February 7th - On This Date - USN Submarine Service

1921 - 

PCU S-11 (SS-116) launched at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; sponsored by Miss Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

1939 -

PCU SARGO (SS-188) commissioned USS SARGO (SS-188) at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT; Lt. E. E. Yeomans commanding.

1943 - 

USS GROWLER (SS-215) stealthily approached a gunboat for a night surface attack. When the small fast ship suddenly turned to ram, Commander Howard W. Gilmore then took the only move he could to save his ship; he brought GROWLER around with left full rudder and rammed the enemy amidships at 17 knots. Machine gun fire raked the bridge at point blank range. Ensign W. W. William and F3 W. F. Kelley were killed. The courageous sub seemed lost. Comdr. Gilmore cleared the bridge except for himself. Desperately wounded, he realized that he could not get below in time if his ship were to be saved. "Take her down" he ordered; and, as he floated in the sea, he wrote another stirring tale of inspirational naval history. For his heroic sacrifice to ship and crew, Comdr. Gilmore was awarded the Medal of Honor, one of six submariners to receive this medal of valor.

1944 - 

PCU SEA OWL (SS-405) keel laid as SEA OWL at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.

1945 - 

PCU CARBONERO (SS-337) commissioned USS CARBONERO (SS-337) at the Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT; Commander C. L. Murphy commanding.

1972 - 

USS WAHOO (SS-565) sustained damage to her starboard shaft when she collided with Queens Pier in Hong Kong after being carried by a tidal current.

2003 - 

USS FLORIDA (SSBN-728) will be a formidable weapon. During the nation’s war on terrorism, Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land) have been the force of choice for a variety of missions, from direct action in the mountains of Afghanistan to boarding ships in the Arabian Gulf.

As the Navy shaped itself to support future conflicts, it did so realizing special warfare will continue to play an increasingly greater role. With that idea in mind, the Navy was converting four ballistic-missile submarines to guided-missile submarines (SSGNs). In addition to their ability to launch conventional weapons, the SSGNs also provide Navy Special Operations Forces (SOF) the ability to conduct clandestine missions for extended periods of time.

The SSGN conversion program was designed using the Navy SEAL motto “to equip the man, not man the equipment.” And while the SSGN is bigger than the usual “tool” in the SEAL toolbox, it provides a bigger than usual payoff for the Navy’s elite warriors.

Navy SOF have operated from submarines since World War II. However, because of the limited space aboard the smaller fast-attack submarines, SEALs found themselves sleeping and working wherever they could find an empty spot.

Because skills degrade quickly in such a confined environment, SEAL on-station time aboard current Navy submarines was also limited. But, with special operations support as a primary role of the SSGNs, all that is changed.

SSGNs can support 60-plus SEALs – more than double the amount a fast-attack submarine can support. The SSGN is configured to support either the Advanced SEAL Delivery System or the SEAL Delivery Vehicle, which can clandestinely insert SEALs into different areas. In addition, the SSGN features improved communications capability and the ability to launch and recover unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) that can be used to resupply SEALs operating in the area.

In order to support SEALs for a sustained period of time, the SSGNs are also equipped with additional exercise and cardiovascular equipment and a virtual reality laser weapons range to allow SEALs to maintain their targeting skills and distance vision in the tight confines of the submarine.

Giant Shadow gave NSWG-4 SEALs an opportunity to learn about the capabilities the SSGN would provide them.

As part of the experiment scenario, SEALs launched from the deck of FLORIDA using inflatable rafts and “infiltrated” a remote island to gather intelligence on a suspected chemical weapons facility. The SEALs also planted ground sensors, used a UUV to send soil samples back for testing and reported their findings from the island in real-time via an unmanned aerial vehicle overhead.

Naval Special Warfare is already postured for a consistent presence around the world. The SSGN gives these global warriors another tool to maintain that presence, anywhere, anytime.

2005 - 

USS OLYMPIA (SSN-717) departed for a six-month Western Pacific deployment from her homeport of Pearl Harbor, HI. The nuclear-powered attack submarine joined the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Strike Group heading into the Western Pacific. OLYMPIA was christened and commissioned on 17 November 1984. In February of 1986, OLYMPIA set sail for her new homeport in Pearl Harbor, HI

2006 - 

USS OHIO (SSGN-726), the first of four Ohio class Trident missile submarines being converted to carry guided missiles and Special Operations Forces (SOF), rejoined the fleet in a Return to Service ceremony at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, WA.

In December 2005, she completed conversion to a guided missile submarine capable of carrying over 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles and over 60 SOF members for extended periods. This conversion is a major step forward in the U.S. Navy’s ability to fight the Global War on Terrorism.

Annie Glenn, the ship’s sponsor, presented the crew with a ship’s patch worn by Sen. John Glenn on his return to space in 1998. The patch was autographed COB