USS Buffalo (SSN-715)

History
Name:	USS Buffalo
Awarded:	23 February 1976
Builder:	Newport News Shipbuilding
Laid down:	25 January 1980
Launched:	8 May 1982
Commissioned:	5 November 1983
Homeport:	Pearl Harbor, Hawaii[1]
Status:	in active service, as of 2016
Badge:
General characteristics
Class & type:	Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement:	5,771 tons light, 6,142 tons full, 371 tons dead
Length:	110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam:	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft:	9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Propulsion:	S6G nuclear reactor
Complement:	12 officers, 98 men
Armament:	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Buffalo (SSN-715), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Buffalo, New York (another USS Buffalo was named for the animal). The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 23 February 1976 and her keel was laid down on 25 January 1980. She was launched on 8 May 1982 sponsored by Mrs. Joanne Kemp, and commissioned on 5 November 1983, with Commander G. Michael Hewitt in command.

In 1999, Buffalo was modified to carry a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). In 2002, the Buffalo entered drydock in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and became the first ship to undergo nuclear refueling in Hawaii. In late November 2005, the DDS was used to launch an underwater glider capable of gathering and storing information to be later transmitted by means of a built-in satellite phone.

On 10 June 2008, Buffalo visited Olongapo City in the Philippines, allowing Filipino children to tour her.

Per the Annual Report to Congress on Long-Range Planning for Construction of Naval Vessels for FY2013, Buffalo is scheduled for decommissioning in 2017.

References

This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.