USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36)

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USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36)
USS L.Y. Spear (AS-36) undwerway in 1983.JPEG
USS L. Y. Spear in 1983
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
Name: USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36)
Namesake: Lawrence York Spear
Builder: General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division
Laid down: 5 May 1966
Launched: 7 September 1967
Acquired: 11 February 1970
Commissioned: 28 February 1970
Decommissioned: 6 September 1996
Struck: 3 May 1999
Fate: Sold to ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas on 9 July 2010
Status: Scrapped
General characteristics
Displacement: 22,640 tons
Length: 644 ft (196 m)
Beam: 29 ft (8.8 m)
Draft: 57 ft (17 m)
Propulsion: steam turbine engine, 1 propeller
Speed: 20 knots
Complement: 1,338
Armament: four 0.5 in (12.7 mm) mg

USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36) was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders, in service to the United States Navy from 1970 through 1996.

Submarine tender Type of ship that supplies and supports submarines

A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines.

United States Navy Naval warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second-largest air force in the world, after the United States Air Force.

Contents

Etymology

She was named for Lawrence York Spear, a former Navy lieutenant who played an integral role in submarine design at Electric Boat Company before and during World War II.

Lawrence York Spear was an American naval officer and businessman who spent the majority of his career working for the Electric Boat Company.

History

L. Y. Spear was laid down by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division at Quincy, Massachusetts on 5 May 1966; launched on 7 September 1967; sponsored by the wife of Vice Admiral Schade, Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet; and commissioned on 28 February 1970.

Quincy, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Quincy is the largest city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Metropolitan Boston and one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2014 was 93,397, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. Known as the "City of Presidents," Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents—John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams—as well as John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Designed primarily to service nuclear attack submarines, L. Y. Spear was assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 with Norfolk, Virginia as her home port. She had the capability to provide logistic and technical support for as many as 12 submarines and service four of them alongside simultaneously.

Norfolk, Virginia Independent city in Virginia, United States

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 242,803; in 2017, the population was estimated to be 244,703 making it the second-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach.

L. Y. Spear was decommissioned on 6 September 1996 and struck from the Navy Register on 3 May 1999. She was berthed at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, from 1999 till 2010. On 9 July 2010, a contract to dismantle L. Y. Spear was issued to ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas. She departed the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at the end of August 2010 [1] and was completely dismantled by 14 July 2011. [2]

Norfolk Naval Shipyard American airport

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most multifaceted. Located on the Elizabeth River, the yard is just a short distance upriver from its mouth at Hampton Roads.

Portsmouth, Virginia Independent city in Virginia, United States

Portsmouth is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 95,535. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

Related Research Articles

General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for more than 100 years. The company's main facilities are a shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and a design and engineering facility in New London, Connecticut.

USS <i>Holland</i> (SS-1) submarine

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USS <i>West Virginia</i> (SSBN-736)

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USS Sunfish (SSN-649), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the ocean sunfish, a marine species having a deep body truncated behind, and high dorsal and anal fins.

USS <i>Ray</i> (SSN-653)

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USS <i>Pargo</i> (SSN-650) Sturgeon class submarine

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USS <i>Silversides</i> (SSN-679) submarine

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USS <i>Springfield</i> (SSN-761) Los Angeles-class submarine

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USS <i>Norfolk</i> (SSN-714) attack submarine of the United States Navy

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USS <i>Emory S. Land</i> ship

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USS <i>Charles Lawrence</i> (DE-53)

USS Charles Lawrence (DE-53) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, commissioned in 1943. She was converted to a high speed transport in 1944 and redesignated APD-37. After being decommssioned in 1946, she was finally scrapped in 1965.

USS <i>Fulton</i> (AS-11)

USS Fulton (AS-11) was the leader of her class of seven submarine tenders, launched on 27 December 1940 by Mare Island Navy Yard and sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Sutcliffe, great-granddaughter of Robert Fulton. Fulton was commissioned on 12 September 1941, with Commander A. D. Douglas in command.

USS <i>Dixon</i> (AS-37)

USS Dixon (AS-37) was an L. Y. Spear-class submarine tender, in service to the United States Navy from 1971 through 1995. Dixon was named for George E. Dixon, commander of the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley.

USS <i>Timbalier</i> (AVP-54)

USS Timbalier (AVP-54) was a Barnegat-class seaplane tender of the United States Navy. She was commissioned shortly after the end of World War II, and served between 1946 and her decommissioning in 1954. She later saw commercial service as the Greek cruise ship MV Rodos.

References

The public domain consists of all the creative works to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable.

<i>Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships</i> book

The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy.

The Naval Vessel Register (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and disposal. It also includes ships that have been removed from the register, but not disposed of by sale, transfer to another government, or other means. Ships and service craft disposed of prior to 1987 are currently not included, but are gradually being added along with other updates.

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2013.



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