USS Glenard P. Lipscomb
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| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | USS Glenard P. Lipscomb |
| Namesake | Glenard P. Lipscomb |
| Awarded | 16 December 1968 |
| Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut |
| Laid down | 5 June 1971 |
| Launched | 4 August 1973 |
| Commissioned | 21 December 1974 |
| Decommissioned | 11 July 1990 |
| Stricken | 11 July 1990 |
| Fate | Entered Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1997 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Nuclear submarine |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 5,813 long tons (5,906 t) surfaced 6,480 long tons (6,584 t) submerged |
| Length | 365 ft (111 m) |
| Beam | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Propulsion | S5W reactor |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) surfaced 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) submerged |
| Test depth | 1,300 ft (400 m) |
| Complement | 12 officers, 109 men |
| Armament | 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685), a unique submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Glenard P. Lipscomb (19 August 1915–1 February 1970), who served as a Congressman from the 24th District of California from 1953 until his death (intestinal cancer) in 1970.
Design
Lipscomb was the Navy's second design using a turbo-electric power plant similar to USS Tullibee (SSN-597). Intended to test the potential advantages of this propulsion system for providing quieter submarine operations, with a displacement of 6,400 tons and a length of 365 feet, it was heavier and larger than similar vessels with conventional drive trains, which resulted in slower speeds. Those disadvantages, along with reliability issues, led to the decision not to use the design for the follow-on Los Angeles-class submarines. Other than the engine room, Lipscomb was generally similar to the Sturgeon-class, and although serving as a test platform, the "Lipscomb Fish" was a fully combat-capable attack submarine.
Construction
Construction of Lipscomb began on 5 June 1971 at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird, a long-time colleague and friend of Glenard Lipscomb, spoke at the keel-laying ceremony and was presented with a model in memory of the event. (Ref Press Release 497-71). Lipscomb was launched on 4 August 1973, sponsored by Mrs. Glenard P. Lipscomb, and was commissioned on 21 December 1974 with Commander James F. Caldwell in command. Speaking at the commissioning was the Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird.
Decommissioning and disposal
Lipscomb was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 July 1990 and disposed of by submarine recycling at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 1 December 1997.
Service
She was active during the first half of her service life, with her homeport in Groton, Connecticut. She was awarded numerous Battle E awards and Red Engineering E Awards during this time. In the early 1980's problems with the turbo electric drive propulsion kept her in the shipyard for an extended period of time. She was active through the mid eighties and deployed to the Meditteranean Sea in 1985 and 1989. During the 1985 deployment, she participated in NATO exercises and visited Palma De Mallorca, Toulon, France and La Maddalena Sicily. Problems again arose with the propulsion system. The cost of repair, coupled with the estimated refueling cost led to the decision to retire the ship after only 15 years of service.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) at NavSource Naval History