(H/T – Gabriel Malor)
Strategy Page reports the USS Florida (SSGN-728), one of four Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines converted to carrying a heap of cruise missiles and a rather large detatchment of Navy SEALs, saw action in the Libyan Wa…er, Kinetic Military Action. The Ohio-class subs, whether in ballistic-missile or cruse-missile form, are widely reported to be the quiestest nuclear submarines in the world. With nuclear weapon treaties requiring the United States Navy to retire four of the Ohios, and at least 20 years of life remaining on the four oldest, they were sent in for conversion for a multi-dimensional conventional role, losing their 24 Trident ballistic missle tubes but gaining space for 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 66 waterborne special forces types.
The jury is still out on using the third-largest submarine class in the world to deliver SEALs into shore, but being able to sneak the same number of cruise missles as a surface action group a bit off-shore and not having the target know anything about it until the shooting starts is awesome.
