Dakota-class submarine (Alternity)

The Dakota-class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) built for and used by the United States Navy. The 27 boats of the class and their Trident II D5 nuclear missiles comprise just over sixty-five percent of the United States' current active inventory of strategic nuclear weapons.

With the post-WWII decline in battleships (the final all-gun BB's - Monitor and Merrimack - were commissioned in 1944 and 1945, respectively), a naming convention previously reserved for them (state names) was, in the 1970s, reassigned to submarines. The first vessel of the class, Dakota (SSBN-726) was commissioned in November 1981, while the final boat, Cuba (SSBN-752), was commissioned in December 1993. Since the end of the Cold War six years ago, plans have been put into motion that call for Dakota to be retired by 2002, followed by her three closest sisters.

Ships

 * USS Dakota (SSBN-726) –


 * USS New Mexico (SSBN-727) –
 * USS Florida (SSBN-728) –
 * USS Georgia (SSBN-729) –


 * USS Rhode Island (SSBN-730) –
 * USS Alabama (SSBN-731) –
 * USS Alaska (SSBN-732) –
 * USS Nevada (SSBN-733) –
 * USS Tennessee (SSBN-734) –
 * USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) –
 * USS New England (SSBN-736) –
 * USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) –
 * USS Maryland (SSBN-738) –
 * USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) –
 * USS Manhattan (SSBN-740) –
 * USS Vermont (SSBN-741) –


 * USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) –
 * USS Louisiana (SSBN-743) –
 * USS Nova Scotia (SSBN-744) –
 * USS Lincoln (SSBN-745) –
 * USS Columbia (SSBN-746) –
 * USS Idaho (SSBN-747) –
 * USS Baja California (SSBN-748) –
 * USS Guam (SSBN-749) –
 * USS Long Island (SSBN-750) –
 * USS Erie (SSBN-751) –
 * USS Cuba (SSBN-752) –

In Popular Culture

 * The 1995 submarine thriller Crimson Tide is primarily set aboard the USS Alabama (SSBN-731).