USS Sunfish (SSN-649)
USS Sunfish (SSN-649) on sea trials off Quincy, Massachusetts, on 10 March 1969, five days before her commissioning.
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| History | |
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| Name: | USS Sunfish (SSN-649) |
| Namesake: | The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) |
| Ordered: | 26 March 1963 |
| Builder: | General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Laid down: | 15 January 1965 |
| Launched: | 14 October 1966 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Robert C. Byrd |
| Commissioned: | 15 March 1969 |
| Decommissioned: | 31 March 1997 |
| Struck: | 31 March 1997 |
| Fate: | Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 31 October 1997 |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sturgeon-class attack submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 289 ft (88 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) submerged |
| Test depth: | 1,300 feet (396 meters) |
| Complement: | 109 (14 officers, 95 enlisted men) |
| Armament: |
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USS Sunfish (SSN-649), a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the ocean sunfish (Mola mola), a marine species having a deep body truncated behind, and high dorsal and anal fins.
The contract to build Sunfish was awarded to the General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division in Quincy, Massachusetts, on 26 March 1963 and her keel was laid down there on 15 January 1965. She was launched on 14 October 1966, sponsored by Mrs. Robert C. Byrd, the wife of United States Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, and commissioned on 15 March 1969, with Commander Richard L. Thompson in command.
Sunfish spent the period from April to August 1969 undergoing shakedown and in various exercises such as torpedo firing, sound trials, control drills, and casualty drills. A short dedependents' cruise in late August 1969 was followed by post-shakedown repairs and alterations at Groton, Connecticut. The last two weeks of 1969 were devoted to a leave and recreation period for the crew.
Sunfish spent early 1970 in upkeep periods and several short cruises in preparation for an extended deployment. She was deployed from 16 June to 26 August 1970, when she arrived at her home port, Charleston, South Carolina. She deployed again from 6 October to 1 December 1970.
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