USS Pargo SSN 650- The Beginning
The USS Pargo, (SSN-650: submarine, nuclear-powered), named after the pargo fish found in the West Indies and was the second submarine to carry that name (the first was a Gato-class sub that served from 1943 to 1960). Pargo was part of the United States Navy’s Sturgeon class of nuclear attack submarines, the eighth boat in the class. The Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics won the contract to build the boat in March of 1963 and laid down her keel on June 3, 1964. She launched on September 17, 1966 and commissioned on January 5, 1968.
Pargo’s crew consisted of ninety-five enlisted men and twelve officers under the command of CDR Steven A. White. Immediately after she was commissioned, Pargo was assigned to Submarine Development Group 2 and made her home port in New London, Connecticut and conducted acoustic trials in nearby Groton, Connecticut.
USS Pargo SSN 650- Moving Along
While her primary mission was to find, follow and sink enemy submarines, Pargo also participated in the unsuccessful attempt to locate the lost sub Scorpion in May of 1968. After authorities called off the search for Scorpion, Pargo conducted further tests in the Caribbean and off the coast of New London. In April of 1969, Pargo reached the North Pole for the first time. Between 1968 and 1971, Pargo received both the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Navy Unit Commendation.
Pargo accidentally ran aground in April of 1979 while entering port in New London under a heavy fog. The ship spent three months in dry dock to repair their propeller. From 1991 to 1993, Pargo made trips to the North Pole while carrying scientists from the Arctic Submarine Laboratory. The results from these scientific expeditions have furthered our understanding of global climate change today.
USS Pargo SSN 650- The End of an Era
Pargo was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Register on April 14, 1995. The ship entered in the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington in October 1994 and ceased to exist in October 1996.
Characteristics of the USS Pargo
(*Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pargo_(SSN-650))
USS Pargo -
Career in the United States Navy
Namesake: pargo fish
Ordered: 26 March 1963
Builder: General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division
Laid down: 3 June 1964
Launched: 17 September 1966
Commissioned: 5 January 1968
Struck: 14 April 1995
Fate: Ship-Submarine Recycling Program USS Pargo -
General characteristics
Displacement: 4250 tons surfaces, 4700 tons submerged
Length: 292 ft (89 m)
Beam: 31.7 ft (9.65 m)
Draft: 29.2 ft (8.9 m)
Propulsion: S5W reactor
Speed: 15 knots (27.8 kph) surfaced
30 knots (55.6 kph) submerged
Test depth: 700 ft (210 m)
Complement: 12 officers, 95 enlisted
Armament: four 533 mm torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes, Harpoon, Tomahawk, and SUBROC missiles, ability to lay mines
Historical Timeline of the USS Pargo
The following are some of the USS Pargo historical milestones during the life of the ship from 1963 through 1995: (a complete list can be found at: http://www.ussvi.us/Sub_View.asp?RecNo=69)
- June 1964 – USS Pargo keel laid down by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics
- September 1966 – USS Pargo launched
- January 1968 – USS Pargo commissioned and assigned to Submarine Development Group 2
- February 1968 – USS Pargo conducted acoustic trials and restricted availability at Groton, Connecticut
- May 1968 – USS Pargo participated in search for lost sub USS Scorpion
- July 1968 – USS Pargo conducted trials in Caribbean and off New London
- April 1969 – USS Pargo reached North Pole for the first time
- 1968 – 1971 – USS Pargo received both Meritorious Unit Commendation and Navy Unit Commendation
- April 1979 – USS Pargo ran aground near New London, Connecticut during heavy fog cover
- September 1993 – USS Pargo carried scientists from Arctic Submarine Laboratory for “SCICEX-93″ expedition to the North Pole
- October 1994 – The USS Pargo stored in Bremerton, Washington until entered into the Nuclear Power Ship and Submarine Recycling Program
- April 1995 – The USS Pargo decommissioned and stricken from Naval Vessel register
- October 1996 – The USS Pargo ceased to exist
Crews of the USS Pargo
An unofficial list of crewmembers that served on the USS Pargo can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following web address: http://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=SSN_650.
Les Gresham: (Served from October 1966 – December 1967) “was the engine room supervisor when we lost the anchor in Block Island Sound. Captain said “do what the STO says” I said aye! Weak link broke in 5 min. Got to watch Adm. Rickover scream and rant on flank to back emergency bell.”
John Stubblefield: (Served from April 1969 – June 1971) “I started my career on the Pargo and will retire from Commercial Nuclear Power at the end of the year.”
Mark Edwards: (Served from June 1976 – September 1979) “The good times outweighed the bad times – Puerto Rico, Norway, Scotland and Sardinia what a party”
Walter Hauff: (Served March 1988 – August 1992) “From the MED to the Pole, miss that crew..”
Ernest Sherrill: (Served December 1992 – June 1995) “Still miss going to the North Pole twice with such a great crew to be with. Nothing I have done since then even comes close to the feeling of doing something important as being on this fish.”
