Ohio class nuclear powered submarine USS Michigan visits South Korea for first time since in several years.

According to information published by the US DoD on June 20, 2023, the US Navy's Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) (Blue) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK).
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Ohio class submarine USS Michigan. (Picture source: US DoD)

In May 2022, a mutual agreement was reached between President Joe Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol to commence talks on the potential resumption and expansion of joint military exercises in and around the Korean Peninsula.

Fast forward to April 2023, a nuclear deterrence plan focused on North Korea was conceived during President Yoon's visit to Washington. This agreement, according to President Biden, permitted nuclear submarines to anchor in South Korean waters, a capability unseen since 1991.

Biden stated that any nuclear assault by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners would be intolerable, promising the collapse of any regime daring to take such action.

This statement, now known as the Washington Declaration, came nearly five decades after Korea ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and renounced its nuclear intentions.

About the submarine

The USS Michigan is an Ohio-class submarine. She has a displacement of 16,764 long tons (17,033 t) when surfaced and 18,750 long tons (19,050 t) when submerged.

The submarine measures 560 feet (170 m) in length and has a beam of 42 feet (13 m) and a draft of 38 feet (12 m). USS Michigan is powered by a single S8G PWR nuclear reactor, two geared turbines, and a 325 horsepower (242 kW) auxiliary motor, which drives a shaft with a power output of 60,000 shp (45,000 kW), allowing it to achieve speeds greater than 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). The submarine can dive to depths greater than 800 feet (240 m).

The USS Michigan has a crew complement of 15 officers and 140 enlisted personnel. Her armament includes four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes and she can carry 154 BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, organized into 22 groups of seven.