Editing Skate-class submarine

{{Short description|United States Navy submarine class}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Skate (SSN-578);0857816.jpg|300px|USS Skate]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Skate'' with an ice pack behind her
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Skate'' class
|Builders=*[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
*[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]]
*[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]
|Operators={{naval|United States}}
|Class before=*{{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|6}}
*{{USS|Seawolf|SSN-575|6}}
*{{sclass|Tang|submarine|4}}
* {{USS|Darter|SS-576|6}}
|Class after=*{{sclass|Skipjack|submarine|4}}
*{{sclass|Barbel|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=1955–1959
|In service range=
|In commission range=1957–1989
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=4
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type= [[Nuclear submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|2250|LT|t|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|2850|LT|t|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length= {{convert|267|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|25|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draft={{convert|21|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=[[S3W reactor|S3W]] [[nuclear reactor]] in S3W or S4W plant, geared [[steam turbine]]s, two shafts, {{convert|6600|shp|abbr=on}}<ref>Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995'', p. 604, Conway Maritime Press, London:1995, {{ISBN|1-55750-132-7}}.</ref>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|18|kn|abbr=on|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|22|kn|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|700|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=84 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*8 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (6 forward, 2 aft)
*22 [[torpedo]]es (18 forward, 4 aft)
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Skate''-class submarines''' were the [[United States Navy]]'s first production run of nuclear-powered submarines.  They were an evolution of the {{sclass|Tang|submarine|4}} in everything except their propulsion plants, which were based on the operational prototype {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|6}}. The four ''Skate'' class boats re-introduced stern torpedo tubes. Although among the smallest nuclear-powered attack submarines ever built, the ''Skate'' class served for many years, with the last being decommissioned in 1989. USS ''Skate'' was the first submarine to surface at the [[North Pole]], on 17 March 1959.

''Skate'' and ''Sargo'' were built with the [[S3W reactor]],<ref name="unofficial578">{{Cite web
|url        = http://navysite.de/ssn/ssn578.htm
|title      = USS Skate (SSN 578)
|access-date = 2008-03-01
|publisher  = Unofficial U.S. Navy Site
}}</ref><ref name="unofficial583">{{Cite web
|url        = http://navysite.de/ssn/ssn583.htm
|title      = USS Sargo (SSN 583)
|access-date = 2008-03-01
|publisher  = Unofficial U.S. Navy Site
}}</ref> ''Swordfish'' and ''Seadragon'' also had the S3W reactor in the S4W reactor plant (same machinery in an alternate arrangement).<ref name="unofficial579">{{Cite web
|url        = http://navysite.de/ssn/ssn579.htm
|title      = USS Swordfish (SSN 579)
|access-date = 2008-03-01
|publisher  = Unofficial U.S. Navy Site
}}</ref><ref name="unofficial584">{{Cite web
|url        = http://navysite.de/ssn/ssn584.htm
|title      = USS Seadragon (SSN 584)
|access-date = 2008-03-01
|publisher  = Unofficial U.S. Navy Site
}}</ref>

==Design==

The ''Skate'' class were designed under project [[Ship Characteristics Board|SCB 121]] as economical production nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs), and thus were smaller and more austere than their ground-breaking predecessor {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|2}}, whose high cost had raised concerns. They were designed before ''Nautilus'' demonstrated the advantages of sustained high underwater speed, thus their designed speed was about the maximum speed of the conventional ''Tang'' class, which had a similar displacement to the ''Skate''s. Their S3W reactor was a scaled-down version of ''Nautilus''{{'}} S2W reactor with about half the power output; it was known as SFR (Submarine Fleet Reactor) during development. A slightly modified version known as S4W powered the second pair of ''Skate''-class boats. Unfortunately, scaling down the reactor did not reduce the weight of reactor shielding proportionally, and it was eventually realized that further downsizing was impractical. In the late 1950s it was hoped that the [[nuclear-powered aircraft]] program would develop reactors suitable for very small SSNs, but the program was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]] | year = 1994 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | pages = 124–129 | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}</ref> Their armament was the same as the ''Tang''s, six bow and two stern [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s. Like the ''Tang''s, the stern tubes had no ejection pump, and could only be used for swim-out weapons such as the [[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37 ASW homing torpedo]]. The quest for a high submerged speed and improved sonar led to the subsequent {{sclass|Skipjack|submarine|5}} and {{sclass|Thresher|submarine|4}}es becoming the model for further development.{{citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

==Service==

''Skate'' was notable as the first submarine to surface at the [[North Pole]], on 17 March 1959. A previous attempt in 1958 had resulted in no suitable place found for surfacing near the Pole. ''Sargo'' and ''Seadragon'' also conducted significant polar operations in their careers. This class was the most suited for ice breakthrough attempts until the {{sclass|Sturgeon|submarine|4}}, with [[fairwater plane]]s that could be rotated vertically, entered service beginning in 1967. After 25–30 years each of successful service, mostly out of [[Pearl Harbor]], the class was retired in the 1980s and disposed of through the Navy's nuclear [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]].{{citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

== Boats in class==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
!Name
!Hull no.
!Builder
!Laid down
!Launched
!Commissioned
!Decommissioned
!Period of service
!Fate
|-
|{{USS|Skate|SSN-578|2}}
|SSN-578
|[[Electric Boat]]
|21 July 1955
|16 May 1957
|23 December 1957
|12 September 1986
|28.7
|Recycled March 1995
|-
|{{USS|Swordfish|SSN-579|2}}
|SSN-579
|[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]]
|25 January 1956
|27 August 1957
|15 September 1958
|2 June 1989
|30.4
|Recycled September 1995
|-
|{{USS|Sargo|SSN-583|2}}
|SSN-583
|[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]
|21 February 1956
|10 October 1957
|1 October 1958
|21 April 1988
|29.6
|Recycled April 1995
|-
|{{USS|Seadragon|SSN-584|2}}
|SSN-584
|[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]]
|20 June 1956
|16 August 1958
|5 December 1959
|12 June 1984
|24.5
|Recycled September 1995
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=35em}}
*Miller, David. ''The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World'', p.&nbsp;366. {{ISBN|0-7603-1345-8}}.
* {{DANFS}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Skate class submarines}}
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/05idx.htm SSN Photo Gallery index at NavSource.org]

{{Skate class submarine}}
{{US submarine classes after 1945}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

[[Category:Submarine classes]]
[[Category:Skate-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States| Skate class]]
[[Category:Vietnam War submarines of the United States| Skate class]]