Sturgeon Class Submarines

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The Sturgeon class submarines

Beginning in the early 1960’s, the United States Navy started to order and produce a class of attack ships known as the Sturgeon class, or the 637 class of submarines. This class was produced for anti-submarine warfare. This type of naval warfare employs surface submarines to help locate, track and attack enemy ships. The Sturgeon class ships were larger than their predecessors, but used the same propulsion system. This made the Sturgeon class ships slower, but they were built with superior combat capabilities. In addition, the ships in this class were used for collecting intelligence information and coastal reconnaissance.

The Sturgeon class was built to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon missiles, and ADCAP and MK-48 torpedoes. These submarines were built with sail-mounted diving planes that could rotate to a vertical position and allow them to break through ice. Various ships in this class were produced with characterisitics such as better sonar reception, quieter engines, and longer hulls for larger living and working areas. The Parche (SSN-683), which is part of the Sturgeon class, was built with an additional 100 foot hull to accommodate a research, development and equipment area.

During the period between 1982 and 1991, six of the submarines in the Sturgeon class were reconfigured and changed to transport the SEAL Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). This is an air-tight lock and storage chamber that is used to transport, deliver and recover special SEAL teams and their equipment. Ships equipped with DDS were used to support troops in special operations.

The Sturgeon class fleet

The following ships were built to be part of the Sturgeon class submarines. There were short and long hull types produced.

SHORT HULL

U.S.S. Sturgeon –(SSN-637) - ordered: Nov. 1961, commissioned: Mar. 1967, decommissioned: Aug. 1994
U.S.S. Whale-(SSN-638) ordered: Nov. 1961, commissioned: Oct. 1968, decommissioned: Jun. 1996
U.S.S. Tautog-(SSN-639) ordered: Nov. 1961, commissioned: Aug. 1968, decommissioned: Mar. 1997
U.S.S. Grayling-(SSN-646) ordered: Sept. 1962, commissioned: Oct. 1969, decommissioned: Jul. 1997
U.S.S. Pogy-(SSN-647) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: May 1971, decommissioned: Jan. 1999
U.S.S. Aspro-(SSN-648) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Feb. 1969, decommissioned: Mar. 1995
U.S.S. Sunfish-(SSN-649) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Mar. 1969, decommissioned: Mar. 1997
U.S.S. Pargo-(SSN-650) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Jan. 1968, decommissioned: Apr. 1995
U.S.S. Queenfish-(SSN-651) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Dec. 1966, decommissioned: Apr. 1992
U.S.S. Puffer-(SSN-652) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Aug. 1969, decommissioned: Jul. 1996
U.S.S. Ray-(SSN-653) ordered: Mar. 1963, commissioned: Apr. 1967, decommissioned: Mar. 1993
U.S.S. Sand Lance-(SSN-660) ordered: Oct. 1963, commissioned: Sept. 1971, decommissioned: Aug. 1998
U.S.S. Lapon-(SSN-661) ordered: Oct. 1963, commissioned: Dec. 1967, decommissioned: Jun. 1992
U.S.S. Gurnard-(SSN-662) ordered: Oct. 1963, commissioned: Dec. 1968, decommissioned: Apr. 1995
U.S.S. Hammerhead-(SSN-663) ordered: May 1964, commissioned: Jun. 1968, decommissioned: Apr. 1995
U.S.S. Sea Devil-(SSN-664) ordered: May 1964, commissioned: Jan. 1969, decommissioned: Oct. 1991
U.S.S. Guitarro-(SSN-665) ordered: Dec. 1964, commissioned: Sept. 1972, decommissioned: May 1992
U.S.S. Hawkbill-(SSN-666) ordered: Dec. 1964, commissioned: Feb. 1971, decommissioned: Aug. 1999
U.S.S. Bergall-(SSN-667) ordered: Mar. 1965, commissioned: Jun. 1969, decommissioned: Jun. 1996
U.S.S. Spadefish-(SSN-668) ordered: Mar. 1965, commissioned: Aug. 1969, decommissioned: Apr. 1997
U.S.S. Seahorse-(SSN-669) ordered: Mar. 1965, commissioned: Sept. 1969, decommissioned: Aug. 1995
U.S.S. Finback-(SSN-670) ordered: Mar. 1965, commissioned: Feb. 1970, decommissioned: Mar. 1997
U.S.S. Pintado-(SSN-672) ordered: Dec. 1965, commissioned: Sept. 1971, decommissioned: Feb. 1998
U.S.S. Flying Fish-(SSN-673) ordered: Jul. 1966, commissioned: Apr. 1970, decommissioned: May 1996
U.S.S. Trepang-(SSN-674) ordered: Jul. 1966, commissioned: Aug. 1970, decommissioned: Jan. 1999
U.S.S. Bluefish-(SSN-675) ordered: Jul. 1966, commissioned: Jan. 1971, decommissioned: May 1996
U.S.S. Billfish-(SSN-676) ordered: Jul. 1966, commissioned: Mar. 1971, decommissioned: Jan. 1999
U.S.S. Drum-(SSN-677) ordered: Mar. 1967, commissioned: Apr. 1972, decommissioned: Oct. 1995

