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SSN-685 Glenard P. Lipscomb

The USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN 685) was the US Navy’s second prototype design using a turbo-electric power plant similar to the Tullibee. The Glenard P. Lipscomb was generally similar to the SSN-637 Sturgeon class, apart from the use of submarine turbo-electric drive [TEDS] rather than the standard geared drive. Intended to test the potential advantages of this propulsion system for providing quieter submarine operations, the substantially larger and heavier machinery also resulted in slower speeds. Those disadvantages, along with reliability issues, led to the decision not to utilize this design on the follow-on SSN-688 Los Angeles class of submarines. Although serving as a test platform, the "Lipscomb Fish" was a fully combat-capable attack submarine.

Specifications

Displacement 6,480 tons submerged
Length 365 feet
Beam 32 feet
Speed 20-plus knots
Power Plant One nuclear reactor, turbine-electric drive, one shaft
Armament Torpedoes, four torpedo tubes
Harpoon
Tomahawk
Complement 141
Builder General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division

Ships

Name Number Builder Homeport Ordered Commissioned Decommissioned
Glenard P. Lipscomb SSN-685 Electric Boat16 Dec 196821 Dec 197401 Sep 1989

Sources and Resources


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http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/ssn-685.htm
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Sunday, April 19, 1998 4:53:33 PM