2 fairly good sized write ups in the paper today complete with color pictures of what they say is the Carter’s torpedo, and control rooms (I suppose they could be generic file photos?). The article says that the Carter is 100ft longer than a normal Seawolf as they added a huge hull extension (which cost $963 million extra ) to accommodate the surveillance equipment, and technicians. It also says that in the extended hull section there are 50 berths for special forces like SEALS etc.. The craziest part is it says the Navy does not acknowledge the 3.2 Billion submarine which is the 3rd and last of the Seawolf class subs has the ability to tap undersea cables.

Some other things in the article I found interesting was how it has an ocean interface which acts as the door to the hangar for the smaller subs, and drones to launch and return! It also mentions that it has a bomb bay style door on the bottom which they use to launch a drone device with a claw that be used to retrieve things from the ocean floor like warheads etc. It also has ultra bright underwater floodlights and a CCTV system to visually see things underwater!!

The biggest thing is that it has the ability to eavesdrop on undersea fiber optic cables Just like Operation IVYBELLS. It also says that in the extended hull section there are 50 berths for special forces like SEALS etc.. The craziest part is it says the Navy does not acknowledge the 3.2 Billion submarine which is the 3rd and last of the Seawolf class sub. the article mentioned that the original recorder device the US used on the Russian cable is now on display in a museum in Moscow!!

I wonder how they actually do this since I would think if you physically tap the cable and interrupt service someone will know that the line is being tapped, but I have never heard of a way to passively monitor fiber since its just light pulses and there is no EM field to monitor. I was thinking maybe there is some type of special super classified x-ray type technology that can passively monitor transmissions on fiber cables?? They say that analysts wonder how the data is sent back for analysis in time for it to still be of value? I think that they monitor and then raise a sat link buoy to transmit same day?

Originally posted by warpboost
It also mentions that it has a bomb bay style door on the bottom which they use to launch a drone device with a claw that be used to retrieve things from the ocean floor like warheads etc.

I think I saw that sub on the News not sure if it was the USS Jimmy Carter, but it was a new sub launched from Groton so I assume it is.

Anyway in the footage they showed it had some type of Drone or under water rover on its back. I had know clue what the heck it was for and they didnt say. I remember my friend asking me if it was some type of escape capsule or something and I really had no clue.

mmm thats pretty nice. i wud like to ride in one of those.

Nice post hell, have to look into it more. When I got the time to a browse and have a search.

More thanks!

sweeet sub and its USA one too

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Anyway in the footage they showed it had some type of Drone or under water rover on its back. I had know clue what the heck it was for and they didnt say. I remember my friend asking me if it was some type of escape capsule or something and I really had no clue.

Something like this?




If yes, than it's Dry dock shelter acomodating minisubs and other equipment for Seals.

[edit on 20-2-2005 by longbow]

When the British astute class is launched it will take the place as the worlds most formidable submarine








www.naval-technology.com...

Does anyone know what operaing environment is the camo scheme on the periscope and whatever that other pole next to it is for? Does it help break up the shape of it when its above the water line? It reminds me of the old camo the Marines had or the stuff people wear duck hunting.

[edit on 20-2-2005 by warpboost]

Well maybe it is the most powerful but the USS Carter seems an oxymoron..

What are they thinking?

Originally posted by Lucretius
When the British astute class is launched it will take the place as the worlds most formidable submarine

I think the Americans have already beaten you to it with the VIRGINIA Class.

no the virginia is actually less powerfull than the astute

I used to have a comparison table showing the two and the Virginia is significantly less capable...

however the UK is only building 6 astute class

Good find longbow thats exactly what is was, I never seen anything like that before on a sub.

So thats only on it during Dry dock ? For Mini-subs and Equipment for SEALs very interesting

Originally posted by warpboost
Does anyone know what operaing environment is the camo scheme on the periscope
[edit on 20-2-2005 by warpboost]

Thats a pretty old camo scheme I think they have been using that since WW2 on things like U-Boats. I looks weird but it breaks up the outline of it against the ocean and clouds at sea. In WW2 they tried out all these patterns of Black and white on even things like battles ships. I have no clue why it works But I guess it does. You would think a blue color would be better but its not.

