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Submarines of the United States Navy are built in classes, using a single design for a number of boats. Minor variations occur as improvements are incorporated into the design, so later boats of a class may be more capable than earlier. Also, boats are modified, sometimes extensively, while in service, creating departures from the class standard. However, in general, all boats of a class are noticeably similar.

Occasionally, a class will consist of a single ship as a prototype, or for experimental use; an example is USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which used an unprecedented hull design. In this list such single boat 'classes' are marked with '(unique)'.

• Alligator (1862) (unique)
• Holland (SS-1) (unique, only 1 in USN service, but there were others of the type made)
• Plunger class (SS-2 to 8)
• B class (SS-10 to 12)
• C class (SS-9, 13 to 16)
• D class (SS-17 to 19)
• F class (SS-20 to 23)
• G class (SS-19½, 26, 27, and 31)
• E class (SS-24 and 25)
• H class (SS-28 through 30, 147 to 152)
• K class (SS-31 to 39)
• L class (SS-40 to 46, 48 to 51)
• USS M-1 (SS-47) (unique)
• N class (SS-53 to 59)
• O class (SS-62 to 77)
• R class (SS-78 to 104)
• S class (SS-105 to 107, 109 to 146, 153 to 162)
• SS-108 (unique)
  • Experiment with Neff system of air independent propulsion (1916)
• AA-1 (SS-52/SF-1) class (also called T-class)
• "V"-class (SS-163 to SS-171) also known as V-boats
  • Term for group of large cruiser type boats of five different classes (Bass, Argonaut, Narwhal, Dolphin, and Cachalot)
• Barracuda (SS-163) class (SS-163 to SS-165)
• Argonaut (SS-166) (unique)
• Narwhal (SS-167) class (SS-167 and SS-168)
• Dolphin (SS-169) (unique)
• Cachalot (SS-170) class
• Porpoise (SS-172) class
• Salmon (SS-182) class
• Sargo (SS-188) class
• Tambor (SS-198) class
• Mackerel (SS-204) class
  • This was a two ship class intended to prototype small submarines for wartime use due to the (false) belief that larger submarines could not be mass produced.
• Gato (SS-212) class
  • This was the "standard" fleet submarine of WWII.
• Balao (SS-285) class
  • The Balao class was an upgraded version of the Gato class, mostly noted for increased diving depth.
• Tench (SS-417) class
  • The Tench class was a further refined version of the Gato/Balao classes.
• Barracuda (SS-550) class
  • The testbed for Project Kayo, experimental ASW operations using passive acoustics with low-frequency, bow sonar arrays
• Dolphin (AGSS-555) (unique)
  • A deep diving submarine used for various experimental and development purposes.
• Tang (SS-563) class
  • A WWII fleet boat with many technical changes based on wartime experience and post-war development.
• Albacore (AGSS-569) (unique)
  • Built primarily to test the streamlined hull form now standard, she later served as a research and development test bed.
• Nautilus (SSN-571) (unique)
  • The USN's first nuclear powered submarine, her hullform was based on a fleet boat
• Sailfish (SSR-572) class
  • Purpose-built radar picket submarines.
• Grayback (SSG-574) class
  • Cruise missile submarines.
• Seawolf (SSN-575) (unique)
  • Designed and built to test a liquid metal reactor
• Skate (SSN-578) class
  • The first attempt to build a standard nuclear submarine, she was essentially a nuclear Tang. This was the last class designed with surface operations in mind.
• Darter (SS-576), (unique) based on the Tang-class
• Barbel (SS-580) class
  • A diesel submarine class based on Albacore, these were the last nonnuclear-powered submarines built for the USN.
• Skipjack (SSN-585) class
  • The first class of nuclear submarines to use the Albacore hull.
• Triton (SSRN/SSN-586) (unique)
  • A nuclear powered radar picket submarine.
• Halibut (SSGN/SSN-587) (unique)
  • A purpose built cruise missile submarine. When cruise missiles were superseded in the strategic role by ballistic missiles, she was rederated a fast attack (SSN) submarine.
• Thresher (SSN-593)/Permit (SSN-594) class
  • This class was known as the Thresher class prior the loss of the lead ship
• Tullibee (SSKN/SSN-597) (unique)
  • Prototype "hunter-killer" (SSKN) submarine, the nuclear powered equivalent of the Barracuda class, she was built to test the new bow sonar and amidships torpedo room configuration now standard for US submarines. Also like the Barracuda and Mackerel classes classes, she was an attempt to build a smaller, cheaper submarine. Like all such attempts she proved inadequate in service and was not repeated.
• George Washington (SSBN-598) class
• Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) class
• Lafayette (SSBN-616) class
• James Madison (SSBN-627) class
• Sturgeon (SSN-637) class
• Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) class
• Narwhal (SSN-671) (unique)
  • Narwhal was built as a testbed for a new reactor and propulsion plant.
• Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) (unique)
  • Built to test electric propulsion for nuclear submarines.
• Los Angeles (SSN-688) class
• Ohio (SSBN/SSGN-726) class
  • The Ohio class is unusual in having two types of submarine with the same class name and number. This is caused by the conversion and redesignation of the first four submarines from SSBN to SSGN
• Seawolf (SSN-21) class
  • The Seawolf class have numbers out of the traditional sequence because they were numbered according to the name of the development project, 'Attack Submarine' (SSN) for the '21st Century', hence SSN-21.
• Virginia (SSN-774) class