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SSN 671 Narwhal
Displacement: Surfaced 3,800t; Submerged 5,350t.
Dimensions: Length 95m; Beam 10m; Draft 9m.
Armament: four (533mm) forward torpedo tubes
Propulsion: one S5G nuclear reactor, two steam turbine, one shaft, 17,000 shp, 20+kts surface, 25kts submerged.
Description: Literally a class by herself, USS Narwhal (SSN-671) was the quietest of submarines at the time of her commissioning. Her "natural-circulation" reactor was the quietest ever installed on a SSN, however it was not adopted in any later class. It featured a F-16-style "scoop" underneath the keel. Other than the reactor, Narwhal was extremely similar to a Sturgeon-class SSN.
She was later modified for special missions, and fitted to operate a Remotely Operated Vehicle. Later, a huge "hump" on her aft deck was intended to house an experimental towed array.
The ex-Narwahl is currently scheduled to be cut up at Pudget Sound Naval Shipyard in the next few years.
Units:
| Name |
Comm |
Decomm |
Home Port |
| SSN 671 Narwhal |
12 July 1969 |
16 Jan 1999 |
Norfolk | |