As if this was not bad enough, the new Seawolf-class boats were also extremely expensive. Practically every part of the Seawolf's design was controversial. While this was largely due to the high cost of incorporating advanced systems into a revolutionary design, there seemed to be problems all along the way, which some of the world's best experts were put to work solving. The result was a truly amazing piece of machinery, which has run taxpayers somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.8 billion per unit of the class. While this may sound like a lot, take into consideration that the Air Force paid $2 billion for each of twentyone B-2A Spirit stealth bombers.

  Fortunately, plans for a new submarine that would incorporate the technology of the Seawolf into a boat the size and cost of the Los Angeles class were already in the works. Faced with these fiscal and strategic realities, the Navy put new emphasis on a submarine they were calling Centurion-today known as the Virginia (SSN-774) class. It thus came as no surprise when, in October 1993, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin released the results of the Bottom-up Review (BUR) in which it was explained that Seawolf production would end after only three boats, holdovers from Clinton's election '92 promise, had been constructed.

  Seawolf (SSN-21): A Guided Tour

  Once you get over the sticker-price shock (something Congress never seemed to do!), you can discover exactly how revolutionary Seawolf actually is, and it's something of which every American can be justly proud. Let's start out by discussing the design of this big, beautiful boat. Prior to Seawolf's design, every class of U.S. submarine since the Skipjack (SSN-585) class of the 1950s had been an "iterative" design. That is to say, the basic design of submarines was modified so that each new class was based on the solid design of an older ship, incorporating a mix of old and new technology.

  Thus the classes between the Skipjack and Los Angeles were all modified designs of the same original boat. This all changed with the Seawolf design. Seawolf was the first submarine design in over thirty years to be planned totally new from top to bottom.

  USS Seawolf (SSN-21) interior layout. RUBICON, INC., BY LAURA DENINNO

  Everything about the Seawolf (SSN-21) and her sister boats, Connecticut (SSN-22) and the not-yet-in-service Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), is new and improved. She is big, displacing an impressive 9,137 tons submerged. Starting from the stern, we begin our look with what many people would mistakenly think is one of the simplest parts of a submarine: its screw. Known as a propeller to those outside the Navy, the screw is actually one of the most complicated parts of a submarine, and its construction is a closely guarded national secret. The construction of the Seawolf's screw has been essential to her requirement for quiet running at high speeds.

  As mentioned earlier, the British built their Trafalgar-class SSNs with a shroud covering the propeller, which had the benefit of quieting excess noise generated by the sub's screw out into the water. A similar design is used in the U.S. Navy's Mk 48 torpedo, albeit on a smaller scale. Known as a "pumpjet propulsion system," the design works well. According to one report, running at 25 knots, Seawolf is quieter than a 688I that is just sitting at the pier! Other stories indicate that Seawolf is able to run quietly at twice the speed of any previous American attack submarine. Other sources are more direct and attribute to Seawolf a virtually "silent speed" of 20 knots. While numerous elements go into these quieting secrets, you can bet that the Seawolf's pumpjet propulsor plays a key role. Hidden inside the covering shroud of the propulsor is a single propeller shaft similar to those that have been used by U.S. attack submarines since the advent of nuclear propulsion.

  If you were to look at a photograph of a Seawolf under construction or in dry dock, you would be able to see many of the sub's sensors as you glance at the sides of its hull. In particular, the boat is designed with a unique surface tail configuration and gives the impression of six thin, flat "fin stabilizers" jutting from the aft of the boat, which face out at varying angles from the shrouded prop. Fitted to the stabilizer at the four- and eight-o'clock positions are shrouds through which the sensitive TB-16D and TB-29 towed array sonars are streamed out from the boat. As you move around to the sides of the lower hull, you'll notice one of the biggest advances perfected between the construction of the last of the 688I boats and the new Seawolf. This is the addition of the BQG-5D Wide Aperture Array (WAA) system sensor fittings. Although invisible when the sub lies in the water, the WAA is one of the most distinctive features of this revolutionary warship design. An advanced passive sensor system fitted into three rectangular housings attached to each side of the lower hull, the WAA performs an essential mission when the boat is in the detection and tracking phases of an engagement, and Seawolf is the first full class of submarines fitted with the system. The WAA has been so successful in trials that plans currently call for fitting it into the future Virginia (SSN-774) class as well.

