USS Houston (SSN-713)

USS Houston (SSN-713), a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Houston, Texas. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 1 August 1975 and her keel was laid down on 29 January 1979. She was launched on 21 March 1981 sponsored by Barbara Bush, wife of then Vice-President of the United States George H. W. Bush. Houston was commissioned on 25 September 1982.

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

USS Houston underway
History
United States
NameUSS Houston
NamesakeCity of Houston, Texas
Awarded1 August 1975
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid down29 January 1979
Launched21 March 1981
Commissioned25 September 1982
Decommissioned26 August 2016
Stricken26 August 2016
HomeportBremerton, Washington
Motto
  • Semper Vigilans
  • (Latin: Always Vigilant)
StatusStricken, final disposition pending
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeLos Angeles-class submarine
Displacement5,744 tons light, 6,103 tons full, 359 tons dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Depth1599
PropulsionS6G nuclear reactor
Complement12 officers, 98 enlisted
Armament4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

History

Author Robert D. Kaplan embedded aboard the ship in the spring of 2005 and recounted his experiences in her for his book Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts in Chapter Four "Geeks with Tattoos: The Most Driven Men I have Ever Known."[1]

2008 radiation leak

On 1 August 2008 the Navy reported to CNN that Houston was found to have been leaking radioactive water for months while on patrol and visiting stations in Japan, Guam and Hawaii. The problem was discovered the previous month during servicing at Pearl Harbor. One crewman was exposed to radioactive water but not injured. The Navy reported that the Houston's leak released only a "negligible" amount of radioactivity.[2] The Navy later expanded the estimated time the leak existed to nearly two years, although they maintained the amount of radioactivity leaked was very small – "less than a smoke detector".[3]

Final deployment

On 28 October 2015, Houston moored in Pearl Harbor, after completing her final scheduled deployment.[4] She was decommissioned on 26 August 2016 in a ceremony at Naval Base Kitsap—Bangor.[5]

References
  1. Robert D. Kaplan (2008). Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-307-47269-4.
  2. "U.S. sub leaked radioactive water, possibly for months". cnn.com. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. "Navy says sub leaked radiation since 2006". cnn.com. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  4. U.S. Navy, photo retrieved 1 November 2015
  5. Gray, Amanda (29 August 2016). "US Navy". USS Houston Decommissions After 33 Years of Service. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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