USS Bremerton (SSN-698)

USS Bremerton (SSN-698), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the second vessel of the United States Navy to be named for Bremerton, Washington. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 24 January 1972 and her keel was laid down on 8 May 1976. She was launched on 22 July 1978 sponsored by Mrs. Helen Jackson (née Hardin), wife of Henry M. Jackson, and commissioned on 28 March 1981.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Bremerton.

Bremerton pulling into port
History
United States
NameUSS Bremerton
NamesakeBremerton, Washington
Awarded24 January 1972
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Corporation
Laid down8 May 1976
Launched22 July 1978
Sponsored byMrs. Helen Jackson
Commissioned28 March 1981
Decommissioned21 May 2021[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeLos Angeles-class submarine
Displacement
  • 5,789 tons light
  • 6,159 tons full
  • 370 tons dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
PropulsionS6G nuclear reactor
Complement12 officers, 98 enlisted
Armament4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Ship history

On 11 March 1999, Bremerton used one torpedo to sink the derelict forebody of the merchant ship New Carissa off the Oregon coast. USS David R. Ray assisted in sinking the ship.[2]

After a successful Western Pacific deployment, in September 2003 Bremerton changed its homeport to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Bremerton spent two months in drydock at Pearl Harbor ending 21 January 2010.[3]

Passing the cribbage board[4]

When USS Los Angeles was decommissioned on 23 January 2010, Bremerton became the oldest commissioned submarine in the US fleet. On that day, Richard O'Kane's cribbage board was transferred from Los Angeles to Bremerton, a tradition that dates back to World War II.[5] When Bremerton was inactivated in 2018, the cribbage board was transferred from Bremerton to USS Olympia (SSN-717).[6]

In January 2011, Bremerton was adopted by its namesake city, along with a partnership of community members and organizations led by the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the US Navy League.[7] In February 2015, Bremerton visited the City of Bremerton.[8]

On 15 June 2016, the 35-year-old submarine completed her 15th deployment.[9] Although originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2017, USS Bremerton's life was extended for an unspecified period.[10] On 20 July 17, 2017, she became the longest-commissioned U.S. Navy submarine, surpassing USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) at the time. On 6 April 2018, she returned to Pearl Harbor from her final deployment, soon to be decommissioned.[11]

On 20 April 2018, USS Bremerton left Pearl Harbor for the last time en route to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, to enter the submarine recycling program.[12]

Decommissioning
USS Bremerton at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, 14.Oktober 2020

Bremerton had her decommissioning ceremony 18 May 2021, at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington, though the actual decommissioning did not occur until later that year.[13] Due to COVID restrictions, crewmembers were not allowed to attend the event in person, but SUBGRU 9 streamed the event live globally via Facebook Live[14] and YouTube.[15] Bremerton was officially decommissioned 21 May 2021.[1]

References
  1. "USS Bremerton(SSN-698)". nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. New Carissa is Finally Buried at Sea
  3. Pearl Harbor Shipyard Undocks USS Bremerton
  4. "Passing the cribbage board". JointBasePHH Twitter.
  5. Steven Georges (23 January 2010). "USS Los Angeles Decommissioning". Press-Telegram. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
  6. "O'Kane Cribbage board passed to USS Olympia (SSN-715)". Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council Navy League of the US. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  7. Dagendash, Matt (12 January 2011). "Namesake Submarine Adopted by Bremerton Navy League" (Press release). U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  8. kitsapsun.com
  9. "Fast-attack submarine USS Bremerton completes six-month stint". navaltoday.com. 16 June 2016.
  10. "Oldest Los Angeles-class submarine USS Bremerton makes final visit to Yokosuka - Naval Today". 28 December 2017.
  11. "Oldest submarine in US Navy service returns from final deployment". Naval Today. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. "USS Bremerton bids farewell to Pearl Harbor as it heads for inactivation site". Naval Today. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  13. "USS Bremerton (SSN 698) decommissioned". DVIDS Hub. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  14. "Watch as USS Bremerton (SSN 698) ends her historic service during an inactivation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA". Facebook. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  15. "USS Bremerton (SSN 698) Inactivation Ceremony". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2020.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register as well as various press releases and news stories.

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