350-022 USS LAFAYETTE (SSBN-616)

USS Lafayette (SSBN-616) was an American submarine - the leading unit of the class of the same name. Lafayette-class units were nuclear-powered submarines - carriers of ballistic missiles (SSBN), which were probably built between 1962 and 1964. In total, nine units of this class were created. The Lafayette-class ship was 129.5 m long, 10 m wide, and had a displacement of 8,250 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approximately 21 knots. The main armament of units of this class consisted of 16 Polaris or Poseidon ballistic missile launchers and 4 533 mm torpedo tubes. The Lafayette-class ships were constructed as a development of the Ethan Allen-class ships, but were externally very similar to them and had very similar combat properties and performance. For this reason, it happens that Lafayette, Ethan Allen, but also George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison are included in one ship class, which is not entirely accurate. General units of the above-mentioned types were created 41 and very often they are referred to as "41 for Freedom". Lafayette-class units in 1970-1977 were converted from Polaris missiles to Poseidon missiles. The lead ship of this class - USS Lafayette - was built at the General Dynamics shipyard in Groton in 1961-1962. The godmother of the ship was the then First Lady - Jacqueline Kennedy. The unit served on the Atlantic Ocean undergoing a major renovation at the turn of 1968-1969. USS Lafayette was decommissioned in 1991.