- USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689)
USS "Baton Rouge" (SSN-689), a "Los Angeles"-class
submarine , was the only ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forBaton Rouge, Louisiana . The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company inNewport News, Virginia on8 January 1971 and her keel was laid down on18 November 1972 . She was launched on26 April 1975 sponsored by the wife ofFelix Edward Hébert , and commissioned on25 June 1977 with Commander Thomas Maloney in command.Collision incident
On
11 February 1992 , at 20:16 local time, while on patrol offKildin Island nearSeveromorsk , "Baton Rouge" under command of Gordon Kremer collided with the Sierra-class attack submarine "K-276" [In some sources "K-239", sistership of K-276] . TheUnited States Navy stated that the collision occurred more than 12 miles (22 km) from the shore, in international waters. However, theSoviet Union (and nowRussia ) uses its own (not internationally recognized) set of rules for defining the boundary between territorial and international waters, and their rules put the collision site inside their territorial waters. Both submarines were able to return to their respective bases under their own power. "K-276" was fully repaired by June 1992. Commander Kremer was relieved of command.Decommissioning
Less than two years later, on
1 November 1993 , "Baton Rouge" was placed in commission in reserve. On13 January 1995 , she became the first "Los Angeles"-class submarine to be decommissioned and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register , after only 17½ years in commission. After having been refueled (Baton Rouge was not), some of her sister ships have served 25 years or more. Ex-"Baton Rouge" entered the Nuclear PoweredShip and Submarine Recycling Program and ceased to exist on30 September 1997 .References
*Eugene Miasnikov, "Submarine Collision off Murmansk: A Look from Afar", as reprinted in "The Submarine Review" (April, 1993, pp. 6-14).
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