Nuclear-powered submarine USS Ohio is one of US Navy’s most missile-heavy platforms
USS Ohio's sailors are breathing fresh air in Brisbane after joining the Talisman Sabre military exercise, as a rare tour reveals life inside America's most heavily-armed submarine. PICTURES
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Well, it was nothing like the Arronax from The Deep. But unlike the futuristic submarine on the Australian animated television series, the USS Ohio has torpedoes. And cruise missiles. A lot of them.
Potentially, 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in a row could be fired from one of the US Navy’s most missile-heavy platforms, should the need arise.
Travelling at a speed of about 885km/hour, each missile could hit a target up to 2400km away.
For now, the sailors of America’s largest stealth nuclear-powered guided missile submarine, which arrived in Brisbane on Sunday, are just happy to be breathing fresh air and seeing sunlight.
Unlike the animated TV series, based on the graphic novels by Melbourne man Tom Taylor and illustrated by Brisbane-based James Brouwer, a real-life military submarine does not come with things like five bedrooms or other luxuries, such as windows or personal space.
What it does have is a lot of narrow passageways, rooms full of machinery and the ability to insert or extract Special Forces.
It also has about 165 crew members, most of whom not only have to squeeze into a small room crammed with nine bunks to sleep, but they also have to use the practice of ‘hot racking’ or ‘hot bunking’ due to limited berth space.
With 24-hour operations, submariners work eight-hour shifts and either relax, exercise or sleep at other times.
While they’re on shift, someone else assigned to the same rack will sleep in the bed and vice versa.
Space is limited with a thin, concealed storage space directly under the rack and a boot locker hanging above.
The only way to get privacy is to draw a curtain around the individual bunk.
Unless you’re the commanding officer, Captain Eric Hunter that is, who gets a fold out rack in a spacious – in submarine terms – narrow but private room that doubles as his office.
Other officers share a two-bunk room next door.
The enlisted berthing areas, separated into segregated male and female sections, are tucked in among several giant, cylindrical, orange torpedo tubes.
Fresh off a three-year major maintenance overhaul that ended in March, the USS Ohio (Ship, Submersible, Guided Missile, Nuclear, or SSGN 726) made history this week as the first Ohio-class submarine to visit Brisbane when it moored next to next to the USS Frank Cable, after participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is the Australian Defence Force’s largest biennial, bilaterally designed military training exercise with the US, which started July 13 and runs through to August 4.
The 11th iteration has been the largest yet, with 19 allied nations participating and two more attending for the first time as observers.
Boarding
At the Port of Brisbane on Wednesday, armed guards patrolled the top of the 170m-long, 21m tall, 13m wide USS Ohio’s slip-free surface.
A few invited guests climbed down into the vessel via a circular escape hatch, which comprised a steep, vertical 14-rung ladder, which looked and felt worse than it sounds, particularly if you’re afraid of heights.
From there we were led up and down several less-steep ladder-like stairs and ushered into different rooms throughout the four levels of the boat, which has a water displacement level of 16,764 metric tonnes when surfaced and 18,750 metric tonnes when submerged.
Different submariners explained their role and the purpose of each room, which included the berthing areas, control room, torpedo and missile room, mess area and more.
Control Room
In the control room, Leading Logistics Specialist, Senior Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Dent, of Houston, Texas, explained the submarine was controlled from two key watch stations.
As Diving Officer of the Watch, he is the one who makes the submarine dive to whatever depth the commanding officer orders and then maintains that depth.
“We can go down to an excess of 200 metres at any given time,” he said.
The crew can go for up to 90 days without seeing sunlight and can be deployed for up to seven months at a time.
Navigator Lt Jarod Scott said those in the control room were also responsible for navigation, steering and managing combat control systems.
He said sonar, periscopes and other equipment was used to listen underwater and generally monitor other vessels in the area, even while in port or while submerged.
One periscope used is a traditional, manually controlled, optical scope while the second, controlled by an X-box video game controller, provides digital images.
Torpedo Room
Eight giant dark green weapons with rounded heads were neatly secured on each side of the torpedo room, the largest space we visited.
