Does the military still use submarines?

Question

Does the US military still use submarines in active warfare? It seems to me like they mostly just use them to transport things now that the Cold War is over. Can anyone confirm this?

Answer 1

Their are two kinds of subs. Attack and Ballistic missile subs. The attack subs are used to search and sink enemy ships and subs. Also they can launch tomahawk cruise missiles at land targets. The Ballistic Missile Subs carry the Nukes and when we need an attack using the atom, They are the ones to call. The Submarine is vital in protecting are carrier groups because most navy's have subs and the best thing to hunt down and kill a sub is another sub

Answer 2

Submarines do NOT 'transport things.' Four Ohio-class Trident submarines that were previously scheduled for inactivation are being converted to guided missile submarines (SSGN) over a five-year period ending in this year. The primary missions of the SSGN will be land attack and Special Operations Forces insertion and support. Secondary missions will be the traditional attack submarine missions of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, battle space preparation, and sea control. These ships will be armed with up to 154 Tomahawk or Tactical Tomahawk land attack missiles. They will have the ability to carry and support a team of 66 SOF personnel for up to 90 days.
This information was picked up from a Navy produced magazine and is not in violation of any OPSEC.
(USN, retired, ex-SubRon8)

Answer 3

Submarines are still used and play a vital role in today's navy. They can operate on their own or become part of a carrier group. They are such a valued piece of military hardware that they are being designed to take on multiple roles.

Answer 4

They are still used, and in addition to cruise milsles, they still trvael the deep ewaters throughout the world,as one of the arms of our nuclear defense triad. Yes, they are still out there and yes there are still nuclear weapons circling the globe underwater, available to be used at the push of a button. it does not appear, cold war or not, that their use will ever go away.

i am sure that the soviets also still ahve their subs out there for the same purpose. possible china also.

Answer 5

Top Secret Info

Answer 6

Do they???

Man, we got the sickest subs on the planet.... we got these nuclear subs.... that are so secret that 98% of the people on board don´t even know where the freak they are.....

And, even if... our beautiful country were attacked, and everything was destroyed.... every single state, all the silos, communications, everything.... we would still have this sick-ass subs to nuke whoever was messin with us....

Answer 7

If Submarines are made for war use then of course they WILL but current war on terror is against ghosts.

Better you contact Pentagon for confirmation that they are using submarines and are ready to strike if some "state" go against our interests.

Answer 8

yes submarines are still in use but they are mainly used for patrolling now and for transportation but when the time comes for submarines to be used in naval warfare you can guarantee they will be there

Answer 9

The advent of nuclear submarines provided the final piece to a number of promising technical puzzles. The quest for greater submerged speed, initiated in earnest after 1945, found its way to the Navy's David Taylor Model Basin just as ADM Hyman Rickover's nuclear propulsion project succeeded with Nautilus. The research at David Taylor provided insights into the ideal hull form for high-speed submarines. With the conventionally-powered experimental Albacore (SS 569), submariners reached an extraordinary submerged speed.

In the fast attack submarine USS Skipjack (SSN 585) the endurance of nuclear propulsion and the high speed of the Albacore teardrop hull came together to form the new paradigm. Every American submarine since 1958 has followed the same basic formula. The attack submarines proved very effective during the Cold War in addressing the Soviet submarine threat in the north Atlantic and northwest Pacific through surveillance and deterrence.

The Nautilus-Albacore combination also served to extend the reach of the submarine force. While the Navy experimented with launching air breathing missiles like the Regulus from submarines during the late 1950s, the mobility, stealth, and endurance of nuclear submarines on the Skipjack model proved the ideal platform for launching ballistic missiles. From the Polaris A-1 in 1960, through multiple generations of missiles suitable for submerged launching, the Navy's fleet ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN) have provided the ultimate nuclear deterrent. As opposed to easily targeted land-based missiles easily targeted, SSBNs are in constant motion, hiding deep in the ocean, with virtually unlimited endurance, capable of reaching almost any target at the direction of the president.

With the current Ohio-class SSBNs, the submarine force employs this is the most effective and survivable component of current American strategic nuclear defense.

Since the 1970s, the submarine force has also provided the Navy with a stealthy way of applying tactical firepower against land and sea targets. Fitted at first for torpedo tube launch, the Tomahawk cruise missile has enhanced the effectiveness of the attack submarine fleet. Now capable of firing these missiles from a vertical launch system in the bow, the latest flight of the submarine force's front line Los Angeles-class SSNs has proven very useful in the challenging environment of modern littoral war at sea. During Operation Desert Storm, submarine-launched Tomahawks proved their extraordinary effectiveness during the first combat use of the submarine force's new capability. Mediterranean submarine operations during the Persian Gulf conflict are a case in point.

With their stealth quiet manner, endurance, diverse weapons array, and ability to detect threats while effectively communicating with the fleet at great range, American submarines conduct both independent tactical and strategic patrols as well as operations in support of carrier battle groups. The effort to integrate the submarine more thoroughly with air and surface forces suggests that naval warfare of the future will require a flexible mix of assets designed for a future filled with constantly changing defense demands. Always on the cutting edge, the submarine force will help the Navy sustain the adaptability necessary to control tomorrow's battle space.

Answer 10

yes we use'em but the only thing they transport is nuclear weapons