USS Seawolf (SSN-575)

USS *Seawolf* (SSN-575)
Class overview
Builders	Electric Boat division of General Dynamics Corporation, Groton, Connecticut
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	USS Nautilus
Succeeded by	Skate class; USS Darter;
Built	1953
In commission	1957–1987
History
United States
Awarded	21 July 1952
Builder	Electric Boat division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	7 September 1953
Launched	21 July 1955
Sponsored by	Mrs. W. Sterling Cole
Commissioned	30 March 1957
Decommissioned	30 March 1987
Stricken	10 July 1987
Fate	Disposed of by submarine recycling 30 September 1997
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	3,260 tons surfaced; 4,150 tons submerged;
Length	337 ft (103 m); 387 ft (118 m) post conversion;
Beam	28 ft (8.5 m)
Draft	23 ft (7.0 m)
Propulsion	S2G, replaced by S2Wa in 1960, geared steam turbines, two shafts, approx. 15,000 shp (11,000 kW)
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) (43 km/h) surfaced,; 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) submerged;
Complement	101 officers and enlisted
Armament	6 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Seawolf (SSN-575) was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seawolf, the second nuclear submarine, and the only US submarine built with a liquid metal cooled (sodium), beryllium-moderated^[2]^[3] nuclear reactor, the S2G.^[4] Her overall design (known as SCB 64A) was a variant of Nautilus, but with numerous detail changes, such as a conning tower, stepped sail, and the BQR-4 passive sonar mounted in the top portion of the bow instead of further below. This sonar arrangement resulted in an unusual bow shape above the water for a U.S. submarine. Originally laid down in 1953, her distinctive reactor was later replaced with a standard pressurized water reactor, the replacement process lasting from 12 December 1958 to 30 September 1960.^[5]

^ Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995, p. 604, Conway Maritime Press, London:1995, ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
^ Lobner, Peter (July 2018). "Marine Nuclear Power: 1939–2018 – Part 2A: United States – Submarines" (PDF). The Lyncean Group of San Diego. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
^ Stehn, J. R., ed. (26 March 1964). "Naval Reactors Physics Handbook: The physics of intermediate spectrum ractors".
^ Trakimavičius, Lukas. "The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military" (PDF). NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
^ Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 106. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.

[1] Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995, p. 604, Conway Maritime Press, London:1995, ISBN 1-55750-132-7.

[2] Lobner, Peter (July 2018). "Marine Nuclear Power: 1939–2018 – Part 2A: United States – Submarines" (PDF). The Lyncean Group of San Diego. Retrieved 29 August 2024.

[3] Stehn, J. R., ed. (26 March 1964). "Naval Reactors Physics Handbook: The physics of intermediate spectrum ractors".

[auto1-4] Trakimavičius, Lukas. "The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military" (PDF). NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

[Friedman,_106-5] Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 106. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.

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