History of the USS Pollack SSN-603

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USS Pollack SSN-603: History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Pollack, (SSN-603 submarine, nuclear-powered) was the sixth 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 Pollack served with distinction in World War II.

The order for construction of the Pollack was awarded to the New York Shipbuilding Corp. of Camden, N.J. on March 3, 1959. The keel was laid on March 14, 1960; she was launched just over two years later, on March 17, 1962. She was commissioned on May 26, 1964, with Commander Harvey E. Lyon commanding.

Underway

The Pollack joined the ranks of the Atlantic Fleet and Submarine Squadron Four, based in Charleston, S.C. The Pollack spent most its first two years on active duty in testing intended to evaluate the Permit-class’ ability to perform as an anti-submarine warfare platform. In large part for her performance in this capacity, the Pollack was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation in June 1966.

Most of 1967 was devoted to weapons testing, but the Pollack was still able to earn a second Navy Unit Commendation on Dec. 11 of that year. She began an overhaul at Norfolk (Va.) Naval Shipyard on March 1, 1968 and remained in dry dock until June 12, 1969. At that time, she was transferred to Submarine Squadron 10, operating out of New London, Conn. The Pollack’s arrival made Submarine Squadron 10 the first all-nuclear attack submarine squadron on the Navy.

The Pollack made several deployments to the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea during her time at New London. It would make many more deployments into the Western Pacific after a second overhaul in 1975 after it joined the Pacific Fleet and Submarine Squadron Three based in San Diego.

The Pollack received the Battle Efficiency “E” in 1977 and took place in several exercises during 1978. The submarine underwent a third and final overhaul that took up all of 1980 and 1981 but equipped her with new sonar and fire control systems. After a deployment to the Western Pacific that made the Pollack the only nuclear-powered submarine at sea for Christmas 1984 and New Year’s 1985, she received a third Navy Unit Commendation.

Decommissioning

The Pollack was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1989. The submarine entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on Feb. 9, 1993 and on Feb. 17, 1995 was declared scrapped.

Characteristics of the USS Pollack
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:
Ordered: March 3, 1959
Laid down: March 14, 1960
Launched: March 17, 1962
Commissioned: May 26, 1964
Decommissioned: March 1, 1989
Fate: submarine recycling
Stricken: March 1, 1989

Timeline:
March 1959: USS Pollack ordered
March 1960: Keel of USS Pollack laid
March 1962: USS Pollack launched
May 1964: USS Pollack commissioned
June 1966: USS Pollack receives first Navy Unit Commendation
1975: USS Pollack transferred to Pacific Fleet
1977: USS Pollack wins Battle Efficiency “E”
1985: USS Pollack receives third and final Navy Unit Commendation
March 1989: USS Pollack decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Pollack:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Pollack 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.

Peter Lorenz (served January 1967-January 1969): “Had a ball. Qualed the boat and had a lot of fun.”
Larry Foust (served October 1968-June 1969): “Good times considering the division E-9 form hell! Last boat before I got out.”
William Lee (served October 1969-April 1970): “Great crew! Great times! Great memories!”
Michael Rigdon (served March 1972-December 1974): “Great memories, great friends.”

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pollack_(SSN-603)
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=995
http://www.uss-pollack.org/history.html

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