USS Honolulu Prepares For Last Aloha

Navy NewsStand ^ | Mar 6, 2006 | Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

[SandRat]

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Honolulu's namesake ship is preparing to say farewell to its island home after two decades of service.

USS Honolulu (SSN 718), which is scheduled to inactivate next year, will hold a farewell ceremony April 15 prior to departing Hawaii on her final deployment to the Western Pacific.

"This is an exciting and challenging time for us," said Cmdr. John Russ, the nuclear-powered attack submarine's commanding officer. "We're preparing to leave our homeport for the last time, and at the same time we're going through the normal challenges associated with getting the ship ready to deploy."

The submarine is currently in the third week of a pre-deployment maintenance upkeep period in Pearl Harbor. When she leaves Hawaii for her deployment some time after April 15, it will likely be the last time the submarine ever sees Pearl Harbor. The ship is scheduled to return directly to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., following its deployment to begin inactivation.

Honolulu has been homeported in Pearl Harbor for most of her operational life. After being commissioned in 1985, she moved to Hawaii to join the Pacific Fleet in September 1986. She has completed nine deployments to the Western Pacific, participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, and conducted operations under the Arctic ice. The submarine has received an impressive array of awards, including six Battle "E"s.

Current and past crew members, as well as elected officials and community members from Hawaii, will honor Honolulu at the April 15 ceremony at Pearl Harbor. Vice Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who currently commands the U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan, will be guest speaker at the April 15 event. Greenert commanded Honolulu from 1991 to 1993.

Honolulu is the third ship named in honor of the city of Honolulu. She was launched in September 1983 and commissioned in July 1985, becoming the 97th attack nuclear submarine (SSN), and the 31st of the Los Angeles-class SSNs delivered to the Navy.

The submarine has the ability to conduct a broad spectrum of warfare missions. In addition to her traditional role of seeking out surface ships and submarines, Honolulu is capable of launching strikes, operating with special operations forces, and conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

For related news, visit the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/subpac/.

[SandRat]

The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Honolulu (SSN 718) surfaces in an open water area approximately 280 miles from the North Pole. Commanded by Cmdr. Charles Harris, USS Honolulu, while conducting otherwise classified operations in the Arctic, collected scientific data and water samples for U.S. and Canadian Universities as part of an agreement with the Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). USS Honolulu is the 24th Los Angeles-class submarine and the first original design in her class to visit the North Pole region. Honolulu is assigned to Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Submarine Squadron Three, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. U. S. Navy photo by Chief Yeoman Alphonso Braggs. (RELEASED)

[SandRat]

Aloha to a Proud Ship and her crew

[SmithL]

Aloha Ping

[BykrBayb]

Aloha!

Six Battle E's? Salute!

[popdonnelly]

Man, I hate to see these old ships mothballed.

[EricT.]

Honolulu was the last boat I did any repair work on.

[MarineBrat]

She'll be back. My uncle served on the Honolulu (CL-48) during WWII. Back then she was a Brooklyn class Cruiser.

All the great ships come back in other incarnations! God Speed, Honolulu! You're a fine ship with a great crew, and I'm looking forward to seeing you in your next life!

[Chode]

BRAVO ZULU!!!

[PogySailor]

Dang, another boat I worked on becomes razor blades.

[Doohickey]

It's usually politics, not just skill. I mean, Honolulu, homeported in Pearl Harbor has the Battle E to lose.

I remember when I was in CSS-4 out of Charleston, L Mendel Rivers (Rivers was a South Carolina Congressman) won the E one year from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard... Still and all, fair winds and following seas!

[Castlebar]

It's usually politics, not just skill. I mean, Honolulu, homeported in Pearl Harbor has the Battle E to lose. I remember when I was in CSS-4 out of Charleston, L Mendel Rivers (Rivers was a South Carolina Congressman) won the E one year from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard... Still and all, fair winds and following seas!

Hey, Doohickey - I was on the Mendel-fish from 1987-1990. We had an MS1 who could make chocolate chip cookies to die for. We just fed them to the examination boards, and the TREs and ORSEs were a breeze.

That's how you get a Battle E.

That said, we were the top damn fightin' boat in the ComSubLant, baby......

[Doohickey]

We hated you guys. (Batfish 85-91, Narwhal 91, Seahorse 91-93). It was Seahorse who finally got the Battle E and Green C where they rightfully belonged.

I keep the Steely-Eyed Killers of the Deep ping list. Do you want on?

[IonImplantGuru]

It was Seahorse who finally got the Battle E and Green C where they rightfully belonged.

Amen, brother! From a proud Seahorse plank owner.

[SmithL]

Dang, another boat I worked on becomes razor blades.

Ah, progress! Two of my boats were turned into Aircraft Carriers and another was carved into radioactive razor blades. The Tender I was on had to wander the planet looking for a resting place, and somewhere along the line, my rate disappeared. Nevertheless, I got the Battle "E" three times, on three different commands, including winning SubLant's Super "E" once.

[ontos-on]

why would a boat such as this only have a 20 odd year useful life? is this typical for a boomer?

[rottndog]

why would a boat such as this only have a 20 odd year useful life? is this typical for a boomer?


Honolulu is a fast attack (SSN).

She's probably being scrapped for budgetary reasons. These boats are designed for 30+ years of service. The older the boat, the more expensive the upkeep. She might be up for a refuel, which is the most expensive of all.

This is where she is going: Where Boats Go To Die

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Bottom_Gun]

Dang, those photos bring back memories. I spied the Shark SSN 591, which I decommed in those

[Doohickey]

They're built to last longer, but these days if a fast boat doesn't have VLS it's pretty much a goner. Anything less than SSN-721 won't be refueled.

688's suck anyway. (Atlanta a.k.a. Mylanta 96-97)

[Castlebar]

688's suck anyway. (Atlanta a.k.a. Mylanta 96-97)

It sucked exercisng against them - anechoic coating plus therir RIDICULOUS speed advantage (damn S6W plant with a D2G core - the LA class was 45% engineering space!)

Rivers delivers..........

[rottndog]

Here are some shots of the SRP:

Waiting in line


Almost done with SRP


Boneyard


Reactor resting place



Kind of sad to see. The boat I rode, USS Cavalla SSN 684 was scrapped 5 years ago.