  In the bow is a large, 24-foot/ 7.3-meter-diameter spherical sonar array, which is the heart of the BSY-2 combat system. Based on the earlier BSY-1 system we showed you aboard Miami, BSY-2 is, in terms of software, processing power, and integration, a generation ahead of the earlier system. By tying together all the various sonar and other sensors systems into the BSY-2, Seawolf has a capability for multitarget combat engagements and situational awareness matched only by the Aegis combat system on the Ticonderoga (CG-47) and Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) missile cruisers and destroyers.

  As we continue along our journey on Seawolf, you'll notice many bulges and bumps along the hull, each of which serves a vital purpose. Walking along the long hull, which is 353 feet/107.6 meters long and 40 feet/12.2 meters wide, you'll see a long, thin faring that is raised several inches off the deck. This is where the towed array sonars are stored. Also, as during our visit to Miami and Triumph, you'll notice that the deck is made of a thick, spongy coating known as anechoic tiles. These black rubberlike tiles do much to seal sound inside the Seawolf as well as keep other sounds from bouncing off the boat and reflecting sonar "pings" back to prowling surface ships, sonobouys, or enemy submarines. Every now and then you might see a submarine, especially those of the former Soviet Union, missing a tile or two. These occasionally fall off and make for some interesting photo ops!

  Navy and contractor personnel man the underway main control watch, aboard Seawolf. OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PHOTO

  Underneath the tiles is one of the hardest steel hulls ever constructed on an American ship. Once the welding work of Seawolf was fixed, the real benefits of HY-100 steel became apparent. With a significant (meaning classified) increase in diving depth over the 688I class, Seawolf is able to operate farther into the ocean depths than any attack submarine in American history. This has restored much of the tactical capability lost when the HY-80 hulls of the Los Angeles-class boats were thinned down to save weight and displacement. As the recent loss of the Russian submarine Kursk illustrates, the ocean depths can be anything but hospitable, and the deeper a submarine goes the more pressure is exerted on its hull. It was just these dangers that the submarine designers had in mind when they built in the next feature we run across as we tour Seawolf's deck-the submarine escape trunk and Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) mating hatch.

  This aft hatch, along with a second hatch farther forward, is where a rescue chamber or submarine like the DSRV would mate with Seawolf in the event she suffered a catastrophic accident and the crewmembers were still safe. This is, of course, a really big if. It is, however, a very real possibility that was demonstrated quite sadly by the loss of the Kursk and her crew in 2000. A number of the Kursk's crew survived the sinking of their boat and might have been saved had their government allowed U.S. or British DSRVs to be deployed earlier during the search-and-rescue operations.

  There have been some changes in the field of submarine rescue since the first edition of Submarine went to press, and this seems like a good place to cover them. The first is that the American DSRVs are rapidly coming to the end of their useful service lives and require replacement or upgrade. Also, the dedicated rescue ships that could operate the old McCann rescue chambers have been retired, meaning that the DSRVs delivered on the backs of submarines are now the only deep-water rescue system in the U.S. inventory. On the plus side, though, new rescue technologies are being designed and tested, and may be backfitted onto existing DSRVs.

  The arrangement of periscopes, sensors, and communications masts on the conning tower/sail of USS Seawolf (SSN-21). RUBICON, INC., BY LAURA DENINNO

  One of the most promising of these is a new kind of mating collar, composed of angular slip rings that allow docking even if the downed boat is resting at a severe angle. Whether this new system will be retrofitted to the existing DSRVs as part of a comprehensive overhaul or to a completely new vehicle remains to be seen. For now, though, submarine rescue still remains an "iffy" proposition at best.

