Design
Baton Rouge was a nuclear attack submarine and, as such, was optimized for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and strike operations. To this end, she carried a complement of 26 weapons, including the Mark 48 ADCAP torpedoes – the main weapon of U.S. Navy submarines, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles. The latter has a range of either 280 or 1,600 miles (450 or 2,500 km), depending on whether it is anti-ship or strike variant, and is nuclear-compatible, although this capability is deployed on Los Angeles class submarines. Since the boat did not incorporate the vertical launching system found on later Los Angeles class submarines, the Harpoons and Tomahawks were torpedo tube-launched. Baton Rouge can also lay Mobile Mark 67 and Mark 60 CAPTOR mines.
The boat's propulsion system comprised a S6G pressurized-water reactor based on the D2G reactor of the Bainbridge and Truxtun classes of cruiser. Heat produced from the S6G reactor converted water into steam, powering two turbines, and thus the propeller shaft (see Nuclear marine propulsion). Although the U.S. Navy discloses the boat's submerged speed to be "25+ knots (28+ miles per hour; 46.3+ km/h)," non-military sources have claimed that Los Angeles class submarines' top speed to be in excess of 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h). The nuclear reactor had a lifespan of ten years.
A crucial component in the Baton Rouge's ability to perform its mission were its comprehensive defensive, navigational and sonar systems. Among her several sonar sets were the TB-23/29 thin line passive towed array sonar, the Ametek BQS 15 close range high frequency active sonar and the Raytheon SADS-TG active detection sonar. These system collaborated to give Baton Rouge good situational awareness. The boat's electronic support measures included a direction finding system, interceptor and a radar warner.
Read more about this topic: USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689)
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