Cold War NATO navies - Submarines

SSN submarines

In the early 1980s, the only navies of the NATO which had nuclear-propelled attack submarines in service were the United States Navy and the Royal Navy, albeit the French Navy was already building a small type of SSN and intended to deploy a squadron of nuclear-propelled submarines in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.

The first nuclear-propelled submarine of United States was completed in such an early date as 1954, which granted to this country about five years of advantage upon the Soviet Union. Albeit in the early 1980s the Soviet Navy had eventually surpassed the United States Navy regarding the quantity of nuclear-propelled submarines in service, few of its SSN and SSGN had the advanced characteristics which were common in all of the American submarines since the early 1960s. In the early 1980s the older submarines which remained in service with the United States Navy were the five units of the Skipjack class. These were small and maneuverable submarines capable of reaching a speed of 30 knots. However, they lacked the advanced sonar system which equipped more modern submarines and were armed with six conventional torpedo tubes installed in the bow.

The subsequent submarines of the Permit and Sturgeon classes were larger units, which allowed them to carry a more technically advanced sonar system and to fire SUBROC, an anti-submarine missile fitted with a nuclear warhead, which had a range of 25 to 30 nautical miles (46 to 56 kilometers). However, since the size and power of their nuclear reactor had not been increased, the maximum speed of these submarines decreased to 28 knots. The attack submarines which were being serially built in the early 1980s were those of the Los Angeles class, which had a displacement about 50 percent greater than that of the preceding SSN. Besides incorporating more advanced sensors and fire control systems (which were being installed also in the submarines of the former Permit and Sturgeon classes), the submarines of the Los Angeles class also regained the additional five knots of speed which had been lost since the Skipjack class.


The USS Barb, a submarine of the Permit class, while effectuating an approximation maneuver at high speed in surface. This submarine was back then in service in the Pacific Ocean.


The USS Los Angeles, leading submarine of the Los Angeles class, while navigating surfaced. United States intended to have ninety SSN in service in the mid 1980s.

Missions and technical priorities

Unlike the Soviet SSN, those of the United States Navy did not operate as part of a combined force tied to a centralized command, because, taking into account the characteristics and the operational methods of the Soviet surface fleet, it was deemed as improbable that those could have constituted naval groups comparable to the naval attack forces of the NATO, against which it would have been useful to concentrate the submarine forces. On the contrary, the American SSN were designed for three basic roles: the anti-submarine hunt, which they would carry out in the Greenland-Iceland-Great Britain barrier; the independent action in the vanguard areas, where they should test the enemy defenses; and the protection of their own naval attack forces and convoys.

The key of success in the operations of submarines against other submarines lies in stealth, which allows the hunters to avoid being detected. The probabilities of success increase if a powerful equipment of sensors to detect the opponent as soon as possible is added to this. These two factors were desiderable for the Soviet Navy. On the other hand, they were essential for the United States Navy. Whereas the submarines of all the other countries had their torpedo tubes installed in the bow, the American submarines, from the Permit class onwards, had their torpedo tubes installed amidships, leaving space in the bow for a large active sonar fitted with passive hydrophones arranged in the external surface of the hull. This placement is not only the best position for detection, but also a way of distancing the sensors from the propulsion plant, which could create distortions.

Silent operations

Nuclear propulsion is a relatively noisy method for moving a submarine, especially when high speeds are reached, which is precisely where its advantage upon conventional Diesel-electric propulsion lies. However, the successive models gradually introduced improvements in this regard. So, to allow for silent operations, in the construction of the submarines of the Los Angeles class special attention was paid to this aspect. The large hull of these submarines allowed it to act as an absorber for the engine noise.

The increase of speed applied to the submarines of the Los Angeles class revealed growing tactical demands for the defense of the fast surface attack forces against the enemy SSGN. Nonetheless, even these submarines would have been in disadvantage if they had to move at high speed towards the patrol routes of the enemy submarines, which could have been waiting in an absolute silence. The appropriate tactic could have been that of "acceleration and listening", which would have required a very high speed to allow the SSN to avoid possible attacks. The necessary precautions for the defense against the enemy submarines should also be taken into account, naturally, when attacking in the waters dominated by them. The Soviet were very aware of this and because of it they created the necessary anti-submarine protection barriers to protect their SSBN.