  Farther forward is the sail, which is, frankly, one of the slickest such structures ever built onto a U.S. submarine. Unlike traditional American nuclear subs, Seawolf has a curved faring blending the front of her sail into the hull to help reduce resistance and flow noise. It is just one of many little touches designed to keep the Seawolf-class boats the quietest ever to roam the world's oceans. As in previous American SSNs, the sail contains all of the sensor masts, as well as the control station for conning the boat on the surface. The mast-mounted sensors include:* Periscopes: As in previous U.S. submarine designs, the Seawolf is equipped with a pair of optical periscope masts. These include both Type 8 Mod 3 and Type 18 scopes, of the same variety as those described earlier on Miami.* Radar: To provide surface and some limited air search capabilities, a BPS-16 set is installed for operations in poor visibility and at night.* Radio Masts: A pair of AN/BRA-34 communications masts are provided to support the growing bandwidth requirements for littoral operations.* Electronic/Signals Collection Masts: To support intelligence collection and tactical situational awareness, Seawolf has an AN/BRD-7/BLD-1 mast with the collection heads for the WLQ-4 (V)1 and BLD-1D/F radar and signals receptions systems.* Trailing Antenna: To provide command cueing while submerged, the Seawolf has an OE-315 trailing wire antenna that can receive transmission from the Navy's Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) communications system.

  All this, along with the improved processing and display technology of the BSY-2 combat system, makes Seawolf a truly revolutionary design-and just think, we've not even touched on the weapons load yet! That, too, is a major improvement over that of the older 688Is.

  As we continue with our "hull walk," you'll probably notice a large hatch directly aft of the sail structure. This is the oddly shaped weapons shipping hatch and is used in the slow, monotonous process of loading torpedoes, weapons, and other stores inside the boat. One by one, each of the torpedoes (up to a maximum load of fifty) and other weapons must be brought down into the sub and laid in the torpedo room for storage in the event of combat. The weapons load of the Seawolf, twice that of the Flight I Los Angeles-class boats, was mandated by the desire to have enough warshots to sustain multiple engagements during prolonged wartime operations. To get these weapons off the boat quickly, Seawolf is equipped with eight 26.5-inch /673mm torpedo tubes, the biggest ever fitted to an American submarine. Utilizing a new air turbine pump system to expel the weapons more quietly than earlier water-ram methods, the new tubes are also capable of launching unmanned surveillance vehicles and even divers, should that be necessary. One thing the 688Is had that has been deleted from the Seawolf is the bank of Vertical Launch System (VLS) missile launchers in the bow. With her huge internal weapons stowage and eight torpedo tubes, the Seawolf was considered well enough armed to eliminate the VLS tubes.

  As with every other element of submarine technology, ten years makes a big difference in weapons. Since the early 1990s, there have been significant changes and improvements to the weapons carried by the Seawolf-class boats. First off, all of the UGM-84 sub-Harpoon antiship missiles have now been withdrawn from service in the U.S. submarine fleet. This is mostly due to the fact that each Harpoon takes up space that might be used to hold a more frequently used torpedo or Tomahawk cruise missile, something that has made the sub-launched version of these formidable weapons go the way of the dodo bird.

  While not completely making up for the mid-range surface ship attack capability afforded by the Harpoon, the Navy has been hard at work improving their supply of Mk 48 ADCAP torpedoes. These newest modifications to the already advanced torpedo are known as the ADCAP Mods 5 and 6. The Mod 5 changes include a guidance and control modification that improves the acoustic receiver, adds memory to the internal computer, and allows the torpedo to handle increased software demands. The second modification, known as Mod 6, includes the TPU or Torpedo Propulsion Unit upgrade and will provide the ADCAP with greater speed, range, and depth. These improvements to the Mk 48s will enable the weapon to better conduct operations in the coastal zones where the Seawolf-class boats will be lurking and working.

  A sailor aboard the Seawolf operates the fire control tracking system, which uses the latest in rugged touch screen controls. OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PHOTO

  As mentioned earlier, one of the major missions of SSNs in the 1990s has been that of launching BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles against enemy targets. The preferred version, known as Block III, has a GPS-based guidance system as well as a new warhead and satellite telemetry system. The problem is that many of the Tomahawks modified to the Block III standard were fired during the 1990s in places like the Balkans and Southwest Asia, and earlier variants lack the easy mission-planning capabilities of the newer missiles. Several plans were put forth to modify more of the early model missiles to a so-called Block IV configuration, but would have cost too much (over $700,000 per missile).

