Attacking enemy surface ships and destroying enemy submarines

 

Almost all modern nuclear attack submarines perform two basic functions: attacking enemy surface ships and destroying enemy submarines. Some have expanded these basic functions to include additional tasks, the most important of which is the ability to attack enemy facilities on land. Other missions that remained important for submarine navies after the Cold War include minelaying, electronic intelligence gathering, and special operations support. 

A good example of this evolution are the four generations of U.S. nuclear attack submarines during and after the Cold War: Los Angeles class, 51 vessels commissioned between 1976 and 1996; Seawolf class, three vessels commissioned between 1997 and 2005; Virginia class, 18 vessels planned, the first of which was commissioned in 2004. Designed at the height of the Cold War, the Sturgeon and Los Angeles submarines initially carried not only conventional anti-submarine torpedoes but also rocket-launched nuclear depth charges, known as SUBROCs. 

The Seawolf submarine was also designed during the Cold War (though it didn't enter service until after the collapse of the Soviet Union) and was a specialized "submarine hunter" that could maintain high speeds while making almost no noise and dive to extraordinary depths. Since the end of the Cold War, these costs were too high to justify, and they were replaced by the Virginias, intended for a variety of coastal and offshore missions. 

All US attack submarines are equipped with conventional torpedoes and underwater-launched Harpoon missiles to attack surface vessels at ranges of up to 70 nautical miles (130 km). Since the 1980s, they have been equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can be programmed to attack ships up to 250 nautical miles (450 km) away, or, in strategic variants, to land targets with nuclear warheads at distances of up to 1,300 nautical miles (2,500 km) when carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads. In addition, many submarines were equipped or modified with special compartments or capsules for the launch and recovery of special operations forces.