On the other hand, all of the American SSN, except those of the Skipjack class, would soon be armed with Harpoon missiles, which would endow them with an increased capability against surface units. The Harpoon, unlike the cruise missiles which equipped the Soviet SSGN, had the advantage of being capable of being launched from the torpedo tubes, without requiring special installations for launching them. The largest part of the modern SSN of the United States Navy were based in the Atlantic Ocean, where they would have played a fundamental role in the defense of the maritime communication lines with Europe.

British and French SSN

In the early 1980s, the SSN of the NATO other than the American ones were only those in service with the Royal Navy. The first of them, the HMS Dreadnought, had the same propulsion plant than the American submarines of the Skipjack class, but the subsequent Valiant and Swiftsure classes had a totally British propulsion plant. The British submarines commonly followed the patterns of their American counterparts. The Valiant class was substantially similar to the Permit class and the Swiftsure class was substantially similar to the Sturgeon class. The British submarines were habitually deployed along with the surface units, and the Submarine Fleet designation made clear that the Royal Navy contemplated the role of their own SSN with the same perspective that the United States Navy used with its own. The submarines of the new Trafalgar class had a higher speed, as it happened with their American counterparts of the Los Angeles class. The design of the British submarines was more conventional, with all of their torpedo tubes installed in the bow. They had no missiles equivalent to the SUBROC but they would soon have the Harpoon.

France was the following incorporation to the small number of countries which had nuclear-propelled attack submarines. The first French unit of this type, the Rubis, was submitted to navigation trials between the late 1982 and the early 1983. This submarine displaced 2,670 tonnes in immersion, could reach a speed of 25 knots in immersion and had four torpedo tubes, which in 1985 would be complemented with a launcher for Exocet missiles, which could be fired in immersion.


With 62 units, the Los Angeles class was the most numerous among those of nuclear propulsion, and also the most expensive among those of SSN. The five units of the Valiant and Churchill classes were submitted to a modernization programme, and so were the units of the Permit class as well, to ensure their operational capability as first-line units until the 1990s. Being less noisy than their predecessors, the units of the Swiftsure class were an excellent anti-submarine instrument. The USS Skipjack introduced the revolutionary "teardrop" hull which gave much greater underwater speed and maneuverability. The units of the Rubis class were the smallest SSN in service and their hull was a modification of that of the Agosta class of conventional propulsion.



SS submarines

It was somewhat surprising, in the context of the "horror story" regarding the number of Soviet submarines, to discover that all of the countries of the NATO together had no less than 136 submarines of conventional propulsion. All of them, with the exception of five, were in service in the navies of Canada and those of European countries. The remaining five were American and had been relegated to service in the Pacific Ocean.

Nonetheless, the construction of submarines in the allied countries of the NATO showcased a wide range of necessities, which could be divided rather clearly into three different categories: the large oceanic submarines, built by those countries whose role in the NATO was basically focused in operations in the Atlantic Ocean; the small coastal submarines, built by those countries whose main concern was the defense of their own coast, or those which would have to fight in enclosed seas or low-depth waters; and, by last, the mid-sized submarines built by the countries which would have to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. Because of this, the aforementioned total number could be divided into more significant numbers, in accordance with the aforementioned roles. The result would be the following: 59 oceanic submarines (from 1,300 tonnes onwards), 25 mid-sized submarines (from 750 to 1,300 tonnes) and 52 coastal submarines.


A rare photograph of an American Diesel-electric submarine in dry dock: the USS Barbel (SS-580). The units of the Barbel class were the first production submarines built with the teardrop-shaped hull tested for the first time on the experimental USS Albacore, and also the first to combine the control room, attack center and conning tower in the same space in the hull.

The efficacious oceanic submarines

Among the most important oceanic submarines should be highlighted those of the Oberon and Sealion classes, which served in the Royal Navy and in the Royal Canadian Navy. They were submarines of good endurance fitted with very efficacious sensors. They were also very silent and achieved spectacular successes in the maneuvers carried out by the NATO in which they took part. The Royal Navy classified them as patrol submarines, which made evident that their area of operations would have been the Greenland-Iceland-Great Britain barrier. Their capability of navigating in an almost total silence, when using their electric motors, would have rendered very difficult to detect them. In such missions they would have been supported by the Dutch submarines, which habitually operated along with the submarine squadrons of the Royal Navy. The two submarines of the Zwaardvis class enjoyed an excellent reputation and in the early 1980s a more perfected model was being built. The four older submarines of the Dolfijn class had been submitted to a modernization process and they still meant an useful contribution to the forces of the NATO.


