USS Maryland (SSBN-738) is an American thirteenth-class Ohio submarine. Ohio-class units were or are nuclear-powered submarines - carriers of ballistic missile (SSBN) missiles. Units of this type were built in the years 1979-1996. In total, 18 units of this class were created, out of 24 planned. They are all still in active service. The Ohio-class ship is 170 m long, 13 m wide, and has a displacement of 18,750 tons. The maximum underwater speed is approximately 25 knots.
Ohio-class ships were developed as a completely new structure, using the experience gained during the operation of ships of such classes as, for example, Lafayette or James Madison, but also intended to replace the so-called the "41 for Freedom" series. The Ohio-class ships are much larger than their predecessors, both in terms of length and displacement. They could, and many of them still can, carry 24 ballistic missiles compared to only 16 of these weapons on their predecessors. The new ships were also equipped with advanced sonar devices with similar properties to those installed on Los Angeles-class ships. The thirteenth ship of the series - USS Maryland - was built at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton between 1989 and 1991, and entered service in 1992. In the same year, the ship was loaded with Trident II D-5 missiles with a range estimated at 12,000 kilometers! In June 1993, the USS Maryland embarked on its first patrol flight. The USS Maryland has undergone a relatively large number of Trident missile test launches in the course of its service. The ship's patrols take place primarily in the Atlantic Ocean, and the ship's home base is Kings Bay, Georgia. The ship is nicknamed "Fighting Mary" in the US Navy.
USS Maryland (BB-46) was an American battleship laid down in 1917, launched in March 1920, and commissioned in the US Navy in July 1921. The length of the ship was 190 m, width 29.7 m, and full displacement - at the time of launching - 33,100 tons. The top speed of the USS Maryland battleship was up to 21 knots. The main armament was 8 406 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 12 127 mm guns.
USS Maryland was the second of four battleships of the Colorado class. Units of this type belonged to the so-called standard battleships, i.e. ships with similar combat values, dimensions and capabilities, although divided into different classes, which entered service with the US Navy in the period 1916-1923. The Colorado-class battleships, compared to their predecessors, had primarily completely changed main weapons and were the first in the history of the American Navy to use artillery of 406 mm caliber. Projected them as a balance for the Japanese Nagato-class battleships. In general, however, in terms of construction, armor and maximum speed, the Colorado-class battleships were similar to the Tennessee-class battleships. USS Maryland (BB-46) in the interwar period was assigned primarily to the Pacific Fleet, as part of which it made numerous exercises and cruises in the Pacific Ocean. At the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, the USS Maryland was at Pearl Harbor. However, as a result of the Japanese attack, the ship suffered minor damage and was ready for operation in February of the following year. During the Battle of Midway in June 1942, he remained in the backup force. After the battle, he was directed to the South Pacific to cover the convoys. In November 1943, the USS Maryland participated in the invasion of Tarawa. In January 1944, it was already operating in the area of the Marshall Islands. In October of the same year, it covered American operations in the Philippines with its artillery fire and took part in the Battle of Leyte Bay, and in March 1945 it was already operating in the Okinawa region. USS Maryland (BB-46) was decommissioned in 1947 and was sold for scrap in 1959.