USS Texas (SSN-775)

History of USS Texas (SSN-775)

The modern United States Navy (USN) currently operates three classes of submarines - "Los Angeles", "Ohio" and "Virginia". The most numerous of these are the Cold War era Los Angeles class, with around 33 in service (2020) - although 29 have been retired/retired. The massive Ohio-class is another Cold War veteran, with eighteen of the twenty-four ships planned (as six were canceled).

This makes the Virginia class the most modern product: the class was launched in 2004 with 19 ships, about 11 of which are in various stages of construction.

These include the USS Texas (SSN-775), the second ship listed in the class. She was built by Newport News Shipbuilding (now Northrop Grumman Newport News) as part of the former "Block I" division, laid on July 12, 2002.

The vessel was launched on April 9, 2005, officially commissioned on September 9, 2006, and will continue to serve on that date (2020).

USS Texas is classified as a nuclear attack submarine (hence the hull designation "SSN") and is equipped with S9G series nuclear reactor units. The unit drives a single axle at the stern, providing the boat with excellent underwater speeds in excess of 30 knots and essentially unlimited operating range. Dimensions include a barrel length of 377 feet and a width of 34 feet. The hull has been tested at depths of over 800 feet. Underwater weight is 8700 tons (short).

There were 135 crew members on board, including 15 officers and 120 sailors.

The shape of the boat conforms to the class design: the sails are set close to the diving aircraft. Four torpedo tubes are located in the bow, and there are two launchers on the side of the hull. The hull shape is perfectly tubular with a blunt cone and a tapered stern.

The empennage is cross-shaped and is located in front of the shrouded propeller mounted on the stern.

Armament includes 4 x 533mm torpedo tubes supporting the Mk 48 torpedo series. Additional firepower comes from 12 x Vertical Launch System (VLS) units supporting the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile.

This enables the ship to strike land-based targets from the sea - well beyond the reach of land-based defenses.

Today (2020), the aircraft carrier USS Texas is homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, with vital access to the Pacific Ocean. She fought under the famous motto "Don't mess with Texas."

Specification

Basic

Year of Service

2006

Origins

United States

Status

In service

supplement

134

staff

Class information

Class

Virginia class

Class Size

19

ships

Class

USS Virginia (SSN-774); USS Texas (SSN-775); USS Hawaii (SSN-776); USS North Carolina (SSN-777); USS New Hampshire (SSN-778); USS New Mexico (SSN-779); USS Missouri (SSN-780); USS California (SSN-781); USS Mississippi (SSN-782); USS Minnesota (SSN-783); USS North Dakota (SSN-784) ); USS John Warner (SSN-785); USS Illinois (SSN-786); USS Washington (SSN-787); USS Colorado (SSN-788); USS Indiana (SSN-789); 790); Delaware (SSN-791); USS Vermont (SSN-792); USS Oregon Warner (SSN-793); USS Montana (SSN-794); USS Hayman G Rickover (SSN- 795); USS New Jersey (SSN-796); USS Iowa (SSN-797); USS Massachusetts (SSN-798); USS Idaho (SSN-799); USS Arkansas (SSN-800); USS Utah (SSN-810); USS Oklahoma (SSN-802); USS Arizona (SSN-803); USS Barb (SSN-804)

Operators

United States

Roles

Underwater Attack

Travel below the surface to find, track and/or attack or explore areas.

Offshore Operations

Nearshore activities in support of Allied activities.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

377.0 feet

114.91m

Ray

34. 0 feet

10.36m

Draft

32. 0 feet

9.75m

Shift

7,800 t

No. submerged

8,700 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

1 x GE S9G nuclear reactor unit power to 1 x shaft tail.

Surface Velocity

25.0 nodes

(28.8 km/h)

Underwater speed

section 35.0

(40.3 km/h)

Area

essentially infinite

Weapons

4 x 535mm torpedo tubes support Mk 48 series torpedoes. 12 x Vertical Launch System (VLS) units support the BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missile.

Aircraft

None.