The Ohio submarine’s arsenal, which can accommodate 20 nuclear missiles, is sufficient to vaporise an entire continent in a single strike.
It is hardly unexpected that the US submarine Ohio has an incredible nuclear attack capacity given that it was built in the 1970s, a time when “nuclear war” was always a very real possibility. It is not an exaggeration to state that the Ohio submarine is capable of eradicating an entire continent thanks to its capacity to carry 24 Trident I nuclear missiles, each of which can carry up to 8 W76 nuclear warheads.
The first submarine of the Ohio class of strategic nuclear ballistic missile submarines was the USS Ohio (SSGN-726). The USS Ohio was outfitted with 24 Trident I C4 intercontinental ballistic missiles prior to 2002. (range 7,400km). The vessel has been a nuclear assault submarine since 2003 and can now carry cruise missiles. Along with the USS Ohio, three other ships from the same class—the USS Michigan (SSGN-727), USS Florida (SSGN-728) and USS Georgia—were also converted into nuclear attack submarines.
With a full load displacement of up to 18,450 tonnes and a length of 170 meters, these vessels are the first of the Ohio class of strategic nuclear submarines. Each USS Ohio submarine ballistic missile launcher will be able to hold up to seven Tomahawk cruise missiles following renovations. The Ohio class nuclear submarine’s most recent iteration has 22 launch tubes as opposed to the original version’s 24 launch tubes.
A nuclear war is no longer an existential threat as a result of the changing global situation, so the Ohio nuclear submarines are modified; instead of launching the Trident nuclear missile, its launch tube is improved to launch Tomahawk missiles. With 22 launchers, or 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles in reserve, each modified Trident missile launcher can accommodate up to seven Tomahawk missiles.
The USS Ohio, along with the ships Michigan, Florida, and Georgia, are equipped with so many Tomahawk missiles that they surpass all other nuclear attack submarines in terms of power. The Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of up to 1,700 km, a subsonic flight speed of 890 km/h, and are outfitted with some of the most cutting-edge navigational systems available today, including active radar, GPS, INS, TERCOM ground format system, and ground format system.
The Ohio submarine has two turbines, an S8G PWR nuclear reactor, and a cruise reserve of 60 days. These features allow the submarine to travel at a maximum speed of 25 knots while submerged and to dive to a depth of 240 meters.
