USS Billfish (SSN-676)

	USS Billfish (SSN-676) early in 1971 (picture taken during first sea trial).
History
United States
Name	USS Billfish (SSN-676)
Ordered	15 July 1966
Builder	The Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	20 September 1968
Launched	1 May 1970
Commissioned	12 March 1971
Decommissioned	1 July 1999
Stricken	1 July 1999
Motto	Spirit of 76
Fate	Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 26 April 2000
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Sturgeon-class attack submarine
Displacement	3,978 long tons (4,042 t) light; 4,270 long tons (4,339 t) full; 292 long tons (297 t) dead;
Length	292 ft 3 in (89.08 m)
Beam	31 ft 8 in (9.65 m)
Draft	28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
Installed power	15,000 megawatts)
Propulsion	One S5W nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one screw
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced; 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) submerged;
Test depth	1,300 feet (396 meters)
Complement	109 (14 enlisted men)
Armament	4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Billfish (SSN-676), a

Sturgeon-class attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the billfish, a name used for any fish, such as gar or spearfish

, with bill-shaped jaws.

Construction and commissioning

launched at Groton, Connecticut

, on 1 May 1970.

The contract to build Billfish was awarded to the

Earle G. Wheeler (1908–1975), and commissioned

on 12 March 1971.

Service history

deep submergence rescue vehicle DSRV-2 Avalon

aboard Billfish.

Upon her commission, she was assigned to Submarine Development Group Two, based in Groton, Connecticut. She was deployed to the Mediterranean, participating in fleet exercises and tactical and sonar development tests. She was awarded the Battle Effectiveness Award for her performance in the Development Group.

In 1973, Billfish trailed the Soviet submarine

R-29 submarine-launched ballistic missile. For these actions, along with participation in several fleet exercises, she was awarded the Meritorous Unit Commendation

1in 1974.

Billfish participated in the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review.

Billfish was one of the few submarines fitted to carry the

Mystic class deep submergence rescue vehicle

during the 1980s.

Billfish spent the rest of her service career on regular deployments. Her last patrol, in the Arctic Ocean, ended in November 1997.

Decommissioning and disposal

Billfish was

Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington

, was completed on 26 April 2000.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Billfish (SSN-676)

External links

USS Billfish SSN 676 (Web site created by former USS Billfish (SSN-676) crew member)

This article about a specific naval submarine of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

v t e Sturgeon-class submarines
Short hull	Sturgeon Whale Tautog Grayling Pogy Aspro Sunfish Pargo Queenfish Puffer Ray Sand Lance Lapon Gurnard Hammerhead Sea Devil Guitarro Hawkbill Bergall Spadefish Seahorse Finback Pintado Flying Fish Trepang Bluefish Billfish Drum
Long hull	Archerfish Silversides William H. Bates Batfish Tunny Parche Cavalla L. Mendel Rivers Richard B. Russell
Preceded by: Permit class Followed by: Los Angeles class
List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes of the United States Navy