SSGN

:SSGN can also mean "Special Services Group Naval", a Pakistan sea-commando unit: see frogman#Pakistan.SSGN is the United States Navy hull classification symbol for a nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine. The SS denotes a submarine, the G denotes "guided missile," and the N denotes nuclear power.

The first SSGN in the USN was the USS Halibut (SSGN-587). She was built to launch the nuclear tipped Regulus Missile in the 1950's. When the Regulus program ended in 1964, she became SSN-587. The US Navy is modifiying the four oldest Ohio class Trident submarines to SSGN configuration. This is achieved by the installation of vertical launch systems (VLS) in a configuration dubbed "Multiple All-up-round Canister (MAC)", which converts 22 of the 24 missile tubes which previously held one large nuclear-tipped strategic ballistic missile each, with 7 smaller Tomahawk cruise missiles, and the 2 remaining tubes are converted to Lock Out Chambers (LOC) to be used by SOF personnel who can be carried on board. The MAC tubes can also be used to carry and launch UAVs or UUVs which give the ship remote controlled "eyes & ears" allowing the ship to act as a forward-deployed command & control center. If the maximum of 154 Tomahawk missiles were loaded, one Ohio-class SSGN would carry an entire Battle Group's equivalent of cruise missiles. USS OHIO (SSGN 726) completed its conversion and began sea trials in early 2006.

The Soviet Navy had several submarines that were called SSGNs by Western observers. These were either carrying ship killing missiles like the SS-N-19 or land attack missiles. They included the NATO reporting names Golf, Echo, Yankee Notch, and Oscar classes of submarine.

See also

*SSG
*SSN
*SSBN
*List of NATO reporting names for guided missile submarines