Атомные подводные лодки класса "Скейт"

United States Navy submarine class

The Skate class submarines were the United States Navy's first production run of nuclear powered submarines. They were an evolution of the in everything except their propulsion plants, which were based on the operational prototype Nautilus. The four Skate class boats re introduced stern torpedo tubes. Although among the smallest nuclear powered attack submarines ever built, the Skate class served for many years, with the last being decommissioned in 1989. USS Skate was the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, on 17 March 1959. Skate and Sargo were built with the S3W reactor, Swordfish and Seadragon also had the S3W reactor in the S4W reactor plant (same machinery in an alternate arrangement).

The Skate class were designed under project SCB 121 as economical production nuclear powered submarines (SSNs), and thus were smaller and more austere than their ground breaking predecessor Nautilus, whose high cost had raised concerns. They were designed before Nautilus demonstrated the advantages of sustained high underwater speed, thus their designed speed was about the maximum speed of the conventional Tang class, which had a similar displacement to the Skates. Their S3W reactor was a scaled down version of Nautilus S2W reactor with about half the power output; it was known as SFR (Submarine Fleet Reactor) during development. A slightly modified version known as S4W powered the second pair of Skate class boats. Unfortunately, scaling down the reactor did not reduce the weight of reactor shielding proportionally, and it was eventually realized that further downsizing was impractical. In the late 1950s it was hoped that the nuclear powered aircraft program would develop reactors suitable for very small SSNs, but the program was unsuccessful. Their armament was the same as the Tangs, six bow and two stern 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Like the Tangs, the stern tubes had no ejection pump, and could only be used for swim out weapons such as the Mark 37 ASW homing torpedo. The quest for a high submerged speed and improved sonar led to the subsequent and es becoming the model for further development.

Skate was notable as the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, on 17 March 1959. A previous attempt in 1958 had resulted in no suitable place found for surfacing near the Pole. Sargo and Seadragon also conducted significant polar operations in their careers. This class was the most suited for ice breakthrough attempts until the , with fairwater planes that could be rotated vertically, entered service beginning in 1967. After 25–30 years each of successful service, mostly out of Pearl Harbor, the class was retired in the 1980s and disposed of through the Navy's nuclear Ship Submarine Recycling Program.

NameHull no. BuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedPeriod of serviceFateSkateSSN 578Electric Boat21 July 195516 May 195723 December 195712 September 198628.7Recycled March 1995SwordfishSSN 579Portsmouth Naval Shipyard25 January 195627 August 195715 September 19582 June 198930.4Recycled September 1995SargoSSN 583Mare Island Naval Shipyard21 February 195610 October 19571 October 195821 April 198829.6Recycled April 1995SeadragonSSN 584Portsmouth Naval Shipyard20 June 195616 August 19585 December 195912 June 198424.5Recycled September 1995