Posted on May 11, 2015
What's the most lethal vessel in the Navy's modern arsenal?
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What is the Navy's most lethal warship in today's fleet? The aircraft carrier? The submarine? Something else? What say you?
Navy
Weapons
Submarines
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 103
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SSBN's and SSGN's as a far second. Their payload far exceeds any other vehicle that has ever been created in the US. They can destroy entire countries and small continents and you will never seem them coming. The true meaning of meaning of silent, but deadly. SSGN's have insane capabilities as well...154 of them.
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Okay okay. I was on boomers when I saw a report that listed all combat units and how long they would survive in an all out nuke war. Boomers were towards the bottom of the list. Once that first missile is launched you are targeted with a return missile. The #1 for survivability, remember this includes the entire military, was the fast attack submarine. Listed as "indefinite" it would all depend on the crew.
So in my mind it is the attack submarine. All the weaponry and capabilities make it the deadliest weapon in our arsenal.
So in my mind it is the attack submarine. All the weaponry and capabilities make it the deadliest weapon in our arsenal.
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CPO (Join to see)
Really? Anybody ever mention why the CO had a stopwatch in his hand at 1SQ? Actually the probability is pretty high that a few Ohio-class boats would survive (for whatever is left of the planet until nuclear winter wipes everything out), and given the much greater amount of stores that can be carried onboard, and their mission-familiarity with staying at sea for much longer periods of time between stores loads than fast attack subs (even on-mission), an SSBN will easily outlast the fast-attack. Don't forget about atmospheres, too... What's the longest a fast-attack can go without so much as equalizing, much less snorkeling? Because as soon as you pull in that fallout-contaminated air...
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PO1 Donald Hammond
There were no Ohio class back when this was written and it was only concerned with surviving the battle, not future survival after the shooting stopped. But the report was part of what drove them to try and have the ripple launch with the Ohio. The thing was that when the first missile breaks the surface the location is known. By the time the 2nd missile was away a missile was being launched back. After the 3rd was fired it was all over for the boomer. Whereas an attack sub would hit and run.
As far as food etc, well, that would all depend on the point in time in the deployment. But in an all out nuke war, would it really matter?
As far as food etc, well, that would all depend on the point in time in the deployment. But in an all out nuke war, would it really matter?
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SN Greg Wright
PO1 Donald Hammond - WHoa whoa whoa. You're saying an SSBN can't fire it's entire payload in, say 30 minutes? Because the only country hitting that SSBN after firing is Russia, and that distance takes time to cover, even for ICBM's. That sub would be long gone imo.
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The operative word in the question is, of course, "lethal"...And, while I would, as part of the Naval Air component, ike to say Aircraft Carriers fit the billot, there cannot be any argument that submarines are the most-lethal weapos we have. NOTHING screws up one's day quite like a "nuke", eh? I'll say! J~
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SrA Edward Vong
PO2 Alfredo Pacheco This is true, and I also hear talks about a real life Helicarrier from Avengers
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PO2 Alfredo Pacheco
Yeah.....I don't see that happening anytime soon. Each fan/turbine would need it's own nuclear reactor just to keep it in the air. Not to mention you can't pass a certain alt unless everyone is on oxygen masks. Also, you have some insane crosswinds up there.
It would be better/logical to invest the time to research new forms of propulsion vs a flying carrier. Hey, what about a sub-carrier. Now THAT would be the deadliest ship ever.
It would be better/logical to invest the time to research new forms of propulsion vs a flying carrier. Hey, what about a sub-carrier. Now THAT would be the deadliest ship ever.
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It would be a Trident SSBN of course. I worked out at Bangor and had a chance to go aboard them a few times. It just seemed strange wandering around "Sherwood Forest" (the tubes). Like all our submarines, lots of pipes anchored at each bend with a rubber dampener ring. Interesting things I learned. It was the last sub designed on paper. CAD came out later. The fire control computer is old school; motors and gears. Utterly reliable and even when taking a beating. The subs don't belong to the Navy. They are owned by the Strategic Program; the same outfit that owns the AF nukes. The torpedo system looks like Rube Goldberg on Meth. That's because SP didn't have that in the original design and the Navy said they weren't taking anything out that can't shoot back. Some of them have been converted to shoot Tomahawks, 154 of them. That said, the platform is getting long in the tooth so the replacement design is underway. Last I heard they will cost $4B a copy.
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CDR William Kramer
Some misstatments here. In my civilian capacity, I was a Program Manager at the facility that built the missile guidance systems and the Fire Control systems for Trident and the Fire Control for trident was absolutely digital as opposed to motors and gears. The original Polaris might have been motors and gears but that was long before Trident. What you are calling "Strategic Programs" is actually the "Strategic Systems Program Office" otherwise known as "SSP" which is a Navy organization within the Naval Sea Systems Command. They don't really "own" the boats, the Navy does. Their mission orders and tasking comes from STRATCOM which is a joint command just like how the rest of the ships and aircraft come under one of the other Combatant Commanders such as Northcom, Centcom, etc.
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I am a dirt Soldier, so I would say an Aircraft Carrier or a Ballistic Missile Submarine...
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I vote for a nuclear powered submarine with nukes because she is silent but deadly.
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Actually I would have to say the aircraft carrier with the nuclear subs a close second.
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LCS is probably the deadliest in my opinion. Crazy fast, heavily armed, almost zero radar cross section. I could be biased though. I helped build LCS 4 in Mobile AL.
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