Lafayette-class submarine

Lafayette-class submarine USS Woodrow Wilson
Class overview
Name	Lafayette class
Builders	General Dynamics Electric Boat[1] Mare Island Naval Shipyard[1] Portsmouth Naval Shipyard[1] Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company[1]
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Ethan Allen class
Succeeded by	James Madison class
Built	1961–1964 [1]
In commission	1963–1994 [1]
Completed	9
Retired	9
Preserved	1 (as training vessel)
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
Displacement	Surfaced: 7,325 long tons (7,443 t) Submerged: 8,251 long tons (8,383 t)[2]
Length	425 ft (130 m) [1]
Beam	33 ft (10 m) [1]
Draft	28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Propulsion	1 × S5W PWR[1] 2 geared steam turbines (15,000 shp (11,000 kW)), 1 shaft[2]
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced 21 knots (39 km/h) submerged[2]
Test depth	1,300 feet (400 m)[2]
Complement	Two crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted[2]
Armament	16 Polaris A2/A3 or Poseidon C3 missiles, 4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes[2]

The Lafayette class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine, slightly larger and generally improved. This class, together with the George Washington, Ethan Allen, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin classes, composed the "41 for Freedom," the Navy's primary contribution to the nuclear deterrent force through the late 1980s. The James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes are combined with the Lafayettes in some references.