 Bremerton pulling into port | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSBremerton |
| Namesake | Bremerton, Washington |
| Awarded | 24 January 1972 |
| Builder | General Dynamics Corporation |
| Laid down | 8 May 1976 |
| Launched | 22 July 1978 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Helen Jackson |
| Commissioned | 28 March 1981 |
| Decommissioned | 21 May 2021[1] |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Los Angeles-classsubmarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 110.3 m (361 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | S6G nuclear reactor |
| Complement | 12 officers, 98 enlisted |
| Armament | 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes |
USSBremerton (SSN-698), aLos Angeles-classsubmarine, is the second vessel of theUnited States Navy to be named forBremerton, Washington. The contract to build her was awarded to theElectric Boat Division ofGeneral Dynamics Corporation inGroton, Connecticut on 24 January 1972 and her keel was laid down on 8 May 1976. She waslaunched on 22 July 1978 sponsored by Mrs. Helen Jackson (née Hardin), wife ofHenry M. Jackson, andcommissioned on 28 March 1981.
On 11 March 1999,Bremerton used one torpedo to sink the derelict forebody of the merchant shipNew Carissa off theOregon coast.USS David R. Ray assisted in sinking the ship.[2]
After a successful Western Pacific deployment, in September 2003Bremerton changed its homeport toPearl Harbor, Hawaii.Bremerton spent two months indrydock at Pearl Harbor ending 21 January 2010.[3]
WhenUSS Los Angeles was decommissioned on 23 January 2010,Bremerton became the oldest commissioned submarine in the US fleet. On that day,Richard O'Kane'scribbage board was transferred fromLos Angeles toBremerton, a tradition that dates back toWorld War II.[4] WhenBremerton was inactivated in 2018, the cribbage board was transferred fromBremerton toUSSOlympia (SSN-717).[5]
In January 2011,Bremerton was adopted by its namesake city, along with a partnership of community members and organizations led by the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of theUS Navy League.[6] In February 2015,Bremerton visited the City of Bremerton.[7]
On 15 June 2016, the 35-year-old submarine completed her 15th deployment.[8] Although originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2017, USSBremerton's life was extended for an unspecified period.[9] On 20 July 17, 2017, she became the longest-commissioned U.S. Navy submarine, surpassingUSS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) at the time. On 6 April 2018, she returned to Pearl Harbor from her final deployment, soon to be decommissioned.[10]
On 20 April 2018, USS Bremerton left Pearl Harbor for the last time en route toPuget Sound Naval Shipyard inBremerton, Washington, to enter the submarine recycling program.[11]
Bremerton had her decommissioning ceremony 18 May 2021, at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington, though the actual decommissioning did not occur until later that year.[12] Due to COVID restrictions, crewmembers were not allowed to attend the event in person, but SUBGRU 9 streamed the event live globally viaFacebook Live[13] andYouTube.[14]Bremerton was officially decommissioned 21 May 2021.[1]
Plans call for the display of the sail inBremerton, Washington.[15]
This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register as well as various press releases and news stories.
