abstract
| - The Dakota-class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) built for and used by the United States Navy. The 27 boats of the class and their Trident II D5 nuclear missiles (for a total of 648, at 24-per boat) comprise just over forty percent of the United States' current active inventory of strategic nuclear weapons. With the post-WWII decline in usage and production of battleships, a naming convention previously reserved for them (state names) was, in the mid/late 1970s, reassigned to ballistic missile submarines. The first vessel of the class, Dakota (SSBN-726) was commissioned in November 1981, while the final boat, Santo Domingo (SSBN-752), was commissioned in December 1995. Since the end of the Cold War four years ago, plans have been put into motion that call for Dakota to be retired by 2002, followed by her three closest sisters.
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