Lafayette Class Submarine Models

The Lafayette class was a type of submarine developed from the Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. It was slightly larger and featured various improvements. The Lafayette class, along with the George Washington, Ethan Allen, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin classes, made up the “41 for Freedom,” the US Navy’s primary contribution to the nuclear deterrent force until the late 1980s. The James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes are sometimes grouped with the Lafayettes in references.

The first eight submarines in the Lafayette class were initially equipped with the Polaris A-2 missile, which was later replaced with the longer-range Polaris A-3. The USS Daniel Webster, on the other hand, was built with the A-3 missile from the start. In the mid-1970s, all of the Lafayette-class submarines were upgraded to carry the Poseidon C3 missile. Their missile tubes were slightly larger than those of the Ethan Allen and George Washington classes, and the Poseidon was designed to take advantage of this. Unlike 12 of the James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes, none of the Lafayette-class submarines were refitted with Trident I (C4) missiles.

The submarine was equipped with a hovering system to improve trim control when firing missiles, increasing the missile rate of fire from one per minute to four per minute. The USS Daniel Webster was unique among the Lafayette class in that it was built with diving planes mounted on a “mini-sail” near the bow, earning it the nickname “Old Funny Fins.” While this configuration was successful in reducing the effect of porpoising, it reduced hydrodynamic efficiency and lowered the overall speed of the submarine. The “mini-sail” diving planes were removed during a mid-1970s overhaul and standard fairwater planes were installed.

The submarines were decommissioned between 1986 and 1992 due to a combination of SALT II treaty limitations, age, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Models are made from Mahogany/20 inches