USS Sculpin (SSN-590)

USS "Sculpin" (SSN-590), a "Skipjack"-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sculpin, a spiny, large-headed, broad-mouthed, usually scaleless fish of the family "Cottidae".

Her keel was laid down on 3 February 1958 by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was launched on 31 March 1960 sponsored by Mrs. Fred Connaway, and commissioned on 1 June 1961 with Commander C. N. Mitchell in command.

Operational history

1960s

"Sculpin" departed Pascagoula on 8 June for her designated home port, San Diego, California. Following her arrival there, she began a period of shakedown training. In July, she held special trials and tests in the Puget Sound area and then returned to San Diego for type training. In August, "Sculpin" cruised to Pearl Harbor for two weeks before returning to San Diego. She operated off the West Coast before entering the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for post-shakedown availability in October. This was completed in late March 1962, and "Sculpin" returned to her home port.

Following training operations, she departed for the western Pacific in May; returning to San Diego in August. The nuclear submarine participated in local training operations, ordnance evaluation projects, and fleet exercises until entering the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in early January 1963 for a hull survey. "Sculpin" returned to San Diego at the end of the month, conducted type training for two months and, on 29 March, got underway for a dependents' cruise. The submarine returned to Mare Island in April for restricted availability and remained there until August when she returned to San Diego and commenced local operations.

"Sculpin" was in Pearl Harbor, in early December, en route to the western Pacific, when defective piping forced her to sail back to Mare Island for repairs. She returned to San Diego on 25 February 1964, and operated from that port until early April. On 8 April, "Sculpin" sailed for duty with the Seventh Fleet. Prior to reporting, she made port calls at Pearl Harbor, Sydney, and Subic Bay. For the remainder of her deployment, "Sculpin" operated in and out of Subic Bay, and Naha, Okinawa, with the Seventh Fleet. She returned to her home port on 20 October 1964 and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for her deployment. Operations and exercises along the west coast, from San Diego to Bangor, Washington, occupied the submarine for the next 25 months.

On 27 November 1966, "Sculpin" stood out of San Diego for Naha and another tour with the Seventh Fleet. She returned to her home port on 11 May 1967 and began conducting local operations. The submarine had an extended training cruise from 27 July to 26 October and, on 11 November, gave a demonstration dive for President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson.

On 31 December, "Sculpin" was notified that she was due for drydock and overhaul at Puget Sound, and she sailed for that destination on 2 January 1968. This was "Sculpin"’s first major overhaul and refueling since commissioning, seven years before, and she was in drydock from 30 January 1968 to 22 January 1969. Sea trials and training lasted until 26 July when she sailed to Pearl Harbor on a shakedown training cruise. She returned to the West Coast on 22 August and began an upkeep period at San Diego which lasted until 8 September. The submarine operated along the California coast until 6 February 1970 when she got underway for Pearl Harbor and deployment to the western Pacific.

1970s

"Sculpin" sailed from Pearl Harbor on 21 February and entered Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 6 March. She also visited Subic Bay, Hong Kong, and Yokosuka before returning to San Diego on 21 August. She conducted local operations until 4 January 1971 when she began a three-month restricted availability period at Mare Island. The yard work was completed on 16 April, and the submarine returned to San Diego. The only interruption of her schedule came in October when she sailed to Puget Sound to have her bottom sand blasted and painted.

"Sculpin" returned to San Diego on 13 November 1971 and began preparing for another deployment period which began on 5 January 1972 and terminated on 24 July. She was berthed at San Diego for the remainder of the year, with only 15 days being spent at sea.

On 2 February 1973, "Sculpin" entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a three month restricted availability. After leaving the yard in May, the submarine operated along the Pacific coast until 12 November when it arrived at San Diego and began preparing for a deployment in early January 1974. "Sculpin" sailed from San Diego on 7 January for Pearl Harbor and the western Pacific on an extended cruise.

Decommissioning

"Sculpin" was decommissioned on 3 August 1990 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 August 1990. Her final Captain was Cmdr. J. B. Allen. "Sculpin" was decommissioned at Newport News Naval Shipyard with ceremonies occurring at Norfolk Naval Base prior to the shipyard event. ex-"Sculpin" entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington, on 1 October 2000 and on 30 October 2001 ceased to exist.

References

* Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, Annette Lawrence Drew, "" (PublicAffairs, 1998) ISBN 0-06-103004-X

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s8/sculpin-ii.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Sculpin"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08590.htm navsource.org: USS "Sculpin"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/submar/ssn590.txt hazegray.org: USS "Sculpin"]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/SSN590.htm nvr.navy.mil: USS "Sculpin"]