USS Gurnard (SSN-662)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Gurnard.

USS Gurnard (SSN-662) departing San Diego, California, on 1 February 1991.
History
Name	USS Gurnard (SSN-662)
Namesake	The gurnard, a food fish of the genus Trigla, a part of the sea robin family
Ordered	24 October 1963
Builder	Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California
Laid down	22 December 1964
Launched	20 May 1967
Sponsored by	Mrs. George P. Miller
Commissioned	6 December 1968
Decommissioned	28 April 1995
Stricken	28 April 1995
Motto	De Profundis ("From The Depths")
Fate	Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 15 October 1997
General characteristics
Class and type	Sturgeon-class attack submarine
Displacement	4,010 long tons (4,074 t) light 4,309 long tons (4,378 t) full 299 long tons (304 t) dead
Length	292 ft (89 m)
Beam	32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft	29 ft (8.8 m)
Installed power	15,000 shaft horsepower (11.2 megawatts)
Propulsion	One S5W nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one screw
Speed	Over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Test depth	1,300 feet (396 meters)
Complement	109 (14 officers, 95 enlisted men)
Armament	4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Gurnard (SSN-662), a Sturgeon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the gurnard, a food fish of the genus Trigla and part of the sea robin family.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build Gurnard was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, California, on 24 October 1963, and her keel was laid down there on 22 December 1964. She was launched on 20 May 1967, sponsored by Mrs. George P. Miller, and commissioned on 6 December 1968 with Commander William S. Cole, Jr., in command.

Service history

Gurnard operated in the Arctic Ocean under the polar ice cap from September to November 1984 in company with one of her sister ships, the attack submarine USS Pintado (SSN-672). On 12 November 1984 Gurnard and Pintado became the third pair of submarines to surface together at the North Pole.

Decommissioning and disposal

Gurnard was decommissioned on 28 April 1995 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. Her scrapping via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, was completed on 15 October 1997.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
•  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.
• NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Gurnard (SSN-662) Keel Laying - Launching
• NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Gurnard (SSN-662) Sea Trials & Commissioning
• NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Gurnard (SSN-662) Active Service