USS Skipjack (SSN-585): History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS Skipjack was the lead ship of the Skipjack class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. She was the first nuclear-powered attack submarine in the U.S. Navy arsenal and the third ship overall to carry the name.
The order to build the Skipjack was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp.’s Groton, Conn., shipyard on Oct. 5, 1955. Her keel was laid down on May 29, 1956; she was launched on May 26, 1958. She was commissioned on April 15, 1959, with Commander W.W. Behrens Jr. in command.
Underway
Thanks to its new power source and a number of changes in design, the Skipjack was unlike any other submarine in the American inventory. It boasted a tear-drop hull with diving planes moved from the hull to the top of a 23-foot sail. The new position of the diving planes, along with a single propeller behind the rudder, made the Skipjack far more maneuverable than her predecessors. Her S5W reactor also allowed the ship to travel for far longer without refueling, as the nuclear-powered vessel could go 100,000 miles at full power.
During her shakedown cruise in 1959, the Skipjack achieved a number of firsts, including becoming the first nuclear-powered submarine to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. She also claimed the title of the “World’s Fastest Submarine”—though the Department of Defense refused to inform the public of just what the speed was. For most of 1960, she took part in several exercises but otherwise remained near her home port of Groton, Conn. She would win her first Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness after an exercise in May and June of that year.
In the later part of 1960, the Skipjack deployed to the Arctic Ocean and took up a position near the Soviet port of Murmansk. Part of the deployment was a test of the submarine’s capabilities and to judge how close it could get to Soviet ships or installations without detection. The answer was to be remarkably close; reports indicated the Skipjack was able to get within approximately 100 feet of the port without notice.
The Skipjack would spend most of 1961 near Groton. After an overhaul lasting more than four months, she deployed to the Mediterranean in October 1962. During the deployment the Skipjack took part in NATO exercises and made ports of call in France and Italy before returning to Connecticut. The return trip set the record for the fastest submerged transit of the Atlantic Ocean; that record is believed to still stand.
In 1964, the Skipjack spent two months on duty with NATO forces, taking part in exercises Masterstroke and Teamwork. Most of 1965 was spent in training exercises; it spent most of 1966 in dry dock at the Charleston (S.C.) Naval Shipyard before taking part in sea trials in late October. She then sailed to her new home port of Norfolk, Va., before closing out the year taking part in exercises with the Atlantic Fleet.
The Skipjack spent March through June 1967 in Atlantic submarine exercises, then played a role in FIXWEX G-67, an exercise to determine the ability of fixed-wing anti-submarine warfare aircraft to defeat submarines like a Skipjack-class submarine. After spending most of 1968 in and around Norfolk, the Skipjack went into dry dock for a major overhaul in April 1969 and remained there through nearly all of 1970.
Once the Skipjack returned to the water, she took part in sound trials and weapons systems tests off the coast of Puerto Rico from Jan. 25 to March 5, 1971. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 9, she was part of NATO Exercise Royal Night. After spending 1972 near the east coast of the United States or in the Caribbean, the Skipjack returned to the Mediterranean in the spring of 1973. When that deployment was completed, the Skipjack took part in more anti-submarine warfare exercises off the Atlantic coast. She returned to Groton in the summer of 1974 for a major overhaul, which would leave her in dry dock for more than two years.
After her overhaul was completed in late 1976, the Skipjack would continue to operate as part of the Atlantic Fleet and took part in several deployments to the Mediterranean. She would win another Battle “E” in 1978. Though her duties would include tracking Soviet surface ships and submarines, she would never fire a shot in anger.
Decommissioning
The Skipjack was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 19, 1990. She entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on March 17, 1996 and on Sept. 1, 1998 was declared scrapped.
Characteristics of the USS Skipjack: (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 Skipjack
Awarded: 5 October 1955
Laid down: 29 May 1956
Launched: 26 May 1958
Commissioned: 15 April 1959
Decommissioned: 19 April 1990
Struck: 19 April 1990
Motto: Radix Nova Tridentis (Latin for “Root of the New Sea Power”)
Fate: Entered the Submarine Recycling Program, 17 March 1996
Timeline:
October 1955: USS Skipjack ordered
May 1956: Keel of USS Skipjack laid down
May 1958: USS Skipjack launched
April 1959: USS Skipjack commissioned
1959: USS Skipjack awarded title of “World’s Fastest Submarine”
1960: USS Skipjack allegedly enters mouth of Soviet port of Murmansk without detection
1961: USS Skipjack sets record for fastest submerged passage of the Atlantic Ocean
April 1990: USS Skipjack decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Skipjack:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Skipjack 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/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=1074
Joe Martel (served 1970—73): “GREAT Crew, especially for the “Scrapjack” period! “Anchor Away” USVI, “Surface Diesel” North Sea, “Oops #1 Periscope” Where-ever, “What Tailcone” N. Atlantic, “Get out of my port””
Rick Chihocki (served March 1970—April 1973): “My first boat. Good memories…. good crew.”
Doug Goodwin (served December 1972—November 1973): “Made a 6 month Med run, served with a great crew.”
