USS Indianapolis (SSN-697)

Summary

The third USS Indianapolis (SSN-697), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Indianapolis, Indiana. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 24 January 1972 and her keel was laid down on 19 October 1974. She was launched on 30 July 1977 sponsored by Esther Debra Bray (née Taylor), wife of former Congressman William G. Bray, and commissioned on 5 January 1980.

Indianapolis in harbour
History
United States
NameUSS Indianapolis
Awarded24 January 1972
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Corporation
Laid down19 October 1974
Launched30 July 1977
Commissioned5 January 1980
Decommissioned22 December 1998
Stricken22 December 1998
FateTo be disposed of by submarine recycling. Sail resides at memorial at Indiana Military Museum.
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeLos Angeles-class submarine
Displacement
  • 5,784 tons light
  • 6,154 tons full
  • 370 tons dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
PropulsionS6G nuclear reactor with D1G Core 2 Reactor, 148 MW
Complement12 officers, 98 enlisted
Armament4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

When Indianapolis was commissioned, many survivors of the cruiser Indianapolis were present for the official ceremony. The submarine's home port was shifted to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1980, operating out of Pearl Harbor for the remainder of her active service. After the boat's final deployment from April to October 1997, she was awarded the Battle Efficiency E and a Navy Unit Commendation. Both were the first time the submarine had received such awards in her 18-year history.

Former crew with the sail from the USS Indianapolis(SSN 697) at the Indiana Military Museum at Vincennes, Indiana
Former crew with the sail from the USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) on June 8, 2019 at the dedication ceremony and reunion at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, Indiana.

As a result of the ending of the Cold War and the so-called "Peace Dividend", the boat was inactivated in 1998, only 18 years into her 30-year life.

The sail and other parts of Indianapolis (SSN 697) were dedicated as a memorial at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, Indiana, on June 8, 2019. Attendees at the commemoration ceremony included former crewmen and officers of the boat.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ "USS Indianapolis Dedicated at Indiana Military Museum – WBIW". WBIW. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2019.