Converted Trident Submarine to Deploy to Asia

The first of four U.S. Trident-class nuclear submarines to be refitted with conventional cruise missiles arrived in Hawaii last week for several weeks of training exercises before its planned deployment to Asia to carry out intelligence work, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 15).

For its first 22 years of operation, the USS Ohio carried 24 Trident nuclear missiles.  After the end of the Cold War, the Defense Department spent $750 million to modify two missile tubes for exit and re-entry by Navy SEALs.

An additional 15 tubes on the Ohio were converted to each carry seven Tomahawk cruise missiles.  The modifications were part of an agreement by the United States to limit the number of missile-armed submarines.

Capt. Chris Ratliff did not specify regions of Asia where the Ohio would carry out missions.

“We’re going to take this boat into shallow, congested, littoral waters close to the beach, ready to put SEALs ashore, ready to strike, ready to collect intelligence,” he said (Associated Press, Oct. 29).

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