  To provide both surface ships and submarines with enough of the precious Tomahawks into the twenty-first century, a brand-new version, known as Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM), is being developed by Raytheon. TACTOM will incorporate a number of new features, including a new injection molded plastic airframe, satellite data link, and turbojet engine, to reduce costs. At around $500,000 a copy, the new missiles will be a bargain compared with reworking older air-frames. However, the Block IIIs will be the primary variant until the middle of the decade, when TACTOMs should begin to arrive in serious quantities out in the fleet.

  If you duck down inside the hatch aft of the sail, at first you will feel just like you have stepped into any other advanced submarine. However, moving forward into the control room, you rapidly can see the differences between Seawolf and the Los Angeles-class boats. Where older boats still have a lot of conventional dials, gauges, and other readouts, most of the critical control positions on Seawolf have been equipped with red plasma computer displays with touch screens. These allow a much wider range of controls and graphics to be fed to operators in the control room and other parts of the boat, and stand up quite well to errant elbows and spilled coffee!

  Otherwise, the basic layout of Seawolf is very similar to that of Miami, with perhaps a bit more elbow room than the older boat. Nevertheless, Seawolf still does not have all the creature comforts you might expect on a submarine with over 25 percent more internal volume than a 688I. The problem is that while there is more room inside of Seawolf, there also is more "stuff" inside her hull. The S6W reactor, while the same basic unit as the one on the 688Is, now feeds two steam turbines putting out an additional 10,000 horsepower. This provides a total of 40,000 shaft horsepower, giving Seawolf a top speed of around 35 knots, if you believe reports from the initial sea trials.

  The dining area on the Seawolf during chow call. OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PHOTO

  These engines in turn have more quieting mounts and equipment than those on the Los Angeles-class boats, all of which take up lots of space. Virtually every other piece of machinery on Seawolf has similar quieting gear, which eats up a lot of volume. The result is that a number of the junior enlisted personnel still have to "hot bunk," due to a shortage of berthing space. This is a shortcoming, which will probably have a downside in the long run, in terms of habitability and personnel retention. However, it is the price that must be paid to make Seawolf the quietest, most deadly submarine in the world.

  The rest of Seawolf is much like that of Miami, though put together very differently. Electric Boat, the prime Seawolf contractor, designed her to be built with a modular construction technique, much like that of Newport News in Virginia and Litton-Ingalls in Mississippi.[16] This means that more of the boat can be "stuffed" and finished before the hull is welded and floated into the water. It would have been interesting to see what this would have done to production costs if even a second flight of three SSN-21s had been ordered by Congress, instead of proceeding to the Virginia (SSN-774) class boats directly. As it is, the sailors assigned to the Seawolf and Connecticut consider themselves very lucky sailors indeed. Both are in the water and assigned to the Atlantic fleet, starting to make patrols and being tested in exercises.

  A comparison of the USS Seawolf (SSN-21) (top) and the USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) (bottom). The roughly 100 foot/30.5 meter greater length of the Jimmy Carter will accommodate a "plug" to conduct "Special Projects" and "Research" missions. RUBICON, INC., BY LAURA DENINNO

  The Jimmy Carter-the third and final Seawolf-will, however, be something very different: a true "Special Projects" boat from the keel up. The basic Seawolf hull is having an approximately 100-foot/30.5-meter "plug" added aft of her sail, with all kinds of room for berthing of extra personnel, stowage of special equipment and sensors, as well as a large lock-out chamber. This will be big enough to allow the launching of the new generation of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) being developed for use by the fleet. The plan is to have her in the water by 2004, when she will join Parche (herself scheduled for retirement in 2006) at the Trident-missile submarine base in Bangor, Washington. Jimmy Carter will be the ultimate expression of American submarine intelligence gathering, though just what that will mean in the twenty-first century is still unknown. However, given what the Navy's small force of special projects boats did during the Cold War, the Jimmy Carter will be doing things that will someday be a subject for novelists.