Los Angeles Class Submarine

Los Angeles Class Submarine

The Los Angeles-class, sometimes called the LA-class or the 688-class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that forms the backbone of the U.S. Navy's submarine force. With 42 submarines of this class on active duty and 20 retired from service, the Los Angeles class has more nuclear submarines in it than any other class in the world. The Los Angeles class was preceded by the Sturgeon class and followed by the Seawolf. Except for USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), all submarines of this class are named after American cities and a few towns (e.g. Key West, Florida and Greeneville, Tennessee). This system of naming broke a long-standing tradition in the U.S. Navy of naming attack submarines for creatures of the ocean (e.g. USS Nautilus (SSN-571)).

The final 23 boats of the Los Angeles class were designed and built to be quieter than their predecessors and also to carry more-advanced sensor and weapons systems. These advanced boats were also designed for operating beneath the polar icecap. Their diving planes were placed at their bows rather than on their sails, and they have stronger sails for penetrating thick ice.