USS Scorpion (SSN-589)

History

The USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was an American Bonito class nuclear powered submarine. The Scorpion was built by the electric boat division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut, at a cost of $40 million, and commissioned on July 29, 1960. Being larger than the Barbell class allowed her to have an improved and larger powerplant and a single-screw teardrop hull design - not popular among some submariners as twin-screw was the norm at the time. This new monohull is designed to be short and bold, with speeds in excess of 29 knots (53.7 miles per hour). The Bonito class was the beginning of the Navy's dream of a true fleet submarine -- one that could travel great distances underwater and potentially outrun any ship in the surface fleet.

Nuclear submarines differ from ships of World War I and World War II in that the ships of those early conflicts were not "real" submarines. Ships of these previous eras spent most of their time on the surface, submerged only to attack or evade, and many of these attacks were carried out near the surfaceor at nightwith periscopes. They are essentially surface ships, capable of submerging if necessary.

Nuclear submarines, on the other hand, can stay underwater for months, acting as "real submarines" and changing the outcome of a mission in every conceivable way.

Unlike WWII-era submarines, the single-propeller and its albacore design did not allow the use of aft-mounted torpedo tubes. The Scorpion was also powered by new S5W engines, which made her maneuverability unparalleled for her era (WWII-era submarines were usually diesel and battery powered vessels).

The Scorpion's sails - or conning towers - are massive compared to her predecessors, giving her a massive ocean profile at periscope depth due to the distance between the top of the sail and the top of the hull. The dive plane is moved from the bow to the sail, as this reduces the noise level at the bow, effectively reducing current noise from the forward sonar array. The Scorpion and all the ships in her class were reported to be comfortable for the crew, with spacious berths in the large torpedo room and larger mess halls for officers and sailors. The engineering room is superior, as is the engine room and cabin.

She was 252 feet long, had a beam of 31.9 feet, and had a displacement of 3,500 tons when submerged.

On assignment, she was assigned to the New London Connecticut Submarine Station, 6th Squadron, 62nd Division. After trials, she began August 24 in European waters on a mission estimated to last two months. Upon arrival, she participated in exercises with the Sixth Fleet and the NATO Navy. She returned to New London in October and trained on the East Coast until the early summer of 1961, before crossing the Atlantic for additional training operations in late summer.

In August 1961, she returned to New London and was assigned to a new base of operations in Norfolk, Virginia. In their new home, the Scorpion began standard nuclear submarine tactical combat maneuvers.

She patrolled the waters off the Atlantic coast and Puerto Rico, honing her skills and role as a hunter and killer.

From June 1963 to May 1964, the Scorpion was scheduled for a major overhaul in Charleston, South Carolina. After a much-needed 11-month overhaul, the Scorpion has resumed standard patrol duties on the East Coast. For the next two years, she sailed across the Atlantic, patrolling European waters, and then running covert special operations.

Her captain and crew are recognised for their leadership and professional achievements, as they are a well-educated and fairly young group - most under 25. In 1966, she was ordered to enter the Black Sea, the mother sea of ??the Soviet Warsaw Fleet, to photograph missile launches through her periscope.

After completing her mission, she was spotted and forced to retreat at flanking speed while the Soviet Navy pursued her. She successfully avoided her pursuers and returned to the safety of her home waters.

By May 1967, she was ready for another overhaul. She has so many problems that some crew members unkindly refer to her as "USS Scrap Iron". Her hydraulics kept leaking oil, seawater seeped in around her propeller shafts, and her ballast system didn't work as designed, so she had to be limited to around 300 feet, and she was only tested at 700 feet.

This reduction will put her at risk if she is attacked.

The Scorpion arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in October 1967 and remained there until February 1968, when she underwent a five-month emergency repair to get it back into operation as soon as possible. This five-month stay replaces the standard overhaul that traditionally required nine to thirty-six months.

This was in the wake of the disappearance of the USS Thresher and its crew on April 10, 1963, following the Navy's Submarine Safety Enhancement Program (SUBSAFE). The damage was attributed to a mechanical failure that prevented the boat from surfacing.

The SUBSAFE program was in some ways a double-edged sword, as the program's long-term overhaul resulted in a shortage of required parts due to increased inspections. The U.S. Atlantic (or SUBLANT) submarine fleet has been looking for ways to reduce in-port overhaul time, as SUBSAFE consumes about 40 percent of total port hours when Cold War pressures are a daily concern for the Navy.

The Scorpion's time in dock and parts cost for the final overhaul is by far the least of any other nuclear submarine. The Navy has reviewed SUBSAFE requirements for long-term overhauls and has selected Scorpion for an experimental "short-term overhaul program." In 1967, all SUBSAFE work on all ships was delayed due to Cold War operational requirements.

The Navy balanced safety precautions with the need to return its submarines to sea in time to counter the Soviet threat. Therefore, security is delayed.

Readers must understand that the Cold War was a tense time for both civilians and the military, creating an atmosphere of constant vigilance and readiness across the globe (much like the War on Terror in todays escalating international tensions ). There are many examples of how the world is approaching total war, as these events marked a pivotal period in the Cold War. One such example occurred on October 27, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S.

Navy dropped a series of "signal depth charges" on a Soviet submarine (B-59) on the Separation Line without realizing it The Soviet ship was armed with a torpedo with a nuclear warhead that the Soviet crew would use if the submarine was attacked by depth charges or surface fire.

Specification

Basics

Years in Service

1960

Origins

United States

Status

Lost in action

No longer on duty.

supplement

99

staff

Class information

Class

Bonito

Class Size

6

ships

Class

USS Bonito (SSN-585); USS Scamp (SSN-588); USS Scorpion (SSN-589); USS Sculpin (SSN-590); USS Shark (SSN-591); USS Snook (SSN- 592)

Carrier

United States

Roles

Underwater Attack

Move subsurface to find, track and/or attack or reconnaissance areas.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

252. 0 feet

76.81m

Ray

31. 9 feet

9.72m

Draft

29. 1 ft

8.87m

Shift

3,070 t

No. submerged

3,500 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

1 x S5W PWR 15,000 hp Nuclear Reactor Drive 1 x Axle.

Surface Velocity

15. 0 nodes

(17.3 km/h)

Underwater speed

29. 0 nodes

(33.4 km/h)

Area

essentially infinite

kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers1 kts = 1. 15 mph | 1 nm = 1. 15 mi | 1 nm = 1. 85 km

ARMAMENT

6 x 533mm Mk 59 21" bow submerged torpedo tubes (23ft long). Tubes and fire control capable of firing various torpedo types. Mark 14-6 torpedoes - 9,000 tards at 31 ktsMark 16-6, -8 torpedoes - 9,000 yards at 31 ktsMark 37-1, -3 torpedoes - 23,000 yards at 17kts, 10,000 yards at 26 kts.

Mark 45 -2, nuclear-tipped warhead torpedoes (ASTOR) containing explosive yield of 11 kilotons with a range between 5 and 8 miles.

AIRCRAFT

None.