As part of the strike against Iran’s nuclear weapon facilities, an unnamed U.S. submarine launched a 30-missile Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) strike against the Isfahan nuclear weapons site.
From Defense News: Here’s the role an Ohio-class submarine played in the strikes on Iran
At about 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on June 21, a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine launched over two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles into Iran, striking targeted infrastructure sites in Isfahan.
Shortly after the Tomahawks were fired, fighter aircraft and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers swept over Iran, culminating in the destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities with the force of 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, known as “bunker busters.”
While the B-2 bombers and bunker-buster bombs are so far dominating discussions of the mission, titled Operation Midnight Hammer, the Ohio-class submarine performed a critical role in it, too.
The specific vessel that fired the missiles has not yet been identified, but Secretary of the Navy John Phelan confirmed to lawmakers in a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday that it was an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine that had “performed exceptionally, causing significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capacity.”
It’s no surprise that an “Ohio-class guided-missile submarine,” or “SSGN” was chosen to shoot the TLAMs at Isfahan. First, they are, to use submarine parlance, “ghosts,” virtually undetectable acoustically, or any other way (don’t doubt me). Second, they carry 154, yes, 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Third, they can stay on station, wherever that is, virtually indefinitely (no refueling required, the only logistical issue is food).
As to that last point, while no one without a Top Secret security clearance knows where the SSGN that shot the TLAMs at Isfahan is right now, it could very well be that the sub is still on station with 124 or so Tomahawk missiles ready to launch. The B-2 bombers flew back to Missouri, the SSGN did not and is probably still there.
Defense News continues:
The Ohio class was originally designed as one of the Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines. Powered by a nuclear reactor, it was also designed to carry and launch ballistic missiles armed with multiple nuclear warheads.
At 560 feet long, the Ohio class can dive to over 800 feet below and maneuver at over 25 knots per hour. It has the capacity to carry 15 officers and around 144 enlisted personnel.
Four Ohio-class submarines were modified into guided-missile submarines, enabling them to launch conventional land attacks and support Special Forces operations. These included the submarines Ohio, Florida, Georgia and the Michigan.
It was a guided-missile submarine that delivered the strikes on Iran.
It is stealth, rather than sheer firepower, that makes an Ohio-class submarine — whether carrying nuclear warheads or guided missiles for land attacks — truly formidable. Designed as a nuclear deterrent and part of the U.S. strategic nuclear triad, the Ohio-class was built for longevity and to evade detection, requiring minimal maintenance stops…
The precision cruise missile can penetrate air defenses to strike targets with nearly hairpin precision from over 1,000 miles away, and can be commanded to change course in flight instantly.
Awesome capability. There’s just one problem.
From Business Insider: Strikes on Iran showed the need for stealthy submarines that can launch a whole lot of missiles. The US Navy is about to lose that:
The Navy plans to decommission two of its Ohio-class SSGNs in 2026 and the other two in 2028, replacing them with Virginia-class Block V submarines. These won’t be dedicated cruise missile submarines, but they will boast greater firepower than earlier Virginias.Military leaders and experts have expressed concerns about the replacement plan and the loss of missile capacity.”The US will experience a big drop in its capacity for stealthy missile attacks,” Clark said. The Block V Virginia-class attack submarines will each be able to carry up to 40 Tomahawk missiles, far less than the Ohio SSGNs, a concern as the US attempts to turn its focus to higher-end threats and potential conflicts.This means Navy officials will have to deploy four or more Virginia-class attack subs to fire as many long-range missiles, reducing the number of attack subs for other missions they are specially built for: surveillance and ship-killing.Additionally, the Ohio-class SSGNs have two crews of about 150 sailors that rotate the sub back and forth, allowing it to maximize its deployed time. Over two decades of operations, these subs have earned reputations as workhorses.Another problem is that the Block V submarines are facing years-long delays and rising costs due to persistent US Navy shipbuilding problems that could leave a capability gap.A Navy review last year estimated the delay to contract delivery for Virginia Block Vs at approximately 24 months. Other top-priority programs, like the Constellation-class frigate, Virginia Block IV submarines, and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, are also behind schedule.The Trump administration has made fixing the shipbuilding problems contributing to these delays a top priority, standing up an office in the White House dedicated to shipbuilding.Recent congressional hearings have examined a number of problems, some dating back decades to the end of the Cold War. Issues like competitive pay for shipbuilders, workforce and labor problems, and training and shipbuilding capacity woes have repeatedly caused programs to run behind.With the Virginia-class Block Vs delayed, retiring the Ohio-class submarines could limit the stealthy cruise-missile strike capabilities of the Navy’s submarine force.”Unless the Navy delays the Ohio retirements, the Navy’s submarine-launched missile capacity will not return to today’s levels until the mid-2030s,” Clark said, when the Virginia Block Vs are expected to be completed.And even when the Block Vs are delivered, they won’t bring the same firepower.
Ah well, enjoy it while you’ve got it, I guess.
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