Engineering:41 for Freedom

Short description: US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines

41 for Freedom refers to the US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines from the , , , , and es. All of these submarines were commissioned 1959–1967, as the goal was to create a credible, survivable sea-based deterrent as quickly as possible. These submarines were nicknamed "41 for Freedom" once the goal of 41 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) was established in the early 1960s. The 1972 SALT I Treaty limited the number of American submarine-launched ballistic missile tubes to 656, based on the total missile tubes of the forty-one submarines, in line with the treaty's goal of limiting strategic nuclear weapons to the number already existing.

Overview

The United States had deployed nuclear weapons aboard submarines for the purpose of deterrence since 1959, using the SSM-N-8 Regulus cruise missile. However, this was intended to act merely as a stopgap, as the Regulus was limited both by its size—the greatest number of missiles capable of being taken to sea was five aboard —and by its range and speed, as well as by the submarine's requirement to surface to launch a missile. The intention was that the main element of the US Navy's contribution to the strategic nuclear deterrent be a ballistic missile–armed submarine. The "41 for Freedom" ballistic missile submarines were armed with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) to create a deterrent force against the threat of nuclear war with any foreign power threatening the United States during the Cold War.

The US Navy created a new submarine classification for these boats: SSBN. The first of the "41 for Freedom" submarines to be completed was , which was commissioned on 30 December 1959. The final boat to enter service was , which was commissioned on 1 April 1967. The 41 submarines were ultimately superseded in service by the , the first of which was commissioned in 1981.

, operating as a SEAL platform in her later years, was decommissioned on 2 April 2002, the last boat of the original "41 for Freedom" submarines in commission, and the oldest submarine in the US Navy. Almost 37 years old, she held the record for the longest service lifetime of any nuclear-powered submarine. As of 2014, two boats, and , though decommissioned, continue to serve as moored training ships, attached to Naval Nuclear Power School at Charleston, South Carolina.

Submarines by class

Class	Completed	Retired	Preserved	In commission	Polaris A1/A2		Polaris A3		Poseidon C3		Trident C4
					Yes/No	No. of boats	Yes/No	No. of boats	Yes/No	No. of boats	Yes/No	No. of boats
George Washington	5	5	0	1959–1985	Y	5	Y	5	N	0	N	0
Ethan Allen	5	5	0	1961–1992	Y	5	Y	5	N	0	N	0
Lafayette	9	9	1*	1963–1994	Y	9	Y	9	Y	9	N	0
James Madison	10	10	1*	1964–1995	N	0	Y	10	Y	10	Y	6
Benjamin Franklin	12	12	0	1965–2002	N	0	Y	12	Y	12	Y	6

* Preserved as training vessels

Gallery

• 
  Weapons of the FBM submarines (left to right): Polaris A1, Polaris A2, Polaris A3, Poseidon, Trident I, and Trident II
• 
  launches a Regulus missile. The limitations of the use of Regulus led to the development of the use of ballistic missiles from submarines.
• 
  A Polaris A3 missile is launched from . The advent of Polaris allowed for a virtually undetectable launching platform, as the submarine no longer needed to surface to launch its weapons

See also

• Regulus missile submarines
• Nuclear navy
• Nuclear warfare
• Nuclear strategy
• Vertical launching system

External links

From the Federation of American Scientists:

• "SSBN-598 George Washington-Class FBM Submarines". http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-598.htm. 
• "SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class FBM Submarines". http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-608.htm. 
• "SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines". http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-616.htm. 
• "SSBN-640 Benjamin Franklin-Class FBM Submarines". http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-640.htm.