USS Flying Fish (SSN-673)

USS Flying Fish (SSN-673) off Norfolk, Virginia, ca. 1972-1973.
Career (United States)
Name:	USS Flying Fish
Namesake:	The flying fish
Ordered:	15 July 1966
Builder:	Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut
Laid down:	30 June 1967
Launched:	17 May 1969
Sponsored by:	Mrs. John W. Harvey
Commissioned:	29 April 1970
Decommissioned:	16 May 1996
Struck:	16 May 1996
Honors and awards:	Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for U.S. Atlantic Fleet 1976
Fate:	Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 15 October 1996
General characteristics
Class and type:	Sturgeon-class attack submarine
Displacement:	3,978 long tons (4,042 t) light 4,270 long tons (4,339 t) full 292 long tons (297 t) dead
Length:	292 ft 3 in (89.08 m)
Beam:	31 ft 8 in (9.65 m)
Draft:	28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
Installed power:	15,000 shaft horsepower (11.2 megawatts)
Propulsion:	One S5W nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one screw
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) submerged
Test depth:	1,300 feet (396 meters)
Complement:	109 (14 officers, 95 enlisted men)
Armament:	4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Flying Fish (SSN-673), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flying fish, any of number of fishes of tropic and warm temperate seas whose long winglike fins make it possible for them to move some distance through the air.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build Flying Fish was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 15 July 1966 and her keel was laid down there on 30 June 1967. She was launched on 17 May 1969, sponsored by Mrs. John W. Harvey, and commissioned on 29 April 1970 with Commander Donald C. Shelton in command.

Service history

• 6/30/1967 - Keel laid at Electric Boat (EB) in Groton, CT
• 5/17/1969 - Launched at EB Groton, Mrs. John W. Harvey was sponsor, widow of Thresher SSN-593 CO ^[1]
• 4/1/1970 - Delivered to Navy
• 4/29/1970 - Commissioned at Groton, CO is CDR Donald C. Sheldon, Assigned to Subron 6 Norfolk
• 2/13/1973 - CDR James D. Williams relieved CDR Sheldon as CO
• 11/14/1973 - PNSY for extensive overhaul (Approx 1 year)
• 5/22/1976 - CDR Thomas A. Meinicke relieved CDR Williams as CO
• 4/10/1976 - Visits Bremerhaven, Germany OCT 4-8 ^[2]
• In 1976, she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the United States Atlantic Fleet.

• 4/29/1977 - Surfaced at North pole at midnight and remained there for 12 hours. She was 11th to visit and 10th to surface at the pole. Dr. Waldo Lyon aboard. CDR Thomas A. Meinekie is CO (SUBICEX1-77) ^[3]
• 6/6/1977 - Returned to Norfolk from polar cruise.
• 7/8/1980 - CDR Steven J. Loucks relieved CDR T. A. Meinekie as CO
• 12/10/1980 - Returned to Norfolk after 5 months med deployment,visiting ports including Athens, Greece, Naples, Italy and Ashdod, Israel
• 4/1/1983 - CDR Joseph T. Lario relieved CDR Steven J. Loucks as CO
• 6/30/1983 - In port, Port Everglades, FLA
• 7/23/1984 -Returned to Norfolk after 5 months med deployment, visiting La Spezia, Italy and Ashdod, Israel
• 6/10/1985 - Arrived New London for Refresher training
• 2/6/1986 - CDR Robert L. Hendricks relieved CDR. J.T. Lario as CO
• 7/15/1986 - Began overhaul at Puget Sound NSY
• 1/15/1988 - Completed overhaul at Puget sound NSY
• 11/5/1988 - Rejoined Subron 6 at Norfolk Naval Base after 2 1/2 years extended overhaul at PSNSY
• 4/3/1989 - CDR Stanley J Mack assumes command
• 3/5/1990 - Returned to Norfolk from 6 mo. Med Cruise
• 10/11/1991 - CDR Louis T Roumaya relieved CDR Stanley J Mack as CO at Naval station Norfolk
• 11/24/1993 - CDR Wiley Robert Deal, Jr. assumes command
• 11/14/1994 - Returned to Norfolk from 4 month med and S. Atlantic cruise, visited Toulon, La Maddalena, Gibraltar. Roosevelt Roads, Curaçao and Bridgeport, Barbados

May 1995 Mine laying exercises, Joint Service Special Warfare operations - Operational Test Launch of Tomahawk cruise missile.

• 7/10/1995 - Inactivation at Norfolk
• 10/20/1995 - Placed "in reserve, in commission" from the active fleet for decommissioning. Recycling start date
• 5/16/1996 - Decommissioned at Puget Sound NSY, She had nine commanding Officers and steamed 600.000 miles. Strike date.
• 10/15/1996 - Recycling started

Decommissioning and disposal

Flying Fish was decommissioned on 16 May 1996 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. Her scrapping via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, was completed on 15 October 1996.

References

• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Flying Fish (SSN-673)