USS Shark (SSN-591): History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS Shark was the fifth member of the Skipjack class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. She was the eighth member of the U.S. Navy to carry the name Shark.
The order to build the Shark was awarded to the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. on Jan. 31, 1957. Her keel was laid down on Feb. 24, 1958; she was launched on March 16, 1960. She was commissioned on Feb. 9, 1961, with Lt. Commander John F. Fagan Jr. in command.
Underway
After completing her shakedown cruise and testing, the Shark was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to join the Sixth Fleet in August 1961. This was the first deployment of its kind for a nuclear submarine and lasted until mid-November. In March 1962, the Shark made her first deployment to the North Atlantic, a cruise that lasted just over two months. In August, she made another two-month deployment to the area, monitoring Soviet naval activity.
In 1963, the Shark took part in the SUBFALLEX exercises held in the North Atlantic from Aug. 7 to Oct. 24. In June 1964, the Shark entered drydock at Charleston, S.C. for her first major overhaul. The overhaul lasted nearly a year, but the Shark received the Navy Unit Commendation while in drydock for her performance in April and May of 1964.
The Shark returned to the sea in June 1965, but was back in drydock a month later for repairs to her forward oxygen system. The Shark was back in the water in October 1965 and took part in training and several exercises through early January 1966. She returned to the waters of the North Atlantic in January 1967, conducting special operations missions until March 24. She received her second Navy Unit Commendation in April. In May, the Shark visited Halifax, Nova Scotia and became the first nuclear ship of any sort to visit a Canadian port.
In June 1967, the Shark had her nuclear reactor refueled for the first time, a process that would take nine months. She would spend the better part of the next two years operating near Norfolk or taking part in special operations missions. The Shark would return to drydock in January 1970 for an overhaul that would last until August 1971. It would not be until June 1972 that the Shark took part in another major foreign deployment, a six-month cruise with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
In 1973, the Shark would serve a six-month tour with the Atlantic Fleet, spending much of its time in the waters off the coast of Europe. One of her ports of call would be Lisbon, Portugal; she would be the first nuclear submarine to visit the Portuguese capital. She would take part in another deployment with the Atlantic Fleet in 1974 before returning to Pascagoula for a reactor refueling in August. This refueling and overhaul would take more than two years.
When the Shark returned to the ocean, her homeport was changed to New London, Conn. In 1978, the Shark would have a busy schedule, taking part in UNITAS exercises with a number of South American navies and deploying to Mediterranean as part of the Sixth Fleet. In 1980, the Shark took part in exercises with the Atlantic Fleet and the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1981, she served a tour in the Mediterranean before transiting through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific en route to the Mare Island (Calif.) Naval Shipyard in October for another overhaul.
Decommissioning
The Shark was deactivated on Oct. 16, 1986. She was formally decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Sept. 15, 1990. She was placed in the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submariner Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 1, 1995. She was declared scrapped on June 28 of the following year.
Characteristics of the USS Shark (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 Shark
Ordered: 31 January 1957
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Laid down: 24 February 1958
Launched: 16 March 1960
Commissioned: 9 February 1961
Decommissioned: 15 September 1990
Struck: 15 September 1990
Fate: Entered the Submarine Recycling Program on 1 October 1995
Timeline:
January 1957: USS Shark ordered
February 1958: Keel of USS Shark laid down
March 1960: USS Shark launched
February 1961: USS Shark commissioned
August 1961: USS Shark becomes first nuclear powered submarine to serve with U.S. Sixth Fleet
May 1967: USS Shark visits Halifax, Nova Scotia and becomes first nuclear powered submarine to visit a Canadian port
1973: USS Shark becomes first nuclear powered submarine to visit Lisbon, Portugal
September 1990: USS Shark decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Shark:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Shark 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_591
John Lopopolo (served 1987—89): “Good Boat”
Mike Scalzitt (served Februar 1987—September 1990): “GOODTIMES BOHICA SHARK”
Geno Keller (served August 1987—January 1989): “We pulled together to beat ORSE. Halifax was always great. Many challenges trying to get to UNITAS. Once in South America – SWEET!”
Joseph Forney (served August 1987—September 1990): “From UNITAS to DECOM, what a good time that boat was!!! The only other guy I knew that made E5, twice…Finally retired after 23 years.”
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shark_(SSN-591)
http://www.btrosper.com/ALLSHARK/heress591.html
