Alexander Polnareff Class Submarine
| Alexander Polnareff class | |
|---|---|
-677.png) SFB(A)-677 as she appeared in 1971 | |
| Class overview | |
| Name | Alexander Polnareff class |
| Builders | Electric Boat Company |
| Operators | Union of Columbian Communes Columbian Navy |
| Class before | Samuel Greene class |
| Cost | ± $113.4 million USD (First Ship_ |
| Built | 5 |
| Active | 5 (1971) |
| General Characteristics | |
| Type | ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement |
Surfaced: 6,490 long tons (6,594 t) Submerged: 7,450 long tons (7,570 t) |
| Length | 393 feet 410 inches (130.2 m) |
| Beam | 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m) |
| Draught | 17 feet 6 inches (5.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | Effectively unlimited |
| Test depth | 1,250 feet (380 m) |
| Complement | 12 Officers and 122 Enlisted) |
| Armament | 12 Pr.51C Atomic Delivery Systems, 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes |
The Alexander Polnareff class was a class of ballistic missile submarines deployed by the Columbian Navyin the latter half of the 20th century. Though the second class of ballistic missile submarine built by Columbia, the Alexander Polnareff class was the first class to make use of the streamlined "Albacore" style hull. Together with later classes of SSBN, the Alexander Polnareff class made up the bulk of the Columbian Navy's nuclear deterrent force through the 1990s.
Development
After successful testing of the teardrop hull shape with CWS Albacore in the mid-1950s, the Columbian Navy decided that the next class of ballistic missile submarine would be the first combat-ready Columbian vessels to incorporate the design. Work started in early-1959, with a 12-missile arrangement being chosen in order to reduce the vessel's length and allow for a more streamlined missile deck. New gyroscopic stabilizer technology was also incorporated, as was the new S5W reactor developed by Westinghouse. In addition to being the first Columbian SSBNs to incorporate the teardrop hull, the Alexander Polnareff class was also the first Columbian SSBN class designed from the keel-up as a ballistic missile submarine.
Construction
A class of four boats was ordered in mid 1960, with construction of SFB(A)-675 commencing in December at Electric Boat's Groton facility. The first vessel was commissioned on 5 January 1963 and fired its first Pr.51 missile on 27 February 1963. The other three vessels of the class were built between 1961 and 1964 with the last boat, Thomas Evans, entering the fleet on 15 September 1964. Thomas Evans was also the only boat of the class built outside of Electric Boat, being constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding.
Boats in class
| Name and hull number | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Polnareff (SFB(A)-675) |
Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut | 12 December 1960 | 10 June 1962 | 5 January 1963 | In active service |
| Nicholas A. Davis (SFB(A)-676) |
Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut | 25 January 1961 | 2 August 1962 | 27 March 1963 | In active service |
| Jacob F. Sadouski (SFB(A)-677) |
Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut | 3 July 1961 | 23 January 1963 | 11 August 1964 | In active service |
| Thomas Evans (SFB(A)-678) |
Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia | 25 April 1962 | 18 December 1963 | 15 September 1964 | In active service |
