USS Birmingham (SSN-695)
The Birmingham leaves Pearl Harbor |
|
Overview | |
---|---|
Order | January 24, 1972 |
Keel laying | April 26, 1975 |
Launch | October 29, 1977 |
1. Period of service | |
Commissioning | December 16, 1978 |
Decommissioning | December 22, 1997 |
Whereabouts | Canceled |
Technical specifications | |
displacement |
6300 tons surfaced, 7100 tons submerged |
length |
110.3 m |
width |
10 m |
Draft |
9.7 m |
Diving depth | approx. 300 m |
crew |
12 officers, 115 men |
drive |
An S6G reactor |
speed |
30+ knots |
Armament |
4 533 mm torpedo tubes |
The USS Birmingham (SSN-695) was a nuclear-powered submarine of the United States Navy and belonged to the Los Angeles-class submarine to. The boat was named for Birmingham , Alabama .
history
The contract to build SSN-695 was given to Newport News Shipbuilding in early 1972 , and in April 1975 the submarine was laid down at the company's shipyard in Newport News , Virginia . After a construction period of two and a half years, the boat was launched in 1977 and was officially put into service by the Navy at the end of 1978.
In a service period of 19 years, the boat received three Meritorious Unit Commendations and two Navy Unit Commendations as well as several E- Awards for excellent readiness.
On December 22, 1997, the Birmingham was decommissioned to reduce the running costs of the Navy and to save a necessary refilling of the reactor. The original plan was to leave the Birmingham in service for 30 years. Today the boat is moored in Pearl Harbor , waiting to be demolished as part of the Ship-Submarine Recycling Program in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard . The start of the process is planned for 2009.