Quote:
Originally Posted by shipkiller1
The MK-45's were out of the fleet by 1980. Subroc's (UUM-44) were out of the fleet by the middle/late 1980's.
Only 637's and first flight 688's (688-699) could employ the Subroc but lost the capability when converted to MK-117 or CCS MK-1 fire control systems. Second flight and above (SSN-700 +) were built with the newer FCS.
Subrocs were in all actuality a dead weapons system by 1980.
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According to what I've read the Mk45s were gone by 1976 but may have lingered on in storage for a few years. They weren't needed or wanted once the Mk 48 was in service. The 45s were supposed to be converted to the conventional "Freedom Torpedo" and were going to be purchased by Turkey and possibly Iran (along with USS Trout) but this fell through and as far as I know went nowhere.
In 1983, Congress mandated that the Mk 117 FCS be modified to maintain compatibility with SUBROC and remaining weapons were kept in active service until 1988, and removed from inventory in 1990. At the same time they were trying to get Sea Lance approved as its replacement (there would have been a nuclear-armed UUM-125A Sea Lance as well as the B version with the Mk 50 torpedo).
Edit: Didn't the 594 boats also have SUBROC capability? I know a lot of the early testing on it was done initially with Thresher and then with Barb IIRC, and they all had the Mk 113 FC.