Torpedoman Mate Chief Paul Logan, from Deep Creek, Maryland, said the torpedo tubes were pointed at an angle to avoid the front section of the boat.
Pivot trays are used to push the Mark 48 (MK-48) torpedos into the 54cm launch tubes, which then use high pressure air to suck in ocean water, resulting in the weapons being launched.
Missile Division
Missile Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer Ben Kogun, of Fabius, New York, said 12 sailors were responsible for the maintenance and storage of 22 Tomahawk missile tubes, all painted orange, on the boat.
“Each one is capable of holding seven missiles per tube for a total of 154 missiles as well as the various support systems that are used to ensure that the tubes are ready for launch and then to support the launch,” he said.
Special Operations Forces
SCPO Kogun said two of what was originally 24 missile tubes have been converted into lockout chambers for Special Operations Forces, such as Navy SEALS.
“So the upper two levels of this are a lockout chamber that can be used to equalise and flood the sea pressure to deploy special operations forces underwater if needed,” he said.
If they are entering from the ocean, the chamber leads to a shower and a drying chamber for scuba diving equipment.
Strike power
Captain Hunter, 48, from Jonesboro, Georgia, said with 154 Tomahawks on board, the USS Ohio was primarily a “strike weapons platform.”
“That is significant strike power,” he said.
Capt Hunter said the sheer size of the Bangor, Washington-based vessel was also an advantage, particularly as a platform for special operations forces.
“With … our capability, we can house more folks, bring them on board, and facilitate really extended operations with special operations forces,” he said.
While the average crew size comprised 150 enlisted sailors and 15 officers, the population swelled to more than 200 when working with divers and special forces.
“Again, our size creates that advantage,” Capt Hunter said.
“(We’re) a tremendously stable platform that can operate on a station for long periods of time.
“It’s just the size really brings a larger punch.”
The heartbeat of the boat
Despite the impressive weapons, the culinary specialists are the true heartbeat of the boat, helping keep up morale while underway.
Supply officer Lieutenant Junior Grade Nychel Smith said there were three set one-hour meal times daily.
“(The food) is 100 per cent responsible for the morale of the crew,” she said.
“So, the better the food, I’d like to think the better the crew is.”
Officers eat or relax around a 10-chair table in a separate ward room complete with a large TV for DVDs.
There are only a small number of tables and chairs in the enlisted crew’s mess, which is also used for training or relaxing at other times.
LTJG Smith said if a submariner misses a meal due to being at work or asleep, they can pop in to grab some leftover food, snacks or fruit.
The Virginia Beach, Virginia native said some of the regular meals on offer ranged from Taco Tuesdays, hamburgers and pizza on Saturdays and brunch or steaks on Sunday.
“You’re not limited because you’re on a submarine, you can still cook anything,” she said.
“We have a lot of creative expression here with what we eat.
“So sometimes we’ll do like certain pastries or baked goods and stuff like that.”
Auxiliary Division
A scientific process that essentially cleans and recycles air occurs daily in the air revitalisation room.
Assistance Operations Officer, Lt Anne Richter from Chicago, Illinois, said the equipment used for the process was “vital” for survival on a submarine.
“It has three main components that allow us to create the atmosphere that we need to breathe while on-board,” she said.
“So thanks to this room, we breathe and have an enjoyable under way.”
Former ballistic missile submarine
Launched in 1979 and commissioned in 1981, the USS Ohio was originally the lead boat of the Ohio-class nuclear-powered, armed ballistic missile submarines.
It was then the first of four submarines converted to SSGN vessels in the early 2000s, following the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review, and relaunched as such in 2006.
The conversion mainly resulted in the removal of the Trident missile launch system and the addition instead of 22 new missile tubes enabling the launch of cruise missiles.
The Ohio and Frank Cable’s visit also coincides with the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day on August 15, which marks the end of World War II in the Pacific.
During World War II, Brisbane served as a major submarine hub hosting about 75 US Navy submarines and three ships.
Nowadays, the US Navy submarine force comprises 53 fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic missile submarines and four guided missile submarines, according to official US Navy documents.
Originally published as Nuclear-powered submarine USS Ohio is one of US Navy’s most missile-heavy platforms
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