Submarines: Current Fleet - Attack & Ballistic Missile Submarines

Today's submarine fleet looks much different than the fleet of the early 1900s. Gone are the gasoline engines from the Holland class and the submarines that had to surface every couple of hours to recharge their batteries. Most of today's boats rely on nuclear power for propulsion both surfaced and submerged.

Attack Submarines serve the Navy by finding and eliminating enemy surface ships and submarines. The current classes of attack submarines are the Benjamin Franklin, Sturgeon, Los Angeles and Seawolf classes. To learn more about these submarines, visit the U.S. Navy's Fact File on Attack Submarines - SSN . There, you can read more about the submarine's mission, find general characteristics of each class and even take a virtual tour of the USS Springfield (SSN 761).

Also serving today's Navy are the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN). The first of these nuclear-powered submarines was commissioned in 1981. Their weapons include long-range strategic missiles with the purpose of "strategic deterrence." To learn more about these submarines, which include the Ohio class, visit the U.S. Navy's Fact File Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines - SSBN .