$2bn nuclear submarine smashes through Arctic ice in jaw-dropping display of power
Published on Feb 12, 2026 at 8:06 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Feb 12, 2026 at 9:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
This nuclear submarine smashed through the Arctic ice like it’s nothing.
This is a very expensive ‘vehicle’, and to be fair even calling it a vehicle sounds a bit strange.
At $2 billion, this submarine is more expensive than nearly anything else in the oceans.
And there’s something else about this video that makes it quite interesting.
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The video went viral, but it’s not new
This video was reportedly filmed in 2016, but it goes viral practically every winter because, as we all know, that’s how the internet works.
The submarine is the USS Hartford SSN-768, a Los Angeles-class (more on that later) nuclear submarine emerging from ice in the Beaufort Sea near the Arctic Circle.
It’s an awesome display of power, but then again it’d better be because this submarine costs around $2 billion to build.
This is actually a ‘seasoned’ submarine.
She was launched in 1993 but the submarine is still in active service.
It’s 110 meters (361+ feet) long – slightly longer than a soccer pitch – and has enough room for up to 110 crew.
What does ‘class’ mean in a nuclear submarine?
We should probably start by debunking a misconception that we can easily blame on clickbait headlines in this politicized era we’re living in.
A nuclear submarine is not a submarine carrying nuclear ordnance.
Nuclear simply refers to what powers it: nuclear reactors.
The nuclear submarine we see here is a Los Angeles-class submarine and in naval terms, the ‘class’ the family of a particular submarine.
It’s an oversimplification and we apologize to any naval officer that’s reading this, but calling the Hartford a Los Angeles-class submarine is roughly the same as calling a Ford F-150 a Ford F-Series truck.
Los Angeles-class submarines are nuclear-powered attack submarines that are generally older than Virginia-class submarines, which are similar but come with more modern tech.
Obviously, this only applies to US submarines in service with the US Navy as there are several different types including, surprisingly, submarines that double as hotels.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