Originally posted by Lucretius
no the virginia is actually less powerfull than the astute

I used to have a comparison table showing the two and the Virginia is significantly less capable...

however the UK is only building 6 astute class

It is discutable. Astute is just a Trafalgar upgrade, do not confuse it with FASM (Future atack submarine). Virginia is probably faster and has also higher tactical speed. It has also 12 VLS, while Astute has none - so it still needs to launch it's Tomahawks through torpedo tubes. On the other side Astute has 6 torpedo tubes compared to the Virginia 4.
However Virginia is more versatile and performs better in coastal waters.

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
So thats only on it during Dry dock ? For Mini-subs and Equipment for SEALs very interesting

No it is only called DryDockShelter, but it's always on the back (during the special mision). It is a pressurized chamber containing special equpment.

It consists of three interconnected compartments each capable of independent pressurization to a depth of at least 130 feet. The forward-most compartment, a sphere, is the hyperbaric chamber which is used for treatment of injured divers. In the middle compartment, or transfer trunk, operators enter and exit the submarine and/or either of the other compartments. The third compartment, the hangar, is a cylinder with elliptical ends which houses either the SDV or up to 20 SOF personnel with CRRCs.

The DDS, fitted aft of the submarine's sail structure, is connected to the submarine's after hatch to permit free passage between the submarine and the DDS while the submarine is underwater and approaching the objective area. Then, with the submarine still submerged, the SEALs can exit the DDS and ascend to the surface, bringing with them equipment and rubber rafts, or they can mount an SDV.

www.globalsecurity.org...

Fiber Optic tapping does interrupt communication but only for a split second. While it will corrupt the file or whatever that is being transfered at that moment its hard to say wheter it would be detected as a tap.

Basically tapping fiber optics including wraping a line tap at to points on the line without yet pyshically tapping them.

Once both are in position and connected to the recording/processing equipment both taps are plunged into the cable severing the original connection and redirecting it through the spying equipment.

I'm not sure how fast military equipment is for this but civilian acessible equipment can perform a reroute like this in less then 40ms.

Originally posted by longbow

Originally posted by Lucretius
no the virginia is actually less powerfull than the astute

I used to have a comparison table showing the two and the Virginia is significantly less capable...

however the UK is only building 6 astute class

It is discutable. Astute is just a Trafalgar upgrade, do not confuse it with FASM (Future atack submarine). Virginia is probably faster and has also higher tactical speed. It has also 12 VLS, while Astute has none - so it still needs to launch it's Tomahawks through torpedo tubes. On the other side Astute has 6 torpedo tubes compared to the Virginia 4.
However Virginia is more versatile and performs better in coastal waters.

Astute is not just a Trafalger upgrade. It started life as as the Batch 2 Trafalgers but evolved so much as to be a new design (taking more from the Vangard class than the Trafalger). It is going to be one extreamly sophisticated vessel (if Barrow ever get the thing finished, delayed again!!!). It is definatly on a par with Virginia.

Some more details...

WikiPedia: USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)

Ordered: 29 June 1996
Laid down: 1998
Christened: 5 June 2004
Commissioned: 19 February 2005
Status: Active in service as of 2005.
Homeport: Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor, Washington

Displacement: 7568 tons light, 12,139 tons full, 1569 tons dead
Length: 138 m (453 ft) overall,
128.5 m (419 ft) waterline
Beam: 12.1 m (40 ft)
Draft: 10.9 m (36 ft)
Propulsion: S6W reactor
Speed: 25+ knots (46 km/h)
Depth: 240+ m (800+ ft)
Complement: 15 officers, 126 enlisted
Armament: 8 × 660 mm torpedo tubes; Harpoon missiles, Tomahawk missiles; Mk-48 torpedoes; ability to lay mines
Motto: Semper Optima ("Always the Best")

Visit the WikiPedia article to read more details...

Related ATS Threads:
USS Jimmy Carter (the "F/A-22" of submarines)

[edit on 2006/4/23 by Hellmutt]

I think the seawolf class is completely amazing, but wouldnt the ohio class subs me the most heavily armed?