USSJacksonville (SSN-699), anuclear poweredLos Angeles-classattack submarine, is the only vessel of theUnited States Navy to be named forJacksonville, Florida.

USSJacksonville (on the right) in 2003
History
United States
Name	USSJacksonville
Namesake	City ofJacksonville, Florida
Ordered	24 January 1972
Builder	General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down	21 February 1976
Launched	18 November 1978
Commissioned	16 May 1981
Decommissioned	16 November 2021[1]
Out of service	1 May 2018
Status	Decommissioned[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Los Angeles-classsubmarine
Displacement	5,720 tons light, 6,149 tons full, 429 tons dead
Length	110.3 m (362 ft)
Beam	10 m (33 ft)
Draft	9.7 m (32 ft)
Propulsion	OneS6G reactor
Complement	12 officers, 98 men

Jacksonville was overhauled and modernized in 1988 and over the career span was involved in four collisions between 1982 and 2013. After completing a final deployment in 2017, ending 36 years of active service, the submarine was decommissioned in 2021.

The contract to build her was awarded to theElectric Boat Division ofGeneral Dynamics Corporation inGroton, Connecticut, on 24 January 1972 and herkeel was laid down on 21 February 1976. She waslaunched on 18 November 1978 using the pontoon system designed for the launching of theOhio-class Trident submarines.Jacksonville was sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy Jean Bennett, wife of CongressmanCharles E. Bennett, andcommissioned on 16 May 1981.

Jacksonville's operations have included a variety of fleet exercises and deployments including two around-the-world cruises in 1982 and 1985, deployments to the westernAtlantic Ocean in 1983, 1986, 1993 and 1994, and deployments to theMediterranean Sea in 1987 and 1993. In 1988,Jacksonville participated in a shock trials test program forLos Angeles-class submarines, which was followed by a three-year major modernization overhaul in Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Jacksonville has been involved in four collisions with other vessels during her over 30 years of operation:

• While outbound with the inbound Turkish merchant vesselGeneral Z. Dogan in the vicinity of Norfolk, Virginia on 22 March 1982.^[2]
• With a barge positioned acrossChesapeake Bay's Thimble Shoal Channel, requiring the replacement of the submarine's sonar dome, on 21 September 1984.^[3]
• With the container shipSaudi Makkah near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, requiring repairs to the submarine'sfairwater planes and rudder, on 17 May 1996.^[4][5]
• With an unnamed fishing vessel while on regular patrol in the Persian Gulf on 10 January 2013. Her main periscope was sheared off in the collision.^[6] The ship's commanding and executive officers were relieved for cause following the incident.^[7]

In late 2009,Jacksonville's homeport was moved fromNorfolk toPearl Harbor.^[8]

On 20 December 2004 a small fire broke out aboardJacksonville while she was undergoing arefueling overhaul at thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard. The fire was immediately extinguished and the reactor was never in danger, though a shipyard firefighter and a sailor were treated at the scene forsmoke inhalation.

In August 2017,Jacksonville completed her final deployment, ending 36 years of Submarine Service. On 11 December 2017, she arrived inBremerton, Washington, to commence a months-long preparation for inactivation and decommissioning.^[9]

On 26 June 2019,Jacksonville held an inactivation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington. Former Commanding Officer Michael Brown and former Chief of the Boat (also former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy) Terry Scott were among the speakers.^[10]

On 16 November 2021,Jacksonville was decommissioned in a ceremony atPuget Sound Naval Shipyard.^[1]

Jacksonville is 360 feet (110 m) long with a beam of 33 feet (10 m) and a draft of 32 feet 15 inches (10.13 m). The submarine is equipped with anS6G reactor that allows 15 knots surfaced and 32 plus knots submerged. The submarine can operate with an approximate 800 feet (240 m) depth range, 1,200 feet (370 m) safe depth, and 1,800 feet (550 m) crush depth.

Jacksonville has a crew of 12 officers and 121 enlisted personnel. The armament is four 533mm TT MK 67, located amidship for Tomahawk missiles,MK 48 (and MK 48 ADCAP) torpedoes with 22 reloads plus 2 additional for emergencies. The submarine was decommissioned in 2021.

This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register as well as various press releases and news stories.

• Sublant Fact sheet on the U.S.S. Jacksonville.