Posted on May 11, 2015
CH (MAJ) William Beaver
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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?
Posted in these groups: Navy NavyWeapons logo WeaponsFf98e4cc Submarines
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CH (MAJ) William Beaver
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Bringing the hurt
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CPO Mike Anderson
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The Carrier Battle Group is a combination of lethal weapons, the most lethal ship in my book is still the carrier and it's escorts. Indivdually, the Sub is pretty lethal, but limited in all it can do.
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PO1 Steven Nelson
PO1 Steven Nelson
10 y
The Sub is only as lethal as the crews around it. The group is Lethal. No way to Replenish, no more than a few shots down range, on target. That's TEAMWORK, plane and simple. If needed, anyone of our Ships can hold off anything on the planet long enough to get the team there. That's when you get the can of " get right "! Jus sayin.
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CPO Information Systems Technician
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10 y
Indeed, the ability to take out the entire planet with one SSBN is "pretty lethal"...
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CPO Mike Anderson
CPO Mike Anderson
10 y
The problem with a nuke or multiple nuke's is you may win, but at what cost? I personally would like to come home to my family, not a self induced, glow in the dark parking lot.
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CDR Michael Goldschmidt
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Lethality always needs a context. Lethal to whom: other shipping, troops on the ground, aircraft, entire cities, what?
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PO2 Alfredo Pacheco
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I would say

1) SSBN
2) CVN
3) CG
4) DDG
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CMDCM Gene Treants
CMDCM Gene Treants
10 y
Picking the most lethal SINGLE platform I tend to agree with that order PO2 Alfredo Pacheco.
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CPO Astac Wti
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>1 y
I would agree with this order. If the equation of planes are to carriers as are missiles to CG/DDG is accounted for. Inversely one could say since planes can opperate from other places than carriers then CG/DDG would be higher than a CVN. Still a strike group is always a good choice.
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MSgt Rob Weston
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A MCPO without Coffee
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LCDR Sales & Proposals Manager Gas Turbine Products
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C3aaf220
Admiral Zumwalt is pleased...
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PO1 Kevin Goldston
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Edited 10 y ago
071228 n 9588l 004
There is only two vessels in the world, submarines and targets.
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MCPO Tom Miller
MCPO Tom Miller
>1 y
My dear friend, a 22 year bubble head has told me this many times. He was a great friend and lived the life of submariner long after retirement a D never missed a reunion. My last tour was as a MCPO on CRUDEGRUEIGHT with the flag on board the USS INDEPENDENCE CV62. We had in the GRU a sub with cruisers and destroyers for protection too. Go Navy
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PO1 Gregg Mundy
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As far as I know (my knowledge is limited) The submarine.
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CPO Information Systems Technician
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It's OK, that kind of knowledge is supposed to be limited (but the SSBN platform isn't, LOL!)
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CAPT Hiram Patterson
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The Ohio Class submarine. 24 Trident D-5 missiles with up to 12 MIRV (multiple independent re-entry vehicle) warheads with a maximum yield of 375 KT giving you 136.8 megatons. Ships no longer carry nuclear weapons and carrier aircraft are not certified to deliver nuclear bombs.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
>1 y
Thank you, CAPT. Two points, The issue is lethality, and there is nothing in our arsenal that has the lethality of the SSBN, as you noted. Second, the Coast Guard is NOT part of the Navy, ergo, not in this topic. They are good fun to pick on though.

I may be prejudiced, though. my entire career (21 years) has been on submarines or related shore duty.
For anyone that is interested in more on your last sentence (SALT), here is a good historical timeline reflecting how we got there.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/salt
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CAPT Hiram Patterson
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The Ohio Class Submarine. 24 Trident D-5 missiles with up to 12 MIRV (multiple independent reentry vehicle) warheads having a maximum yield of 475 KT gives you 136.8 megatons. Surface ships no longer have nuclear weapons aboard and carrier aircraft are not nuclear certified.
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Capt Richard I P.
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SSBN, hands down. A single SSBN has more operational 100-300 kt than the third most powerful nuclear nation. (As hinted at by PO1 John Miller and LTC Paul Labrador).

The operational nuclear warhead pecking order goes: 1. US 2. RUS 3. A single US SSBN

The raw numbers invert the US and Russia, but the SSBN is still third.
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