An Ohio-class missile sub was used Thursday in strikes on Yemen. Why it's named after Ohio

Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
An Ohio-class guided missile submarine in what appears to be the Suez Canal in Egypt as it has entered the responsibility of US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. The Ohio-class submarine bears the name of the buckeye state.
An Ohio-class guided missile submarine in what appears to be the Suez Canal in Egypt as it has entered the responsibility of US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. The Ohio-class submarine bears the name of the buckeye state.

An Ohio-class submarine was used Thursday night as part of large scale retaliatory strikes against sites in Yemen Thursday associated with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been firing dozens of drones and missiles onto international cargo ships in Red Sea shipping lanes.

According to reports from CNN and ABC News, the USS Florida, an Ohio-class guided missile submarine, was among the military hardware used in the strikes. The Columbus Dispatch reported in November 2023 that an unnamed Ohio-class submarine had deployed to the Middle East as a result of tensions from the Israel-Hamas war.

The U.S. and other coalition member attacks targeted Houthi missile, radar and drone capabilities considered essential to the Houthis’ campaign against commercial shipping in international waters, according to USA Today.

So what does the submarine have to do with Ohio? Here's a look at the Ohio-class submarine:

Why are Ohio-class submarines named after Ohio?

State names, such as Ohio, were historically reserved for battleships, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command division of the U.S. Navy. But since the United States has not built a battleship since World War II, state names for classes and ship names have transferred to missile submarines.

Classes refer to the type of ship, and ships still receive individual names, according to Naval History and Heritage Command. The Ohio class is named after Ohio because the USS Ohio submarine is the lead submarine in its class.

There are 18 total Ohio-class submarines, 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) and four guided-missile submarines (SSGN).

The four SSGNs in the class are: USS Florida, which was used to strike the Houthis on Thursday, as well as the USS Ohio, USS Michigan and USS Georgia.

What is an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine?

The U.S. Navy Submarine Force Pacific describes the nuclear-powered Ohio-class SSGNs and the USS Ohio as a critical tool to "project power and provide forward presence" and a "key component of our nation's maritime strategy."

Ohio-class SSGNs are former SSBNs converted to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, rather than nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

Each SSGN is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, according to the Submarine Force Pacific.

@Colebehr_report.

Cbehrens@dispatch.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio-class submarine used in strikes in Yemen. Why it's called that.