Originally Posted by
T28B
Is that why you need three?
The rule of 3 is a peace time rule. Talking to a former 688 its crew an 18 month rotation. 6 months pre deployment training to get the submarine and crew their operational and nuclear certifications, then 6 month operational cruise and then 6 months of rest and refit. Every couple of rotations it will go into yard for full refit and possibly a refueling
It can be pushed out longer if high temp operations are required, but in peace time it really messes up the crew. Advantage of the virginia is that they only do 2 maintainance periods during their life while older ones will do upwards of 4