This is a heavy-weight torpedo, with a long range and a large warhead. Advanced guidance allows it to be used against both surface ships and submarines, with the ability to engage high-speed, maneuvering targets. Attack submarines also carry anti-ship missiles that can engage enemy surface ships at ranges beyond those of torpedoes. After launch, the missile travels to the surface where the jet engine starts and the missile streaks toward its target. The Tomahawk can be carried in place of torpedoes and can be launched from torpedo tubes.
Submarines also carry mines to deny sea areas to enemy surface ships or submarines.
It is particularly useful for blockading a harbor or a narrow sea passage. The significance of the Navy's SSBN force was cited by General Colin Powell, U.S. Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a ceremony in April 1992 marking the completion of the 3,000th deterrent patrol. America's proud missile submarine family. You stand tall among all our heroes of the Cold War. Strategic deterrence remains a fundamental element of U.S. defense strategy, just as conventional deterrence has become increasingly important since the fall of the Berlin Wall.