USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) was an American submarine - the leading unit of the class of the same name. Los Angeles-class units are nuclear powered fighter submarines (ANNs). Units of this type were built in the years 1974-1996. In total, 62 ships of this class were created, of which 35 remained in active service in 2012. The Los Angeles-class ship is 109.8 meters long, 10.01 meters wide, and has a displacement of approximately 6,900 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approximately 31 knots.
The Los Angeles-class ships were developed as a completely new structure, using the experience gained during the operation of Permit and Sturgeon-class ships. The main task of the Los Angeles-class ships was to support their own groups of aircraft carriers by destroying Soviet fighter ships - especially the Victor-class - in forward positions. The new US Navy units received a cylindrical hull instead of a droplet, which greatly facilitated the hull structure. The unit also received a new water-cooled nuclear reactor (S6G), which improved its performance. We also tried to silence the gym as much as possible and generally reduce the noise generated by the ship. Ships of this class also received very modern, by the standards of the 1970s and 1980s, electronic and hydroacoustic equipment. The lead ship of the series - USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) - was built at Newport News, Virginia, in 1972-1974, and entered service in 1976. In the same year, the then US President - Jimmy Carter and the First Lady - Rosalynn Carter went on a demonstration cruise under the water to present the combat capabilities of the ship. The ship made its first combat patrol in 1977 in the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. And a year later, he was transferred to the Pacific Fleet with a home base at Pearl Harbor. In 1999, the ship was modernized and adapted to, among others, support missions of special forces. The ship was decommissioned in 2011.