March 12th - On This Date - USN Submarine Service

 1910 - 

 PCU SALMON (later D-3) (SS-19) launched at Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, MA.

1920 - 

USS H-1 (ex-SEAWOLF) (SS-28) lost with 4 men (including the commanding officer, Lt. Comdr. James R. Webb) after running aground at the entrance to Magdalena Bay, Mexico (off Santa Margarita Island) and sinking in 9 fathoms of water while being towed off. Salvage was abandoned.

1936 - 

PCU TARPON (SS-175) commissioned USS TARPON (SS-175) at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT.

1943 - 

PCU SANDLANCE (SS-381) keel laid as SANDLANCE at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.

1944 - PCU BLACKFIN (SS-322) launched at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT

1944 -

PCU JALLAO (SS-368) launched at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, WI.

1945 - 

 Ex-BASS (ex-V2/SF-5) (SS-164) scuttled as a sonar target southeast of Block Island in 155' of water.

1971 - 

PCU BILLFISH (SSN-676) commissioned USS BILLFISH (SSN-676) at the Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corporation, Groton, CT.

1998 - 

 USS OHIO (BLUE) (SSBN-726) manuevered through Hood Canal Bridge as she returned to her homeport in Bangor, WA. Ohio was the first Trident submarine to tally 50 strategic patrols.

2004 -  

PCU VIRGINIA (SSN-774) successfully completed a test of her torpedo tubes at General Dynamics Electric Boat Division's shipyard, Groton, CT, firing a dozen dummy torpedoes into the Thames River. The two-day evolution brought the submarine, the first in a new class of fast-attack boats, closer to her sea trials, which were slated for the spring.

To conduct the torpedo tube testing, Electric Boat and U.S. Navy personnel fired three of the dummy torpedoes, or “shapes,” from each of the submarine’s four tubes.

VIRGINIA Prospective Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Kern, who stood dockside for the firing of the first shape, said the test was a big step forward for the submarine. “The whole reason for the ship’s existence is for us to be able to use the weapon systems if called upon,” he said. “So it’s a great milestone to see the torpedo tubes in action.”

In addition to torpedoes, the Virginia-class will be armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and has been designed to host the Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) and Dry-Deck Shelter to support various missions. Furthermore, the Virginia-class will dominate both the open ocean and littorals while undertaking a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, special operations, Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), and mine warfare.

The Virginia class is built jointly by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, CT., and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Newport News, VA. VIRGINIA’s commissioning was scheduled for later that year at Norfolk Naval Base, VA.

COB