Groton alongside | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | USS Groton |
Namesake | Groton, Connecticut |
Awarded | 31 January 1971 |
Builder | General Dynamics Corporation |
Laid down | 3 August 1973 |
Launched | 9 October 1976 |
Commissioned | 8 July 1978 |
Decommissioned | 7 November 1997 |
Stricken | 7 November 1997 |
Fate | Disposed of by submarine recycling |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Los Angeles-class submarine |
Displacement |
|
Length | 110.3 m (361 ft 11 in) |
Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
Draft | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
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Test depth | 290 m (950 ft) |
Complement | 12 officers; 98 enlisted |
Armament | 4 × 21 in (533 mm) bow torpedo tubes |
USS Groton (SSN-694), the seventh Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Groton, Connecticut. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 31 January 1971 and her keel was laid down on 3 August 1973. She was launched on 9 October 1976 sponsored by Mrs. Anne Francis Richardson (née Hazard), wife of Secretary of Commerce Elliot L. Richardson, and commissioned on 8 July 1978, with Commander R. William Vogel, III in command and Master Chief Petty Officer Joseph Pow as Chief of the Boat.
Groton departed on her first overseas deployment in March 1980 to the Indian Ocean. The submarine made her way back to the homeport of Groton, Connecticut by way of the Panama Canal. Groton completed the Around-the-World Cruise in October 1980.
Groton was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 7 November 1997. Ex-Groton was scheduled to enter the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington 1 October 2011. [1]
USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Corpus Christi, Texas. The Navy originally planned to use the name "USS Corpus Christi."
USS Minneapolis–Saint Paul (SSN-708), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the first vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the metropolitan area of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, although each city had been honored twice before. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 20 January 1981. She was launched on 19 March 1983 sponsored by Mrs. Penny Durenberger, and commissioned on 10 March 1984, with Commander Ralph Schlichter in command.
The third USS Indianapolis (SSN-697), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Indianapolis, Indiana. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 24 January 1972 and her keel was laid down on 19 October 1974. She was launched on 30 July 1977 sponsored by Esther Debra Bray, wife of former Congressman William G. Bray, and commissioned on 5 January 1980.
USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659) was a Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine – the last of the "41 for Freedom" Polaris submarines. She was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for humorist Will Rogers (1879–1935).
USS Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655), a Benjamin Franklin class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Henry L. Stimson (1867–1950), who served as U.S. Secretary of State (1929–1933) and U.S. Secretary of War.
USS Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) was the sixth Lafayette class nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine produced. She was named for Captain Nathan Hale (1755–1776), a Connecticut schoolteacher who served in the Continental Army and known most famously for giving his life as a spy during the American Revolutionary War.
USS Tennessee (SSBN-734) is a United States Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine that has been in commission since 1988. She is the fourth ship and first submarine of the U.S. Navy to be named for Tennessee, the 16th state.
USS Alabama (SSBN-731) is the sixth Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, and the seventh United States vessel to be named for the state of Alabama. The boat's motto duplicates the state's motto, Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere.
USS New Hampshire (SSN-778), a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, is the fourth vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the state of New Hampshire. She is the first of the Virginia-class Block-II submarines to enter service. Her name was awarded to the submarine after a letter-writing campaign by the third-graders from Garrison Elementary School and sixth graders from Dover Middle School in Dover to their members of Congress, the state governor, and the Secretary of the Navy.
USS Benjamin Franklin, the lead ship of her class of ballistic missile submarine, was the only submarine of the United States Navy to be named for Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), the American journalist, publisher, author, philanthropist, abolitionist, public servant, scientist, librarian, diplomat, inventor, and Founding Father.
USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), a James Madison-class ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Casimir Pulaski (1745–1779), a Polish general who served in the American Revolutionary War.
USS Sturgeon (SSN-637), was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. She was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sturgeon.
USS Albuquerque (SSN-706) was a Los Angeles-class attack submarine of the United States Navy. She was the second U.S. warship to be named for Albuquerque, New Mexico. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 27 December 1979. She was launched on 13 March 1982, sponsored by Nancy L. Domenici, and commissioned on 21 May 1983.
USS Pargo (SSN-650), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pargo, also known as the red snapper, a fish of the genus Lutjanus found in the West Indies.
USS Cavalla (SSN-684), a Sturgeon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cavalla, a salt water fish. Although it was a Sturgeon class design, Cavalla was a modified "long hull" boat, approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) longer than the earlier ships in its class.
USS Billfish (SSN-676), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the billfish, a name used for any fish, such as gar or spearfish, with bill-shaped jaws.
USS Springfield (SSN-761), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to bear the name. The boat was named in honor of both the cities of Springfield, Illinois and Springfield, Massachusetts.
USS Baltimore (SSN-704), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Baltimore, Maryland. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 21 May 1979. She was launched on 13 December 1980 sponsored by Congresswoman Marjorie S. Holt, and commissioned on 24 July 1982. The vessel's logo was "From Sails to Atoms," as inscribed on the ships original plaque.
USS Helena (SSN-725), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Helena, Montana. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 19 April 1982 and her keel was laid down on 28 March 1985. She was launched on 28 June 1986 sponsored by Mrs. Jean Busey, and commissioned on 11 July 1987.
USS Mississippi (SSN-782) is a Virginia-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for the state of Mississippi. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 14 August 2003. Mississippi's keel was laid down on 9 June 2010. Mississippi was christened on 3 December 2011 at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. Allison Stiller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, is the ship's sponsor. The submarine was commissioned at a ceremony on 2 June 2012 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. SSN-782 was delivered 12 months ahead of schedule and $60 million below planned cost.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register as well as various press releases and news stories.