USS Florida (SSBN-728, now SSGN-728) is an American sixth-class Ohio submarine. Ohio-class units were or are nuclear-powered submarines - carriers of ballistic missile (SSBN) missiles. Units of this type were built in the years 1979-1996. In total, 18 units of this class were created, out of 24 planned. They are all still in active service. The Ohio-class ship is 170 m long, 13 m wide, and has a displacement of 18,750 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approximately 25 knots.
Ohio-class ships were developed as a completely new structure, using the experience gained during the operation of ships of such classes as, for example, Lafayette or James Madison, but also intended to replace the so-called the "41 for Freedom" series. Compared to their predecessors, the Ohio-class ships are much larger in terms of both length and displacement. They could, and many of them still can, carry 24 ballistic missiles, compared to only 16 of these weapons on their predecessors. The new ships were also equipped with advanced sonar devices with similar properties to those installed on Los Angeles-class ships. The sixth ship in the series, the USS Maryland, was built at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton in 1976-1981, and entered service in 1983. As early as 1984, USS Florida took part in its first patrol in the Atlantic Ocean. In the period 1984-2002, the USS Florida successfully and without major problems carried out 61 patrols with the Trident missile on board. From July 2003 to April 2006, it underwent renovation and reconstruction, as a result of which the Trident missiles were removed from it, and their silos were adapted to firing BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, transforming the ship from the SSBN type to the SSGN. In total, after the rebuild, the USS Florida can carry as many as 154 missiles of this type! It was also adapted to support the actions of special forces. In March 2011, the USS Florida was used in combat against Libyan Army units, firing Tomahawk TLAM missiles. It was the first combat use of an Ohio class warship in the SSGN configuration.