- USS Archerfish (SSN-678)
USS "Archerfish" (SSN-678), a "Sturgeon"-class submarine,was the second ship of the
United States Navy to be named for thearcherfish , a family ("Toxotidae") of fish notable for their habit of preying on insects and other animals by shooting them down with squirts of water from the mouth."Archerfish"'s keel was laid down on
19 June 1969 atGroton, Connecticut , by theElectric Boat Division of theGeneral Dynamics Corporation. She was launched on16 January 1971 sponsored by Miss Mary Conover Warner, and commissioned atNew London, Connecticut , on17 December 1971 with Commander Ralph Gordon Bird in command.Following her commissioning, the nuclear submarine proceeded to
Newport, Rhode Island , in late January1972 and then to theCaribbean Sea for shakedown training. She held acoustic sea trials inExuma Sound and weapons systems acceptance trials atRoosevelt Roads offPuerto Rico , and atSt. Croix in theVirgin Islands . The submarine carried out tests off theBahama Islands in April and May.From 5 to
15 June , "Archerfish" participated inNATO Exercise "Pink Lace" in the mid-Atlantic. In August, she took part in antisubmarine warfare (ASW) Exercise 1-73. On5 September the warship began post-shakedown availability in theElectric Boat Division yards atGroton, Connecticut , where she received extensive modifications and new equipment. The nuclear submarine left the shipyard on26 October and spent the rest of the year in local operations and preparation for overseas movement.On
6 January 1973 , "Archerfish" leftGroton, Connecticut , and shaped a course for theMediterranean Sea . During her deployment, the submarine conducted two special operations and visited Rota,Spain , andNaples ,Italy . She arrived back at New London, Connecticut, on19 June . The warship got underway again in August for theBahama Islands to participate in LANTSUBEX KILO 1-74. "Archerfish" provided services in support of a special project under the direction of theChief of Naval Operations in the western Atlantic during the last half of September. She then traveled to a testing range off the Bahamas, heldtorpedo certification trials, and arrived back at New London on12 October for extensive training in preparation for deployment.The submarine left her
home port on7 January 1974 for special operations in the North Atlantic. During this cruise, she visited Faslane Naval Base,Scotland , before returning to New London on8 March . Following upkeep, she sailed to theNarragansett Bay in early May to carry out sonar evaluation projects. On27 May , she proceeded toPort Everglades, Florida , for further testing. The submarine then continued on to the Caribbean to take part in LANTSUBEX KILO 2-74 near the Bahamas. On10 June "Archerfish" arrived back at her home port and began testing and evaluating new sonar equipment."Archerfish" set sail for the Bahamas once again on
9 September to participate in LANTSUBEX KILO 1-75. Upon its completion she took part in mine testing near Port Everglades. The submarines returned to the Caribbean on30 October for torpedo proficiency firings. From5 November to18 November , she participated in SUBASWEX 1-75 and then returned to New London for a period of leave and upkeep.In February and March
1975 , "Archerfish" carried out special operations in the western Atlantic. She then took part in Operation "Agate Punch" from14 April to28 April . That exercise involved the development and utilization of tactics in direct support of other ships of the Atlantic Fleet. During the summer months "Archerfish" carried out a western Atlantic deployment, which also included a port call at HalifaxNova Scotia . In November and December, the vessel was involved in two additional tactical development exercises, RANGEX 2-76 and SECEX 3-75. She also conducted torpedo tests.After a period of holiday leave and upkeep, "Archerfish" took part in SUBASWEX 1-76 in February
1976 before commencing a deployment to the North Atlantic in March. During April and May, she carried out independent operations and returned to her home port in June. The warship moved toPortsmouth, Virginia , where she began overhaul at theNorfolk Naval Shipyard on7 July .During her sea trials in May of
1977 , the submarine's home port was changed from New London to Norfolk, Virginia, on12 May . "Archerfish" began shakedown on8 June . She held torpedo proficiency firings and made port visits at Port Everglades andPort Canaveral, Florida . The nuclear submarine returned to Norfolk on8 July and began upkeep. The warship got underway again on21 August for a cruise during which she hosted a class of prospective commanding officers. She also carried out torpedo tests and made a stop at Port Everglades. "Archerfish" arrived back at Norfolk on6 September but set sail again on12 September , bound for theWest Indies to conduct torpedo test firings off the Bahamas and to perform special sonar tests in the Atlantic.Upon returning to Norfolk on
28 September , the submarine began preparations for overseas movement. She left Norfolk on12 December ; crossed the Atlantic, spent the Christmas holidays in port atLisbon, Portugal , and entered the Mediterranean on28 December . While operating with the Sixth Fleet, the submarine participated in CNO Project "Over the Horizon Testing" and, during the month of March1978 , took part in Exercise "Dogfish." She arrived back at her home port in May.During the period from
2 July to4 August , "Archerfish" conducted a midshipman training cruise on23 August and began participation in Exercise "Northern Wedding," aNATO exercise that occupied the nuclear submarine through8 October . She then returned to Norfolk for leave and upkeep followed by preparations for cold weather drills in early1979 . "Archerfish" got underway for theArctic on14 March 1979 . During her cruise the submarine traveled over 9,000 miles (17,000 km) under the ice and surfaced through the polar ice pack 23 times, once at theNorth Pole . "Archerfish" arrived inPlymouth , on11 May for a six-day visit and then proceeded toZeebrugge, Belgium . She leftBelgium on21 May , sailed westward across the Atlantic; and arrived at New London, her new home port, on5 June .In mid-July, "Archerfish" entered the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard inKittery, Maine for a restricted availability. She got underway again on3 October and headed to the West Indies for acoustic trials and weapons testing. The warship arrived back at New London on21 November and ended the year there in upkeep.On
23 January 1980 , the submarine got underway to take part in RANGEX 1-80, a multi-ship ASW exercise held in the Atlantic. She returned to New London on10 February , and remained there until proceeding toHampton Roads in mid-March to enter the Newport News Shipbuilding for the replacement of a sonar dome. That work was completed on1 April , and "Archerfish" returned to her home port to prepare for another deployment. On23 May , she set sail for the North Atlantic to conduct special operations. During the cruise, the submarine made port calls inNorway andWest Germany before arriving back at New London on25 August ."Archerfish" returned to the West Indies in mid-October for torpedo testing off the Bahamas. The nuclear submarine paused at Norfolk for deperming before returning to New London on
30 October . She got underway on17 November to take part in LANTSUBASWEX 2-81. Upon completing the exercise on26 November , the submarine returned to her home port to begin a series of inspections. "Archerfish" continued operations from New London into early1981 . During the years1981 and1982 , the nuclear submarine alternated two spring deployments to theMediterranean Sea with normal operations out of New London during the fall and winter. In February 1983, "Archerfish" began regular overhaul at thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard inKittery, Maine . The extended repair period lasted until October of1984 at which time she resumed duty out of New London. Those operations, interrupted by an occasional goodwill voyage to European ports, occupied the warship through the end of1986 ."Archerfish" was decommissioned and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on31 March 1998 . The hull was disposed of through the Navy's Nuclear PoweredShip and Submarine Recycling Program at thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard on6 November 1998 .References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a10/archerfish.htm
External links
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/SSN678.htm NVR SSN-678]
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