USS Honolulu, probably during sea trials off the United States East Coast in 1984. | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Honolulu |
Namesake | Honolulu, Hawaii |
Awarded | 15 September 1977 |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia |
Laid down | 10 November 1981 |
Launched | 24 September 1983 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Joan B. Clark |
Commissioned | 6 July 1985 |
Decommissioned | 2 November 2007 [1] |
Stricken | 2 November 2007 |
Homeport | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
Motto | Maka 'Ala Mau (Hawaiian for "Always on Alert") |
Fate | Disposed of by submarine recycling (except her bow) |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Los Angeles-class submarine |
Displacement | 5,700 tons light, 6,068 tons full, 368 tons dead |
Length | 110.3 m (361 ft 11 in) |
Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
Draft | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion | S6G nuclear reactor |
Complement | 12 officers, 98 enlisted |
Armament | 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Honolulu (SSN-718), was a Los Angeles-class submarine, and the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Honolulu, Hawaii. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 15 September 1977 and her keel was laid down on 10 November 1981. She was launched on 24 September 1983 sponsored by Mrs. Joan B. Clark, and commissioned on 6 July 1985, with Commander Robert M. Mitchell in command.
Honolulu featured unique split stern planes that operated from independent hydraulic systems. With this redundant configuration, the inboard and outboard planes could be operated independently, preventing a failure of one or the other from causing an uncontrolled dive.
Honolulu's patrols were commemorated by ten surfboards signed by the crews aboard her at the time. The latest three were kept on board the submarine; the other seven are stored at Pearl Harbor.
Honolulu held a farewell ceremony in Pearl Harbor on 15 April 2006, that included remarks by Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Gary Roughead and former Honolulu commanding officer Vice Admiral Jonathan Greenert. Honolulu put to sea in early May 2006 for her final patrol. Her last patrol ended at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in October 2006 where she was placed on stand down, on her way to decommissioning.
Honolulu was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 2 November 2007. Ex-Honolulu entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington.
The forward section of ex-Honolulu was transferred to USS San Francisco, repairing extensive damage caused by a severe grounding San Francisco experienced in 2005. Despite difficulties, the unusual project was completed on 20 October 2008. [2]
Although it had already been decommissioned, the submarine is featured prominently in the 2008 naval thriller, Black Sea Affair , by Don Brown. [3]
USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609/SSN-609), an Ethan Allen-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after Sam Houston (1793–1863), president of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston was the US Navy's seventh ballistic missile submarine.
USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), is a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the bowfin fish. Since 1981, she has been open to public tours at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.
USS Omaha (SSN-692), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Omaha, Nebraska. 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 27 January 1973. She was launched on 21 February 1976 sponsored by Mrs. Victoria Kuncl Hruska, wife of Senator Roman L. Hruska, and commissioned on 11 March 1978.
USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), lead ship of her class of submarines, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Los Angeles, California. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 8 January 1971 and her keel was laid down on 8 January 1972. She was launched on 6 April 1974 sponsored by Anne Armstrong, and commissioned on 13 November 1976. She hosted President Jimmy Carter and the First Lady on 27 May 1977 for an at-sea demonstration of her capabilities. In 2007 she was the oldest submarine in active service with the United States Navy. The Navy decommissioned Los Angeles on 23 January 2010, in the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, her namesake city.
USS Louisville (SSN-724), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Louisville, Kentucky. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 11 February 1982 and her keel was laid on 24 September 1984. She was launched on 14 December 1985—sponsored by Mrs. Betty Ann McKee, wife of Admiral Kinnaird McKee, Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion —and commissioned on 8 November 1986 with Captain Charles E. Ellis in command.
USS Hawkbill (SSN-666), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the hawksbill, a large sea turtle. The name perpetuated the inadvertent misspelling of "hawksbill" in the naming of the first ship of that name, USS Hawkbill (SS-366), a Balao-class submarine launched in 1944. USS Hawkbill (SSN-666) was the eighteenth of 39 Sturgeon-class nuclear-powered submarines that were built.
USS Seadragon (SSN-584), a Skate-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seadragon, a name for some types of seahorse. She was a nuclear-powered submarine.
USS Sculpin (SSN-590), a Skipjack-class nuclear-powered submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sculpin.
USS Lamberton (DD-119)/(DMS-2) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy in commission from 1918 to 1922 and from 1930 to 1946. She saw service during World War II. She was the only ship named for Benjamin P. Lamberton, a rear admiral who served with Admiral Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 during the Spanish–American War.
USS San Francisco (SSN-711) is a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine, the third ship or boat of the United States Navy to be named for San Francisco, California.
USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624), a Lafayette class ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), the 28th President of the United States (1913–1921). She later was converted into an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-624.
USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) was a Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine and the only ship in the United States Navy to be named after Kamehameha I, the first King of Hawaii. She is one of only two United States ships named after a monarch. She was later reclassified as an attack submarine and re-designated SSN-642.
USS Tecumseh (SSBN-628), a James Madison-class ballistic missile submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Tecumseh (c.1768–1813), the leader of the Shawnee people.
USS Archerfish (SS/AGSS-311) was a Balao-class submarine. She was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the archerfish. Archerfish is best known for sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano in November 1944, the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine. For this achievement, she received a Presidential Unit Citation after World War II.
USS Cincinnati (SSN-693), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Cincinnati, Ohio. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 4 February 1971 and her keel was laid down on 6 April 1974. She was launched on 19 February 1977 sponsored by Mrs. William J. Keating, and commissioned on 10 June 1978.
David Kern, an officer of the United States Navy, was the first commanding officer of USS Virginia (SSN-774).
USS Buffalo (SSN-715) was a Los Angeles-class submarine, the second vessel that actively served the United States Navy to be named for Buffalo, New York. 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, wife of former Buffalo Bills quarterback and New York's 31st congressional district representative Jack Kemp, who was credited with winning approval to name the ship after the city in his district. Buffalo was commissioned on 5 November 1983, with Commander G. Michael Hewitt in command. Buffalo was decommissioned on 30 January 2019 after 35 years of service.
USS Brill (SS-330), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy in commission from 1944 to 1947. She was named for the brill, a European flatfish.
Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet.
Submarine Squadron 3 was a squadron of submarines of the United States Navy based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Pearl Harbor, HI which was disestablished in 2012.
This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register .