The United States' USS Greeneville (SSN 772) has twelve missile launchers and four torpedo tubes.
02/13/2021 19:25
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 02/13/2021 7:43 PM
The presence of the
Greeneville
submarine
of the United States that sailed off the Argentine coast with British support and provoked strong rejection by the Argentine government is considered
"nuclear"
because of its propulsion, it can move
at high speed
and has
powerful weapons.
At 110 meters in length, the
USS Greeneville (SSN-772)
is a
Los Angeles-class
submarine
and the only ship in the United States Navy named after the city of Greeneville, Tennessee.
It was authorized on December 14, 1988, started in February 1992, launched in September '94 and
began its operation on February 16, 1996
, when it left the port of Norfolk, in Virginia.
It began its operation on February 16, 1996, when it left the port of Norfolk, in Virginia.
Photo: AP
It is considered "nuclear" not because it carries weapons of that type, but because of its propulsion, which runs on nuclear reactors.
The United States deployed this type of technology since 1939 and in 1954 launched the Nautilus, the first submarine in history powered by nuclear power.
The Greeneville's propulsion is based on an
S6G nuclear reactor
, a model developed by General Electric especially for Los Angeles-class submarines.
It is a 165 megawatt reactor that powers
two
26 megawatt
turbines
.
This propulsion model makes it possible to take
a speed of 20 knots
(about 37 kilometers per hour) both on the surface and while immersed.
It is considered "nuclear" for its propulsion, which runs on nuclear reactors.
Photo: AP
In addition, it has
five sensors
: a passive BQQ-5, a BQS-15 detection sensor, a WLR-8 fire control radar, an active WLR-9 and a BRD-7 radio goniometer.
It has a displacement of 6,000 tons on the surface and 6,927 submerged.
Another of the ship's strengths is its weapons
.
It has twelve BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launchers and four 21-inch torpedo tubes and MK-48 torpedoes, which were designed to sink deep nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface vessels.
It has twelve BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launchers and four 21-inch torpedo tubes and MK-48 torpedoes.
Photo: navsource
The use of nuclear energy not only allows submarines to travel at high speed for long periods of time, but also allows them to remain submerged for longer, by not being forced to recharge air on the surface.
On the other hand, they are ships more prone to serious accidents, as they involve nuclear energy.
For example, the Greeneville was the protagonist of three incidents at sea, two in 2001.
USS Greeneville (SSN 772).
Photo: navsource
While conducting a simulated ascent to the emergency surface, it hit a Japanese fishing boat and caused its sinking in less than ten minutes with the death of nine of its crew.
Months later, it ran aground while entering the port of Saipan.
The following year, it collided with the USS Ogden (LPD-5) during a personnel transfer in Oman and caused the loss of a few gallons of fuel.
The USS Greeneville (SSN 772), in the South Atlantic.
The controversy of its navigation on the Argentine coasts was known from a tweet from the official account of the American submarine forces: "A British aircraft from the Falkland Islands, an independent British territory, recently collaborated with the USS Greeneville (SSN 772) in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrating the global reach of the forces of both nations. "
Shortly after, Foreign Minister Felipe Solá issued a strong statement stating that the Government expressed "its grave concern" and requested information from the United States Embassy, while reminding it of the United Nations agreements on the sovereignty conflict with Great Britain for the Malvinas and international agreements against nuclear weapons such as that of Tlatelolco.
The American submarine 'USS Greeneville'.
In the last hours, former Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie linked the navigation of the Greeneville submarine with the recent refusal of the Government to participate in joint exercises with a US Coast Guard patrol.
And he considered it an exercise as part of the "strategic perception of the United States and the defense of its interests in this region, especially in the context of its superpower rivalry with China."
The USS Greeneville (SSN 772), in the South Atlantic.
Photo: @COMSUBLANT
Look also
Strong rejection by the Government of the presence of a United States nuclear submarine in the South Atlantic
Former Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie linked the presence of the US nuclear submarine to the rivalry with China