*Five classes: **George Washington-class submarine **Ethan Allen-class submarine **Lafayette-class submarine **James Madison-class submarine **Benjamin Franklin-class submarine
Class beforeRegulus missile submarines
Class afterOhio-class submarine
Built range1 November 1958 to 20 March 1965
Total ships completed41
Total ships active0
Total ships lost0
Total ships retired39
Total ships preserved2
41 for Freedom
Length381–425 ft (116–130 m) (depending on class)[1]
Beam33 feet (10 m)[1]
Draft31 feet (9.4 m)[1]
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[1]
Test depthIn excess of 400 ft (120 m)[1]
Complement14 officers, 140 enlisted[1]
Armament

41 for Freedom refers to the US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines from the George Washington-class submarine, Ethan Allen-class submarine, Lafayette-class submarine, James Madison-class submarine, and Benjamin Franklin-class submarinees. All of these submarines were commissioned 1959–1967, as the goal was to create a credible, survivable sea-based deterrent as quickly as possible. These submarines were nicknamed "41 for Freedom" once the goal of 41 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) was established in the early 1960s. The 1972 SALT I Treaty limited the number of American submarine-launched ballistic missile tubes to 656, based on the total missile tubes of the forty-one submarines, in line with the treaty's goal of limiting strategic nuclear weapons to the number already existing.[3]

Overview

The United States had deployed nuclear weapons aboard submarines for the purpose of deterrence since 1959, using the SSM-N-8 Regulus cruise missile. However, this was intended to act merely as a stopgap, as the Regulus was limited both by its size—the greatest number of missiles capable of being taken to sea was five aboard USS Halibut—and by its range and speed, as well as by the submarine's requirement to surface to launch a missile. The intention was that the main element of the US Navy's contribution to the strategic nuclear deterrent be a ballistic missile–armed submarine. The "41 for Freedom" ballistic missile submarines were armed with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) to create a deterrent force against the threat of nuclear war with any foreign power threatening the United States during the Cold War.

The US Navy created a new submarine classification for these boats: SSBN. The first of the "41 for Freedom" submarines to be completed was USS George Washington, which was commissioned on 30 December 1959. The final boat to enter service was USS Will Rogers, which was commissioned on 1 April 1967. The 41 submarines were ultimately superseded in service by the Ohio-class submarine, the first of which was commissioned in 1981.

USS Kamehameha, operating as a SEAL platform in her later years, was decommissioned on 2 April 2002, the last boat of the original "41 for Freedom" submarines in commission, and the oldest submarine in the US Navy. Almost 37 years old, she held the record for the longest service lifetime of any nuclear-powered submarine. In the late 2010s, two boats, USS Daniel Webster and USS Sam Rayburn, though decommissioned, continued to serve as moored training ships, attached to Naval Nuclear Power School at Charleston, South Carolina until they too were eventually retired.

Submarines by class

ClassCompletedRetiredPreservedIn commissionPolaris A1/A2Polaris A3Poseidon C3Trident C4
Yes/NoNo. of
boats		Yes/NoNo. of
boats		Yes/NoNo. of
boats		Yes/NoNo. of
boats
George Washington5501959–19855500
Ethan Allen5501961–19925500
Lafayette9901963–19949990
James Madison101001964–1995010106
Benjamin Franklin121201965–2002012126

See also

References

  1. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 1971–72
  2. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 1985–86
  3. ^ "Nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarines". Fast Attacks and Boomers: Submarines in the Cold War. National Museum of American History. 2000. Retrieved 2012-01-30.

From the Federation of American Scientists: