USS Sturgeon SSN 637: History, Patrols, Crews

USS Sturgeon SSN 637- The Beginning

The USS Sturgeon, (SSN-637), was named after the large, bony-plated fish and was the lead ship in the new Sturgeon class of nuclear attack submarines.

The Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics began plans to build the boat in November of 1961 and laid down her keel on August 10, 1963. She launched on February 26, 1966 and commissioned on March 3, 1967.

Sturgeon carried a crew of ninety-five enlisted men and twelve officers, including her skipper, Commander Curtis B. Shellman, Jr. After conducting refresher training, Sturgeon conducted a shakedown down the US East Coast toward Puerto Rico beginning on April 3, 1967. Once they completed the successful shakedown, the ship and crew returned to the naval yards in Groton, Connecticut for maintenance and training until September 18. From there, she left port to go on extended submarine operations.

USS Sturgeon SSN 637- Moving Along

On October 2, Sturgeon was transferred to Development Group 2. The following January, she participated in a five-week anti-sub training exercise to test the capabilities of subs in her class as well as those of the Permit-class submarines. That March, Sturgeon started on a ninety-day post-shakedown cruise.

In June of 1968, Sturgeon's yard work was completed. That summer, she contributed to the unsuccessful search for the lost nuclear submarine Scorpion off the coast of the Azores islands as well as preparing for their first overseas deployment. From late December of 1968 and early February of 1969, Sturgeon participated in the testing of a new type of sonar detection.

In March of 1969, she sailed to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and conducted several training exercises and drills that spring and summer. The ship received a Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Navy for outstanding service during 1968 in April of 1969.

In August of that year, Sturgeon entered into fleet submarine exercises and, in October, worked in a project for the Chief of Naval Operations. That December, the ship earned another Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service that year.

Once the crew had completed another period of preparation and training, Sturgeon deployed starting in late January of 1970. In April, she completed the deployment and, during that spring, she helped in testing air-based anti-sub tactics. Sturgeon spent most of that summer with more submarine exercises and sound trials.

Sturgeon began an overhaul at the Groton yards on October 5, 1970, which lasted an entire year. During this time, she received a Navy Unit Commendation for her work during the first portion of 1970.

After her overhaul, Sturgeon was transferred to Submarine Squadron 10 based in New London, Connecticut. In the fall and winter of 1971, she underwent refresher training, another shakedown cruise and upkeep. From there, she took part in two defensive exercises before coming back to Groton for restricted duty in the spring of 1972. Sturgeon carried out sea trials during that summer and started testing on sonar systems, which continued through to the end of 1972.

Sturgeon passed the spring of 1973 carrying out localized operations in the vicinity of Narragansett Bay. In April of 1973, she voyaged to the Fleet Weapons Range in the Caribbean. The next month, she ran aground near St. Croix while traveling at almost ten knots. She took serious damage to her bow and had to turn back to Groton to make repairs. After successful repairs, she returned to duty and conducted localized operations during the summer and fall of 1973.

With another round of operations completed, she came in to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in order to make repairs to her bow. She stayed in the yard until April of 1974. Once she completed a round of sea trials, she sailed back to her homeport in Groton for ten days of upkeep. Sturgeon fulfilled its duties in Groton until August of that year, when she joined additional units in the fleet at the Norfolk, Virginia, navy yards and took part in Atlantic Readiness Exercise 1-75.

After the exercise, she then sailed back to New London and held local training exercises, readying for another overseas deployment. In December of 1974, Sturgeon deployed to the Mediterranean Sea with the US Sixth Fleet for a six-month stint.

In 1983, Sturgeon underwent maintenance trips, including battery replacement in January and repairs in drydock in May. In June, she departed Charleston, South Carolina for a MED run and returned that November.

The following year, Sturgeon departed Charleston twice for Northern runs, leaving for the first time in February and returning in April and the second time in June and returning to port in late July. In September of that year, she entered Charleston for a resin change-out.

USS Sturgeon SSN 637- The End of an Era

In August 1994, the USS Sturgeon was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval register. The ship entered in the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington. The ship ceased to exist in December 1995 with one notable exception. Three months earlier, the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington, held a ceremony and transferred Sturgeon's sail from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. That sail now stands in the parking lot of the museum.

Characteristics of the USS Sturgeon
(*Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sturgeon_(SSN-637) )
USS Sturgeon -
Career in the United States Navy

Ordered: 30 November 1961
Builder: General Dynamics
Laid down: 10 August 1963
Launched: 26 February 1966
Commissioned: 3 March 1967
Struck: 1 August 1994
Fate: Ship-Submarine Recycling Program

USS Sturgeon -
General characteristics
Displacement: 4010 tons light, 4309 tons full, 299 tons dead
Length: 292 ft (89 m)
Beam: 32 ft (9.7 m)
Draft: 29 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion: S5W steam plant with S3G Core 3 Reactor
Speed: 25 knots (46.3 km/h)
Complement: 14 officers and 95 men
Armament: 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Historical Timeline of the USS Sturgeon

The following are some of the USS Sturgeon historical milestones during the life of the ship from 1961 through 1994: (a complete list can be found at: http://www.ussvi.us/sub_look.asp and enter "637" in the "Hull #" field.)

August 1963 - USS Sturgeon keel laid down by the Electric Boat Co (General Dynamics)
February 1966 - USS Sturgeon launched
March 1967 - USS Sturgeon commissioned
April 1967 - USS Sturgeon took shakedown cruise
September 1967 - USS Sturgeon departed for extended operations
October 1967 - USS Sturgeon transferred to Development Group 2
January 1968 - USS Sturgeon began anti-sub exercise to determine effectiveness of Sturgeon and Permit class subs
March 1968 - USS Sturgeon began post-shakedown availability
June 1968 - USS Sturgeon participated in search for Scorpion
September 1968 - USS Sturgeon prepared for overseas deployment
December 1968 - USS Sturgeon participated in sonar testing
March 1969 - USS Sturgeon visits US Naval Academy
April 1969 - USS Sturgeon received Meritorious Unit Commendation
May 1969 - USS Sturgeon crew undergoes intensive training
August 1969 - USS Sturgeon participated in submarine exercises
September 1969 - USS Sturgeon participated in project for Chief of Naval Operations
December 1969 - USS Sturgeon received another Meritorious Unit Commendation
January 1970 - USS Sturgeon deployed
May 1970 - USS Sturgeon aided in testing air-based anti-sub tactics
July 1970 - USS Sturgeon participated in submarine exercises
August 1970 - USS Sturgeon conducted sound trials
October 1970 - USS Sturgeon begins overhaul in Groton Naval Yards
December 1970 - USS Sturgeon receives Navy Unit Commendation
October 1971 - USS Sturgeon transferred to Submarine Squadron 10 in New London, CT
March 1972 - USS Sturgeon placed on restricted availability
May 1972 - USS Sturgeon conducted sea trials
July 1972 - USS Sturgeon began tests on sonar systems
January 1973 - USS Sturgeon conducted local operations in Narragansett Bay area
April 1973 - USS Sturgeon sails for Fleet Weapons Range
May 1973 - USS Sturgeon ran aground in St. Croix
June 1973 - USS Sturgeon returned to Groton for repairs
July 1973 - USS Sturgeon resumes local operations
October 1973 - USS Sturgeon sails to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for bow repairs
April 1974 - USS Sturgeon leaves Portsmouth and sails for Groton for upkeep
August 1974 - USS Sturgeon joins other fleet units for Atlantic Readiness Exercise 1-75.
November 1974 - USS Sturgeon sails for Mediterranean to join Sixth fleet
March 1967 - USS Sturgeon commissioned
January 1983 - USS Sturgeon conducted battery replacement
May 1983 - USS Sturgeon entered floating drydock, USS Oakridge (ARDM-1), at Kings Bay, GA, for repairs.
June 1983 - The USS Sturgeon departed Charleston, SC for MED Run.
November 1983 - USS Sturgeon completed MED Run and moored at Charleston, SC.
February 1984 - USS Sturgeon sails from Charleston, SC for Northern Run. Returns 24 Apr 1984
June 1984 - USS Sturgeon sails from Charleston, SC for Northern Run. Returns 30 Jul 1984
September 1984 - USS Sturgeon entered floating drydock, USS Alamogordo (ARDM-2) at Naval Weapons Station, Charleston for resin change out. Leave drydock 28 Sep 1984.
August 1994 - USS Sturgeon decommissioned and stricken from Naval Vessel Register
December 1995 - USS Sturgeon ceased to exist

Crews of the USS Sturgeon

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Sturgeon 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_637.

Jim Richardson: (Served from January 1992 - August 1994) "First boat, 637 class, what a trip!"

Justin Krehbiel: (Served from April 1991 - December 1994) "Awesome boat. Great crew."

Fitz FItzsimmons: (Served from April 1966 - January 1970) "The best boat and crew I could have ever been assigned to."

Larry A. Riley: (Served October 1969 - February 1974) "Great Ship, Great Crew. Hartman, Dennis, Grudier, Gulrud, Capazzi to name a few. Remember the "St. Croix Bottom Bounce" of 1973?"

Mark Tidwell: (Served February 1983 - May 1988) "Many good memories are fading away. I'm proud I was part of the crew."

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