USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

USS Seawolf (SSN-21), is a nuclear powered fast attack submarine and the lead ship of her class. She is the fourth submarine of the United States Navy named for the seawolf, a solitary fish with strong, prominent teeth and projecting tusks that give it a savage look.

This article is about a U.S. Navy submarine. For other uses, see Seawolf (disambiguation).
For other ships with the same name, see USS Seawolf.

USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
USS Seawolf conducting sea trials in 1996.
History
United States
Namesake: Seawolf
Awarded: 9 January 1989
Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down: 25 October 1989
Launched: 24 June 1995
Commissioned: 19 July 1997
Homeport: Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington, U.S.
Motto: Cave Lupum (English: "Beware the Wolf")
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Seawolf-class submarine
Length: 353 ft (108 m)
Beam: 40 ft (12 m)
Draft: 36 ft (11 m)
Propulsion: One S6W reactor
Speed: 25+ knots submerged, 18+ knots surfaced
Test depth: Greater than 800ft
Complement: 15 officers and 101 men
Armament: eight 26-inch torpedo tubes, 40 torpedoes and missiles, or 100 mines

Construction

The contract to build Seawolf was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics on 9 January 1989 and her keel was laid down on 25 October 1989. She was launched on 24 June 1995, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Dalton, and commissioned on 19 July 1997. The 7 year 9 month time period from keel laying to commissioning is the longest for a submarine in the U.S. Navy.

Adding support personnel as well as ship's crew, there are 140 personnel assigned or attached to Seawolf.[1]

History
A surfaced Seawolf with her crew surveying her surroundings.
Seawolf leads USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and Japanese destroyer JS Ōnami (DD-111) during an exercise.

Seawolf is featured in a 1998 episode of the documentary Super Structures of the World: Seawolf. The program followed her construction and sea trials.[2]

On 22 July 2007, Seawolf transferred from her previous homeport of Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, to Naval Base Kitsap, Washington.[1]

In 2015, Seawolf was deployed to the Arctic region for six months.[3][4][5]

Awards
1997
  • Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation (1995–1997)[6][7]
2001
2002
2004
  • Battle Efficiency "E" Ribbon[7][6]
2007
2009
2014
  • Battle Efficiency "E" Ribbon[6]
  • Weapons "W"[6]
  • Navigation Red and Green "N"[6]
  • Supply Blue "E"[6]
  • Personnel "P"[6]
2015
  • Battle Efficiency "E" Ribbon[6]
  • Weapons "W"[6]
  • Navigation Red and Green "N"[6]
  • Supply Blue "E"[6]
  • Engineering Red "E"[6]

References
  1. "USS Seawolf Makes New Home In Pacific Northwest". U.S. Navy News Service. 24 July 2007. NNS070724-15. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  2. "Super Structures of the World: Seawolf (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster Inc. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  3. "USS Seawolf Completes Six-Month Arctic Deployment". Navy Live. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. Gray, Amanda (27 October 2016). "Seawolf Welcomes New Commanding Officer". Submarine Group 9 Public Affairs. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  5. U.S. Navy (10 December 2015). "USS Seawolf (SSN 21) 2015 Army Navy Spirit Spot". YouTube.
  6. "U.S. Navy Awards - Unit Award Search". Archived from the original on 14 October 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  7. "OPNAV Notice 1650 / OPNAVNOTE 1650" (PDF). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.