Shipbucket

Well, I'm persuaded gentlemen by your reasoned argument: that these ships would have proven a headache for the Eastern Block fleets. That does beg the question though; why were they never built and commissioned?

Because they would have been very very expensive for very marginal gain. Each of these ships would need the full Control and Communications suite that an SSBN carries, which is not cheap. The USN also decided that it had enough Polaris Shooters in the fleet. Remember, this is the Era of "41 for Freedom".

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𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐍𝐄𝐓- 𝑻𝒐 𝑪𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆

It is also easier to hide a SSBN than a converted merchant ship. In this period there was a big gap between American and Soviet sub technology. The Soviets prioritised speed, making the subs noisy. The Americans prioritised stealth, taking off speed but making them quieter. It was`t until the improved Akula came in the early-mid 90`s that the most advanced Soviet sub was quieter than the most advance American sub, the 688i. Then the Seawolf came, witch I believe is unsurpassed by any nuclear subs when it comes to stealth.

I have this nagging thought that these ships would've been in violation of international arms control treaties too.

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My Avatar:Петр Алексеевич Безобразов (Petr Alekseevich Bezobrazov), Вице-адмирал , царская ВМФ России(1845-1906) - I sign my drawings as Ari Saarinen