LONG HULL

U.S.S. Archerfish-(SSN-678) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: Dec. 1971, decommissioned: Ma. 1998
U.S.S. Silversides-(SSN-679) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: May 1972, decommissioned: Jul. 1994
U.S.S. William H. Bates [ex-Redfish]-(SSN-680) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: May 1973, decommissioned: Feb. 2000
U.S.S. Batfish-(SSN-681) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: Sept. 1972, decommissioned: Nov. 1998
U.S.S. Tunny-(SSN-682) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: Jan. 1974, decommissioned: Mar. 1998
U.S.S. Parche-(SSN-683) ordered: Jun. 1968, commissioned: Aug. 1974, decommissioned: Oct. 2004
U.S.S. Cavalla- (SSN-684) ordered: Jul. 1968, commissioned: Feb. 1973, decommissioned: Mar. 1998
U.S.S. L. Mendel Rivers-(SSN-686) ordered: Jul. 1969, commissioned: Feb. 1975, decommissioned: 2001
U.S.S. Richard B. RU.S.S.ell-(SSN-687) ordered: Jul. 1969, commissioned: Aug. 1975 decommissioned: Jun. 1994

Characteristics of the Sturgeon class submarine ships
Operators: United States of America
Preceded by: Thresher-class submarine
Succeeded by: Los Angeles-class submarine
In commission: 3 March 1967 – late 2003
Completed: 37
Lost: 0
Retired: 37
Preserved: 0

General characteristics
Displacement: 3,640 long tons (3,698 t) surfaced
4,640 long tons (4,714 t) submerged
Length: 292 ft 3 in (89.1 m)
Beam: 31 ft 8 in (9.7 m)
Propulsion: 1 × S5W Pressurized water reactor
2 × 11.2 MW steam turbines
1 shaft
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)+ surfaced
30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)+ submerged
Range: Unlimited, except by food supplies
Test depth: 1,320 ft (400 m)[1]
Complement: 107
Armament: • 4 × 21 in (533 mm) amidship torpedo tubes with MK-48 and ADCAP torpedoes, plus 15 reloads, and 4 Harpoon missiles or up to 8 Tomahawk missiles, instead of equivalent of number of Torpedoes or Harpoons.
In minelaying configuration:
• Mark 67 Submarine Launched Mobile Mines and Mark 60 CAPTOR mines instead of torpedoes.

End of the Sturgeon class ship era

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Sturgeon class ships were gradually replaced with faster and more robust ships in the Los Angeles class of subs. A study on the SSN-637 class sub showed that the ship life could be extended from the original 20 years, to 30 or 33 years; however, the cost involved in reactor refueling outweighed possible extensions and most were retired before their proposed design life expectancy.

Sources:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/ssn-637.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon_class_submarine
http://tech.military.com/equipment/view/89208/ssn637---sturgeon-class-fast-attack-submarine.html
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/sturgeon-class-submarine

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