Posted on 01/23/2010 10:20:26 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The nuclear-powered attack submarine Los Angeles had been in the fleet for a dozen years, mostly patrolling the Pacific to keep a close watch on Russian subs, when Caleb Schrum was born.
On Saturday, Schrum, now 21 and a Navy petty officer second class, gently lowered the American flag on the aft of the Los Angeles at the conclusion of a tradition-rich ceremony in San Pedro in which the submarine was decommissioned from the active fleet.
The vessel that entered service in 1976 as the Navy's most innovative underwater warship is headed for retirement as its oldest submarine. Soon the Los Angeles will head for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington, where its nuclear reactor will be removed.
Under a clear sky at the Port of Los Angeles, several hundred former submariners and invited guests gathered to hear the Los Angeles described as "the first and the finest" and praised for a career that included 18 long-range deployments. The Los Angeles was the first of a new class of submarines, the Los Angeles class.
"I'm going to miss her," said Chuck Wells, 54, who was the submarine's first helmsman, guiding it to depths that, because of the need for secrecy, he can only say were "beyond 400 feet."
John Christensen, 74, who served as the first captain of the Los Angeles, remembered the sub's speed and agility. "We had an order: 'Rig the ship for high speed,' " he said. "What that meant was 'hang on.' "
True to the submariners' nickname, "the silent service," members were not allowed to talk about their Cold War adventures. "We did things you couldn't tell the civilians about," said Frank Lister, 72, the sub's first top enlisted man.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Sad. Good men who served on a good ship. This SOB’s are very very fast. Classified but they are quick.
Thanks for the post. Hard to believe that the LA class are so old. I remember their coming to the fleet like it was yesterday.
This is timely as I just this morning finished rereading Blind Man’s Bluff about some of the cold war doings of the sub fleet.
Damn, I feel old...
Good article. Only comment I have is that “First and Finest” is the nickname of the Nautilus.
Great book.
Can I have it??
No,,,You’ll poke your eye out...;0)
I’ll paint it yellow and declare it the SS Galts Gulch
I wonder if there will ever be a US submarine class that is in production longer or in greater numbers than the Los Angeles class.
The 688, 688 VLS and 688i boats are going to be in service for quite a while. It’s probably going to be 20+ years before there are no members of the class left in active duty.
With the Seawolf production already capped I wonder if the Virginia class will take up the slack of the 688’s in quantity or match its ability as a hunter killer of other subs. This is probably the greatest submarine class ever produced by this nation.
I’m sure technically the Seawolf’s and Virginia’s are technically superior but there wasn’t anything close to these boats in the Soviet arsenal. I don’t even think the newly named and launched Akula II boats are the equal to the flight one 688’s that have been refitted or upgraded.
After 34 years she’s earned her retirement in spades. It really does amaze me that a boat that goes through the pressure variables and hull stresses of a submarine can remain in active duty for 34 years. Truly a remarkable piece of American engineering.
LMAO,,,That would be a sight...
34 years is amazing
A good friend of mine was on USS Batfish SSN-681, a Stugeon Class sub.
That’s Sturgeon Class.
It is not Los Angeles Class but it is only a concept
“This is timely as I just this morning finished rereading Blind Man’s Bluff about some of the cold war doings of the sub fleet.”
I read that. Amazing what Bubbleheads will get up to when they’re not supervised. :)
Should be re-commissioned as an Underwater Coast Guard.. Shore patrol.. Drug enforcement tool.. depending on the needs at the time.. maybe a Seal training platform with covert live anti-Pirate training sessions..
That plus the work hardening of the reactor pressure vessel from radiation contribute to the aging of these vessels
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