USS Gurnard (SSN-662)
.jpg) USS Gurnard (SSN-662) departing San Diego, California, on 1 February 1991. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | USS Gurnard (SSN-662) |
| Namesake: | The gurnard, a food fish of the genus Trigla, a part of the sea robin family |
| Ordered: | 24 October 1963 |
| Builder: | Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California |
| Laid down: | 22 December 1964 |
| Launched: | 20 May 1967 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. George P. Miller |
| Commissioned: | 6 December 1968 |
| Decommissioned: | 28 April 1995 |
| Struck: | 28 April 1995 |
| Motto: |
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| Fate: | Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 15 October 1997 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sturgeon-class attack submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 292 ft (89 m) |
| Beam: | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Installed power: | 15,000 shaft horsepower (11.2 megawatts) |
| Propulsion: | One S5W nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one screw |
| Speed: | Over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Test depth: | 1,300 feet (396 meters) |
| Complement: | 109 (14 officers, 95 enlisted men) |
| Armament: | 4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Gurnard (SSN-662), a Sturgeon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gurnard, a food fish of the genus Trigla and part of the sea robin family.
Construction and commissioning
The contract to build Gurnard was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, California, on 24 October 1963, and her keel was laid down there on 22 December 1964. She was launched on 20 May 1967, sponsored by Mrs. George P. Miller, and commissioned on 6 December 1968 with Commander William S. Cole, Jr., in command.
Service history
Gurnard operated in the Arctic Ocean under the polar ice cap from September to November 1984 in company with one of her sister ships, the attack submarine USS Pintado (SSN-672). On 12 November 1984 Gurnard and Pintado became the third pair of submarines to surface together at the North Pole. In March 1990, “Gurnard” deployed to the Arctic region during exercise Ice Ex '90 and completed only the fourth winter submerged transit of the Bering and Seas. “Gurnard” surfaced at the North Pole on April 18, in the company of the USS Sea Horse (SSN-669).
Decommissioning and disposal
Gurnard was decommissioned on 28 April 1995 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 1997.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- 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 Gurnard (SSN-662) Keel Laying - Launching
- NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Gurnard (SSN-662) Sea Trials & Commissioning
- NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Gurnard (SSN-662) Active Service