USS Ohio Submarine Completes Modernization Overhaul
Vital U.S. assets like the Ohio-class submarines are critical to projecting American power out at sea.
The National Interest
By: Myra Carlin
March 18, 2025
The Navy’s USS Ohio completed an extensive overhaul earlier this month, marking a big milestone for the service’s first nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine of its class. Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 07) granted the vessel certification for unrestricted operations following its modernization, allowing the Ohio to return to the Indo-Pacific theatre. The restoration of Ohio’s operational readiness is crucial for carrying out America’s policy of “peace through strength,” especially in light of China’s naval developments. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has more than doubled in size over the last two decades. As tensions in the South China Sea continue to ramp up, vital U.S. assets like the Ohio-class submarines will undoubtedly play an outsized role in projecting American power out at sea.
According to the Navy, the Ohio overhaul project included more than 512,000 resource days of work, with contributions from “PSNS & IMF, ship’s force (USS Ohio Gold and USS Ohio Blue), International Marine and Industrial Applicators; Alteration Installation Teams; Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific; Naval Information Warfare Center, Atlantic; Commander, Submarine Force; U.S. Pacific Fleet and Squadron 19.” The timely reintroduction of Ohio to the fleet will only enhance the Navy’s underwater prowess.
A Brief Overview of the Ohio-class
The Ohio-class submarines were derived from Cold War-era needs. During the 1970s, the U.S. Navy required new vessels capable of carrying the then-new Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile. While the existing Lafayette-class boats could already field submarine-launched ballistic missiles at this time, the Ohios were designed around the idea of extended patrols. The Navy essentially desired a submarine class able to loiter in undisclosed locations in preparation for launching a retaliatory nuclear strike, if necessary. These formidable submarines, known as SSBNs and equipped with Trident missiles, were considered to be America’s sea-based leg of its nuclear triad policy. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the termination of the Cold War, the 1994 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review study determined that America no longer required eighteen Ohio-class SSBNs to achieve nuclear readiness. To rectify this apparent surplus, the decision was made to convert four of the Ohio-class boats into serving as cruise missile submarines (SSGNs).
Ohio-class Ships are Heavily Armed
Today, the Navy’s fleet of Ohio-class SSGNs represents more than half of the submarine force’s vertical launch payload capacity combined. Instead of carrying nuclear-tipped Trident missiles, these submarines are equipped with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles that are capable of striking targets within 1,000 miles with non-nuclear warheads. As explained by The Nuclear Threat Initiative, ”Assuming an average of twelve operational submarines with 20 launch tubes each and four warheads per missile, these boats carry roughly 960 warheads. However, given that normally only eight to ten of the Ohio-class submarines are deployed at one time due to regular minor repairs, the actual number of warheads in the field is closer to 720.”
Until the Navy’s upcoming Columbia-class submarines come to fruition over the next decade, the Ohio-class SSGNs and SSBNs will remain the backbone of the service’s underwater fleet.
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