Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:46:20-4:51:19

Virginia blocks and an uncertain successor comparison

A Block VI question leads to corrections over Virginia orders and an uncertain account of which future design would succeed Seawolf.

Attack SubmarinesAUKUSSeawolf Class SubmarinesUS NavyVirginia Class Submarines
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Question

Will Block VI Virginia-class submarines replace the Seawolf class?

Short answer

Clarke separates later Virginias from a future design he associates with AUKUS, but the program identification and order figures remain insufficiently resolved in this exchange.

Notes

Clarke distinguishes later Virginia blocks from what he describes as a future AUKUS-linked successor to the specialized Seawolf role. The program names and relationships are not clarified enough here to treat that identification as a settled procurement plan. The participants also check and correct Virginia block numbers while mixing boats ordered, being built, and completed. Growing displacement and payload capacity are used to explain why later Virginias differ from earlier boats. A projected force total is then compared with Cold War Los Angeles and Sturgeon numbers, but the exchange does not reconcile those figures into a verified contemporary order of battle.