USS Guitarro (SSN-665)

USS "Guitarro" (SSN-665), a "Sturgeon"-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the guitarro, a ray of the guitarfish family. The contract to build her was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 18 December 1964 and her keel was laid down on 9 December 1965. She was launched on 27 July 1968 sponsored by Mrs. John M. Taylor. She was scheduled to be commissioned in January 1970,17 months later.

On 15 May 1969, initial construction was still underway on "Guitarro". At about 16:00, a civilian nuclear construction group began an instrument calibration assignment which required the filling of certain tanks, located aft of the ship's pivot point, with approximately five tons of water. Within half-an-hour, a different civilian construction group (non-nuclear) began an assignment to bring the ship within a half-degree of trim. This entailed the adding of water to tanks forward of the ship's pivot point, to overcome a reported two degree up-bow attitude. Until shortly before 20:00 (8 PM), both groups continued to add water, unaware of each other's activities.

Twice during that time period, a security watch advised the non-nuclear group that "Guitarro" was riding so low forward that the foot-and-a-half high wakes of boats operating in the river were sloshing into an uncovered manhole in the most forward and lowest portion of the ship's deck. These warnings went unheeded. At 19:45, the non-nuclear group stopped adding water to the ballast tanks and began to halt work for their meal break, leaving at 20:00. At 19:50, the nuclear group completed their calibrations and began to empty the tanks aft.

A half-hour later, at 20:30, both the nuclear group, still aboard, and the non-nuclear group, returning from their break, noticed a sudden down angle being taken by the boat, which put the forward hatches underwater. Massive flooding was taking place through several large open hatches. From 20:30 to 20:45, efforts to close watertight doors and hatches were largely prevented by lines and cables running through them. At 2055, "Guitarro" sank. [http://www.sid-hill.com/history/maresink.htm]

"Guitarro" was refloated three days later, 18 May. Damages were estimated at between US$15.2 million and US$21.85 million. "Guitarro" was commissioned two and a half years late, on 9 September 1972, with Commander Gordon Lange in command.

In the mid to late 1970s, "Guitarro" was stationed at Point Loma in San Diego, California. She was commanded by Alvin Pauole, followed by Scott Van Hoften. She was active in the pre-operational testing of the new Tomahawk cruise missile during this time, launching several of the missiles on a test range off the coast of Southern California.

"Guitarro" was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 May 1992. Ex-"Guitarro" entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington, and on 18 October 1994 ceased to exist.

References

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/guitarro.htm Letter] to L. Mendel Rivers, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services from Samuel S. Stratton, Chairman, Special Subcommittee To Investigate the Sinking of the U.S.S. "Guitarro".
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/SSN665.htm NVR]