HMS Orpheus leaving Malta in the days when this island harbored an important British naval base, whose origin dated back to the battles fought for the control of the Mediterranean Sea during the Second World War.


The submarines of the Dolfijn class, completed between 1960 and 1966, had three pressure hulls: the upper one housing the crew and the armament, and the lower ones housing the batteries, the Diesel engines and the electric motors.

Coastal submarines

Almost all of the submarines assigned to the defense of the coasts had been designed and produced in West Germany. In the early 1980s this country had twenty-four submarines of the Type 205 and Type 206 classes in service. They were small units with a displacement of 370 to 450 tonnes, but they had a powerful armament of torpedoes in comparison with their size. They were deployed in two submarine squadrons in the Baltic Sea, with the main purpose of protecting the Danish straits, and they would have been greatly useful in the probable event of an amphibious assault against the Baltic coast of West Germany. Their small size and good maneuverability, along with their eight torpedoes, would have allowed them to appear in the middle of the enemy force and launch their torpedoes quickly and efficaciously. They were also prepared for mining tasks, a role of great importance in the waters where they had to operate habitually.

Also Denmark had two modified submarines of the Type 205 class, along with another four older submarines of national design which were approaching the end of their service life. The other country of the NATO which used small submarines was Norway, which had fifteen modified submarines of the Type 205 class. Albeit Norway contributed to the forces of longer range within the NATO, such as the Standing Naval Force Atlantic, its Navy was basically conceived for defending its own coasts. Because of this, their units would have operated in a way similar to that of the German submarines in the Baltic Sea. The similarity of the capabilities required by West Germany and other allied countries from their submarines led to the adoption of a new common model of 750 tonnes, a project to which Denmark was likely to adhere.

The French submarine force

The French Navy operated both in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea, and because of this it had a wide variety of submarines in service. Their six oceanic submarines of the Narval class operated in the Atlantic Ocean and they were beginning their last decade of active life, waiting to be replaced by the new SSN of the Rubis class. The most modern submarines of the French Navy operated in the Mediterranean Sea, where four units of the Agosta class and seven of the nine units of the Daphné class were based. The units of the Agosta class were large and very enduring submarines endowed with a high speed in immersion. They were designed for very silent operations and could fire their torpedoes at their greatest dive depth. Those of the Daphné class were smaller and despite having suffered two accidents - which caused the loss of two units in the Mediterranean Sea - their design was regarded as good. Even smaller were the units of the Aréthuse class, which were decommissioned between 1979 and 1982.

The submarine forces in the Mediterranean countries

The Italian submarines of the Sauro class were similar in size and characteristics to the French counterparts of the Agosta class, whereas the much smaller units of the Enrico Toti class were equivalent to those of the Aréthuse class. The Italian Navy had as well four ex-American submarines of the GUPPY and Tang classes. Also Greece and Turkey had several of these large submarines which formerly belonged to the United States Navy. Albeit all of those twelve units were modernized before being delivered in the early 1970s, they were regarded as units of low military value due to their age. Besides, their size rendered them unsuitable for operations in the Mediterranean Sea, which had been traditionally navigated by smaller submarines. Much more suitable for this sea were the thirteen German submarines of the Type 209 class which were in service with those two countries. Besides a suitable size, they had an excellent endurance, a high speed in immersion and modern sensor and fire control systems.


The Oberon class was regarded as one of the best due to its silent navigation and remained in service until the 1990s. Once the submarines of the Daphné class were decommissioned they would be replaced by nuclear-propelled attack submarines only. The Type 209 is an exportation model which never served with the German Navy. The Peruvian Navy received a total of six of these submarines between 1975 and 1983. The Casma (S-31) carried fourteen NT-37C bivalent anti-ship/submarine torpedoes of American construction instead of the German counterparts. The Enrico Toti class was specifically designed for the low-depth water areas nearby to the Italian coasts. Its four units had four torpedo tubes for A184 wire-controlled heavy torpedoes and reached a top speed of 30 knots in immersion.



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Categories: Submarines - Cold War - 20th Century - [General] - [General]

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Website: Military History

Article submitted: 2025-02-11

Article updated: 0000-00-00