TWO U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE PATCHES

Description

TWO U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE PATCHES - 1). SAWS. &  2)  SSN 688 VLS TOMAHAWK.  U.S. NAVY SSN 688 VLS TOMAHAWK PATCH. (SIZE:  3"X3")
The
Los Angeles
class
of submarines are
nuclear-powered
fast-attack submarines
(
SSN
) in service with the
United States Navy
. Also known as the
688 class
(pronounced "six-eighty-eight") after the hull number of lead vessel
USS
Los Angeles
(SSN-688)
, 62 were built from 1972 to 1996, the latter 23 to an improved
688i
standard. As of 2020, 32 of the
Los Angeles
class remain
in commission
— more than any other class in the world — and they account for more than half of the U.S. Navy's 53 fast-attack submarines.
[7]
Of the 30 retired boats, a few were in commission for nearly 40 years, including
USS
Dallas
,
[8]
USS
Jacksonville
[9]
and
USS
Bremerton
.
[10]
With a wide variance in longevity, 12 of the 688s were laid up halfway through their projected lifespans,
USS
Baltimore
being the youngest-retired at 15 years, 11 months.
[1]
Another five also laid up early (20–25 years), due to their
midlife reactor refueling
being cancelled, and
one was lost during overhaul
due to
arson
. Two have been converted to
moored training ships
, and all others are being scrapped per the Navy's
Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
.
Submarines of this class are named after American towns and cities—such as
Albany, New York
;
Los Angeles
, California; and
Tucson, Arizona
—with the exception of
USS
Hyman G. Rickover
, named for the "
father of the nuclear Navy
." This was a change from traditionally
naming
attack submarines after marine animals, such as
USS
Seawolf
or
USS
Shark
. Rickover's response to critics of this break with tradition was, "Fish don't vote."
[11]
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