USS Sculpin (SSN-590): History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS Sculpin was the fourth member of the Skipjack class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. She was also the second U.S. Navy vessel to carry the name Sculpin.
The order to build the Sculpin was awarded to the Ingalls Shipbuilding Co. of Pascagoula, Miss., on Jan. 17, 1957. Her keel was laid down on Feb. 3, 1958; she was launched on March 31, 1960. She was commissioned on June 1, 1961, with Commander C.N. Mitchell in charge of her first crew.
Underway
Originally assigned to the Pacific Fleet and homeported at San Diego, she began shakedown training in July of 1961. By May 1962, she was deemed ready for her first major deployment to the Western Pacific. After the three-month deployment, the Sculpin took part in local training operations and fleet exercises for the remainder of the year.
The Sculpin was scheduled to make a second Western Pacific deployment in December 1963, but defective piping caused her to return to Mare Island, Calif., for emergency repairs. It would not be until April 1964 that the Sculpin made her deployment. After port calls at Pearl Harbor and Sydney, Australia, she would spend most of her time in the waters outside of Subic Bay in the Philippines and Naha, Okinawa. After returning to San Diego in October, the Sculpin received her first of two Navy Unit Commendations.
The Sculpin would make another deployment to the Western Pacific to serve with the Seventh Fleet in November 1966. The six-month deployment concluded in May 1967; in September of that year, the Sculpin received her second Navy Unit Commendation. On Nov. 11, 1967, the Sculpin gave a demonstration guide President Lyndon Johnson.
On Jan. 30, 1968, the Sculpin entered drydock for a major overhaul. She spent the next 51 weeks undergoing repairs at Puget Sound (Wash.) Naval Shipyard. After completing her shakedown cruise on July 29, 1969, the Sculpin returned to San Diego. In February 1970, the Sculpin was ordered to deploy to the Western Pacific for a six-month tour in which she would visit Subic Bay, Hong Kong and Yokosuka, Japan.
The Sculpin spent most of 1971 operating in the waters near the west coast of the United States. In January 1972, however, she deployed to the Western Pacific once more. During this deployment, she would spend three days (April 1-4) in the Gulf of Tonkin, making her eligible to receive a battle star for service in the Vietnam War. The Sculpin returned to San Diego on July 24, 1972. In 1974, the Sculpin would deploy to the Western Pacific for another extended cruise.
In the 1980s, the Sculpin would be transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. In her later service years, the Sculpin would take part in a UNTIAS exercise with navies from a number of countries in South America and deploy to the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
Decommissioning
The Sculpin was decommissioned on Aug. 3, 1990 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Aug. 30, 1990. She entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 1, 2000 and was declared scrapped on Oct. 30, 2001.
Characteristics of the USS Sculpin (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Skipjack-class submarine
Displacement: 3,075 long tons (3,124 t) surfaced
3,513 long tons (3,569 t) submerged
Length: 252 ft (77 m)
Beam: 31 ft 7 in (9.6 m)
Draft: 29 ft 5 in (9.0 m)
Propulsion: 1 × S5W reactor
2 × Westinghouse steam turbines, 15,000 shp (11 MW)
1 shaft
Speed: > 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) (official)
~31 kn (36 mph; 57 km/h) (theoretical); Actual values are classified.
Complement: 93 officers & men
Armament: 6 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes
Career:
Name: USS Sculpin
Ordered: 18 January 1957
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down: 3 February 1958
Launched: 31 March 1960
Commissioned: 1 June 1961
Decommissioned: 3 November 1989
Struck: 31 March 1990
Motto: “Videte eos prius” – “See ‘em first”
Fate: Entered the Submarine Recycling Program on 1 October 2000
Timeline:
January 1957: USS Sculpin ordered
February 1958: Keel of USS Sculpin laid down
March 1960: USS Sculpin launched
June 1961: USS Sculpin commissioned
April 1972: USS Sculpin serves in Gulf of Tonkin during Vietnam War
August 1990: USS Sculpin decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Sculpin:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Sculpin 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_590
Tim Churney (served November 1968—January 1970):”I came on board while she was recieving a full shipyard rebuild in Puget Sound. I came on as a raw fish and left as a Qualified Submariner.”
Clint Wright (served August 1969—September 1972): “Greatest Sub and Crew.”
Ercle Parker (served May 1970—January 1974): “Came on as E-2 nothing left IC2(SS). Lots of good times, some not so good times. Loved every minute including not so good times.”
Links:
http://www.hullnumber.com/SSN-590
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sculpin_(SSN-590)
