The Seawolf was conceived as a faster, better-armed eventual replacement for the Los Angeles class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The first of class, the Seawolf (SSN21), was ordered from the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, Connecticut, in January 1989 and commissioned in July 1997. Connecticut (SSN22) was commissioned in December 1998. The third, Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), is to be modified to improve payload carrying and underwater maneuverability. Advanced weaponry and new tactical capability and communications combined with an increased weapons load of Mark 48 anti-submarine torpedoes, Harpoon missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, Which allow Seawolf to operate from under arctic ice to shallow water close to shore. The Seawolf was a product of the Cold War, conceived to maintain the USA acoustic advantage over Soviet submarines. With the end of the Cold War and the change of emphasis to littoral operations, the cost of the Seawolf submarines was judged prohibitive and the programme was curtailed in favour of the smaller and cheaper Virginia Class New Attack submarines.

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