USS Topeka (SSN-754)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Topeka.

USS Topeka (SSN-754) prepares to dock with the assistance of a tugboat.
History
United States
NameUSS Topeka
NamesakeThe City of Topeka, Kansas
Awarded28 November 1983
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down13 May 1986
Launched23 January 1988
Sponsored byElizabeth Dole
Commissioned21 October 1989
HomeportNaval Station Pearl Harbor
Identification
MottoDefender of the Heartland
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeLos Angeles-class submarine
Displacement
  • 5,726 long tons (5,818 t) light
  • 6,131 long tons (6,229 t) full
  • 405 long tons (411 t) dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 1 × S6G PWR nuclear reactor with D2W core (165 MW), HEU 93.5%[1][2]
  • 2 × steam turbines (33,500) shp
  • 1 × shaft
  • 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
Test depth400 m (1,312 ft)
Complement12 officers, 98 men
Armament
  • 4 × 21 in (533 mm) bow tubes
  • 12 × vertical launch Tomahawk missiles

USS Topeka (SSN-754) is a Los Angeles-class submarine and the third United States Navy vessel to be named for Topeka, Kansas. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 28 November 1983 and her keel was laid down on 13 May 1986. She was launched on 23 January 1988, sponsored by Elizabeth Dole, and commissioned on 21 October 1989.[3]

Topeka and USS Albany form a unique variant among Los Angeles class submarines. The pressure hulls of both ships were partially manufactured using stronger HY-100,[citation needed] instead of the HY-80 steel used in the manufacturing of all other Los Angeles class submarines. This was done to test construction methods using this steel, which would later be employed in the assembly of the new Seawolf-class submarines. In theory, this permits Albany and Topeka to dive to a slightly greater depth than any other member of the Los Angeles class, though it remains unclear if this ability has ever been tested by either vessel.[4]

  1. ^ "International Panel on Fissile Materials". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  3. ^ ""Elizabeth Dole refers to sponsoring USS Topeka in a speech."". Archived from the original on 27 June 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
  4. ^ "The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World" 2002, p. 377.