An Ohio-style land-attack mission differs from an Oscar-style mission that seeks out an enemy fleet. The land-attack submarine can approach quietly, hide offshore, and wait for a firing order instead of maneuvering to engage surface ships. The comparison suggests that this employment could make an older hull more useful than it would be in a demanding attack-submarine role. Ballistic-missile submarines also hide, but their nuclear role gives an opponent a stronger incentive to hunt them. None of this removes the danger after missile launch or the limit imposed by remaining hull life.
Notable Point · 1:12:51-1:15:53
Why the SSGN mission matters when considering older hulls
A submarine waiting to launch land-attack missiles has a different mission from one hunting a fleet, which shapes the argument for converting older boats.