World’s Most Heavily Armed Tactical Submarines Retiring: U.S. Navy Has No Replacement for Valuable Ohio Class Missile Ships

The U.S. Navy has begun retiring its first of four Ohio class guided missile submarines, with the USS Georgia scheduled to be officially inactivated on July 31 following its return to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. The retirement marks the beginning of the end for the world’s most heavily armed tactical submarines, which were designed to carry 154 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. Their withdrawal from service is particularly notable due to a lack of a similarly heavily armed replacement for the vessels. Originally commissioned in 1984 as ballistic missile submarines to carry strategic nuclear weapons, the four ships were converted into a guided missile submarine during the 2000s to allow them to contribute to conventional war efforts. 

The capacity to integrate 154 cruise missiles, which is by far the largest of any ship in the world, was achieved by replacing each of the 22 tubes for Trident II intercontinental range ballistic missiles with seven launch canisters capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles. Beyond their massive missile capacity, the Ohio class missile submarines were designed to support special operations on a scale unmatched by any other submarine class. The vessels can embark more than 60 special operations personnel, including U.S. Navy SEALs, while carrying Dry Deck Shelters and swimmer delivery vehicles for covert insertion missions. This combination of strategic strike capability and special forces support has allowed the submarines to conduct a wide range of missions, from precision land attack and intelligence gathering to clandestine operations deep inside contested regions.

The U.S. Navy intends for Virginia Block V class attack submarines equipped with the Virginia Payload Module to assume many of the missions of the four Ohio class cruise missile submarines, although the newer vessels have just 26 percent of the missile firepower with just 40 launch tubes each. Although multiple Virginia class submarines could collectively deliver similar numbers of cruise missiles, doing so would require significantly more vessels, crews and maintenance resources. The retirement of the Ohio class cruise missile submarines occurs at an especially difficult time for the U.S. Navy’s submarine force, as construction delays affecting the Virginia class have placed significant strain on the United States’ submarine industrial base. The inability to build new submarines at the required rate has left the Navy facing declining fleet numbers while attempting simultaneously to replace ageing strategic and attack submarines.

As a result of their unique capabilities, in particular their firepower, the four Ohio class guided missile submarines are widely assessed to have been the most heavily tasked in the Western world, with their presences sending powerful signals to both adversaries and strategic partners. The USS Georgia has been deployed for shows of force on several occasions, and in late 2020 and early 2021 made rare publicised trips on the surface through the Strait of Hormuz at a time of high tensions with Iran. Despite their age, the four submarines are in many respects the most valuable in the Navy, with their age and rising sustainment requirements being the primary factor in the decision to retire them. The state of the U.S. defence sector and shipbuilding industry means developing a similarly well armed successor is unlikely.