USS Swordfish (SSN-579)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Swordfish |
| Ordered: | 18 July 1955 |
| Builder: | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down: | 25 January 1956 |
| Launched: | 27 August 1957 |
| Commissioned: | 15 September 1958 |
| Decommissioned: | 2 June 1989 |
| Struck: | 2 June 1989 |
| Fate: | Submarine recycling program |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Skate-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 267 ft 7 in (81.56 m) |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Draft: | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | S3W reactor |
| Speed: | 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 87 officers and men |
| Armament: | 8 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (6 forward, 2 aft) |
USS Swordfish (SSN-579), a Skate-class submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy named for the swordfish, a large fish with a long, swordlike beak and a high dorsal fin.
The contract to build her was awarded to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of Kittery, Maine on 18 July 1955, and her keel was laid down on 25 January 1956. She was launched on 27 August 1957 sponsored by Mrs. Eugene C. Riders, and commissioned on 15 September 1958 with Commander Shannon D. Cramer, Jr., in command.
Swordfish completed fitting out and held her shakedown in the Atlantic. After post-shakedown availability and subsequent sea trials along the east coast, she was assigned a home port in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, effective 16 March 1959. She steamed to Hawaii in July and was the second nuclear-powered submarine to join the Pacific Fleet, joining USS Sargo (SSN-583). Assigned to Submarine Squadron 1, Swordfish steamed over 35,000 miles during her first year in commission with over 80% of them submerged.
In January 1960, Swordfish deployed to the western Pacific for four months and became the first nuclear submarine in that area. During this time, President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek was embarked for a one-day indoctrination cruise. She deployed to WestPac again on 20 June and on this occasion took President of the Philippines Carlos P. Garcia to sea for a one-day demonstration. The submarine conducted local operations in the Hawaiian area from January to May 1961. In late May, the submarine got underway for the west coast of the United States where she operated between San Diego, and San Francisco, with various Pacific Fleet units. Swordfish returned to Pearl Harbor on 14 July and operated locally until September when she deployed to the western Pacific for two months.
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