History of the USS Barb SSN-596

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USS Barb SSN-596: History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Barb, (SSN-596 submarine, nuclear-powered) was the fourth member of the Permit-class of attack submarines. She was the second ship of the U.S. Navy, and second submarine, to carry the name. The first USS Barb (SS-220) served with distinction in World War II.

The contract to build the Barb was awarded to the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. of Pascagoula, Miss. Her keel was laid on Nov. 9, 1959; she was launched on Feb. 12, 1962. The Barb was commissioned on Aug. 24, 1963, with Commander Charles D. Grojean on command. She was given the motto “Caveat Tyrranis” (Let Tyrants Beware).

Underway

The Barb joined the ranks of the Pacific Fleet and Submarine Division 71, based at Pearl Harbor. The Barb spent most of its first few years as a testing bed for new weapons and other equipment; she was the first submarine to be equipped with the AN/BQG-2A sonar for testing.

The Barb would spend most of its career tracking the Soviet Navy in the Pacific without incident, but on April 11, 1968, it was involved in one of the most significant naval actions of the Cold War. The Barb was submerged off the Soviet coast near Vladivostok when it reported dozens of warships and submarines leaving port. The Soviet vessels all begin searching the bottom of the ocean with sonar, as submarine K-129 had been lost. When the Barb reported this, the United States began to plan a way to salvage the lost sub for intelligence purposes. This culminated in the building of the Hughes Glomar Explorer in 1974.

In July 1972, the Barb was docked at Guam in the Mariana Islands, preparing to sortie before the arrival of Typhoon Rita. On July 8, a B-52 Stratofortress took off from nearby Andersen Air Force Base with the intention of flying over the storm. Instead, the plane’s crew was forced to bail out of the uncontrollable B-52 shortly after takeoff.

After the crew members were spotted in the waters off of Guam, the Barb and Gurnard (SSN-662) were ordered to head to the area as part of a search and rescue team. Typhoon Rita was quickly closing on Guam and, eventually, all surface ships were forced to return to port. At 1:15 a.m. on July 9, in the midst of the storm, the Barb spotted the survivors and began attempts to rescue them. All attempts failed for more than six hours, until Chief Torpedoman Jon Hentz volunteered to swim to the rafts of three of the airmen and tie them down.

In spite of 40-foot waves throwing the submarine about, the Barb stayed surfaced to find the rest of the survivors. The Barb and Gurnard were eventually able to save all but one member of the B-52 crew. Upon returning to Guam, both boats received the Meritorious Unit Commendation, while Hentz received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Heroism.

In 1975, the Barb was transferred to San Diego, where she remained homeported for the rest of her career.

Decommissioning

The Barb was deactivated on March 10, 1989. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Dec. 20, 1989. The Barb entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bermerton, Wash., and on March 14, 1996 was declared scrapped.

Characteristics of the USS Barb:
Displacement: 3700 tons surfaced, 4300 tons submerged
Length: 278 feet 5 inches
Beam: 31 feet 7 inches
Draft: 25 feet 2 inches
Propulsion: S5W reactor
Speed: 20+ knots
Armament: four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; SUBROC
Complement: 105 officers and men

Career:
Keel laid: Nov. 9, 1959
Launched: Feb. 12, 1962
Commissioned: Aug. 24, 1963
Decommissioned: Dec. 20, 1989
Fate: Submarine recycling
Stricken: Dec. 20, 1989

Timeline:
November 1959: Keel of USS Barb laid
February 1962: USS Barb launched
August 1963: USS Barb commissioned
April 1968: USS Barb provides first information on loss of Soviet K-129
July 1972: USS Barb helps save crew of B-52 during Typhoon off of Guam
1975: USS Barb transferred to San Diego
December 1989: USS Barb Decommissioned
March 1996: USS Barb scrapped

Crewmembers of the USS Barb:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Barb 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 Navysite.de.

Jerry Falls (served July 1962-December 1964): “After three Diesel Boats, Barb was like a palace. Best crew ever in nineteen years of Silent Service!”
Richard Clark (served September 1964-June 1968): “Some of the best years of my life.”
Robert Keele (served May 1965-February 1971): “One of the best times of my life. Not all fun, but certainly not all bad.”
David Schmitz (served June 1965-June 1968): “First submarine…great people…that was back when it really was the ‘Silent Service’!”

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Barb_(SSN-596)
http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=SSN_596

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