The History of the USS Snook (SSN-279)

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USS Snook (SSN-592): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Snook was the sixth member of the Skipjack class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. She was the second vessel in U.S. Navy history to carry the name; the first USS Snook (SS-279) was lost in action during World War II.

The order to build the Snook was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., on Jan. 18, 1957. Her keel was laid down on April 7, 1958; she was launched on Oct. 31, 1960. She was commissioned on Oct. 24, 1961, with Commander Howard Bucknell III in command.

Underway

Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, the Snook transited the Panama Canal in November 1961 on the way to her homeport of San Diego. The Snook completed her final acceptance trials off the California coast in May 1962 and was ordered on her first deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean a month later. The six-month deployment was one of the first of its kind for a nuclear submarine. During the deployment, the Snook traveled more than 41,000 miles—37,000 of which were traveled while submerged. At one point, the Snook remained underwater for 55 consecutive days.

The Snook would deploy to the Western Pacific a second time in early January 1964. While with the Seventh Fleet, she would take part in several fleet exercises and spent 120 of 163 days away from San Diego at sea. A third deployment came in March 1965, after the installation of a new electronics suite. During the cruise, the Snook would visit Sasebo, Japan and Chinhae, South Korea. These ports of call made the Snook the second nuclear powered submarine to visit Japan and the first to visit South Korea.
The Snook’s fourth Western Pacific deployment began in April 1966. During this deployment, the Snook visited Okinawa; Yokosuka Japan, Subic Bay in the Philippines, and Hong Kong as well as repeat visits to Sasebo and Chinae. During the Snook’s port of call at Chinahe, South Korean President Park Chug Hee came aboard for a tour of the submarine. While still in the Western Pacific, the Snook was awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness. She would return home in November and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation on Dec. 13.

In March 1967, the Snook was put in drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bermerton, Wash., for an overhaul and refueling of her nuclear reactor. The process would take 14 months, with the Snook returning to San Diego at the end of June 1968. In May 1969, the Snook deployed once more to the Western Pacific for seven months. Ports of call on the deployment included Okinawa, Subic Bay and Hong Kong.

After spending much of 1970 in the San Diego area, the Snook deployed to the Western Pacific once more in the early days of 1971. The Snook would spend six months away from San Diego and travel more than 38,000 miles, taking part in several exercises with the Seventh Fleet and the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
After spending the remainder of 1971 and early 1972 taking part in exercises closer to San Diego, the Snook’s crew received orders to deploy to the Western Pacific within 48 hours on May 11, 1972. During this deployment, the Snook would operate in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin in support of U.S. military operations in the Vietnam War. She would also visit Kaohsiung, Taiwan before returning to San Diego in late July.

The Snook would make deployments to the Western Pacific in 1973, 1976 and 1978 before she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in 1980. Deployments to the Western Pacific were replaced by deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, as well as participation in the exercise UNITAS XXI with the navies of several South American countries.

Though the Snook was only part of the Atlantic Fleet for a small portion of her service career, the years were some of her more productive. She was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1984 and 1986 before her decommissioning.

Decommissioning

The Snook was decommissioned on Oct. 8, 1986 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Nov. 14 of the same year. The Snook entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 1, 1996 and was declared scrapped on June 30, 1997.

Characteristics of the USS Snook: (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 Snook
Ordered: 18 January 1957
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down: 7 April 1958
Launched: 31 October 1960
Commissioned: 24 October 1961
Decommissioned: 14 November 1986
Struck: 14 November 1986
Fate: Entered the Submarine Recycling Program on 1 October 1996

Timeline:January 1957: USS Snook ordered
April 1958: Keel of USS Snook laid down
October 1960: USS Snook launched
October 1961: USS Snook commissioned
May 1962: USS Snook begins first six-month deployment to Western Pacific
1965: USS Snook wins first Navy Unit Citation
1972: USS Snook serves in Vietnam combat zone
1980: USS Snook transferred to Atlantic Fleet
1984: USS Snook wins first Meritorious Unit Commendation
November 1986: USS Snook decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Snook:

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Snook 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_592

Jimmy Flora (served September 1960—October 1962): “Plankowner, reported prior to launching to SupShips Paspagoula. CO Howard Bucknell III, XO LCDR Watkins, later to become Admiral, Div. Officer LT> Ralph Gorden Bird later to become Admiral and I retired as a Chief Warrant Officer W-3.”
C.L. Harvey (served January 1961—June 1962): “Plankowner. My XO & Division Officer was LCDR> J. D. Watkins, the best Officer I ever worked for.”
Herbert Pruett (served January 1961—August 1963): “Plank owner”

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Snook_(SSN-592)
http://snook592.sail.to/

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