USS Bergall (SSN-667)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Bergall (SSN-667) |
| Ordered: | 9 March 1965 |
| Builder: | General Dynamics Electric Boat |
| Laid down: | 16 April 1966 |
| Launched: | 17 February 1968 |
| Commissioned: | 13 June 1969 |
| Decommissioned: | 6 June 1996 |
| Struck: | 6 June 1997 |
| Motto: | Invisible, Invulnerable, Invincible |
| Fate: | Submarine recycling program |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sturgeon-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 4,007 long tons (4,071 t) light 4,301 long tons (4,370 t) full 294 long tons (299 t) dead |
| Length: | 292 ft (89 m) |
| Beam: | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × S5W nuclear reactor |
| Complement: | 14 officers, 95 men |
| Armament: | 4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Bergall (SSN-667), a Sturgeon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bergall, a small fish of the New England coast. The contract to build her was awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat on 9 March 1965 and her keel was laid down on 16 April 1966. She was launched on 17 February 1968 sponsored by Mrs. Ray C. Needham, and commissioned on 13 June 1969, with Commander Billy F. Tally in command.
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[edit] Collision with USS Kittiwake
On 23 April 1984 Bergall collided with USS Kittiwake (ASR-13) at Norfolk, Virginia. Bergall was moored up to the pier aft of the Kittiwake, which had undergone maintenance since the last time it was underway and the main drive motor was re-wired improperly. Unknown to the Kittiwake bridge, the main drive motor now rotated in the opposite direction as ordered by the bridge. As the Kittiwake got underway, it started to drift aft due to the reverse rotation of the ship's screw. The Kittiwake bridge noted the backward motion, and then ordered an increase in the motor drive speed. This cause the Kittiwake to move further aft, faster. The Kittiwake bridge then ordered another increase in the forward speed of the boat. This continued until the stern of the Kittiwake backed into the sonar dome of the Bergall.
[edit] Decommissioning
Bergall was decommissioned on 6 June 1996 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 June 1997. Ex-Bergall entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington, and on 29 September 1997 ceased to exist.
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
