USS Grayback (SSG-574)

{{otherships|USS Grayback}} {| |} '''USS ''Grayback'' (SS/SSG/APSS/LPSS-574)''', the lead ship of [[Grayback class submarine|her class]] of [[submarine]], was the second ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the [[Grayback (fish)|grayback]], a small [[herring]] of great commercial importance in the [[Great Lakes (North America)|Great Lakes]]. Her keel was laid down on 1 July 1954 by the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] of [[Vallejo, California]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 2 July 1957 sponsored by Mrs. John A. Moore, widow of the last skipper of the {{USS|Grayback|SS-208}} and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] at Mare Island on 7 March 1958 with Lieutenant Commander Hugh G. Nott in command. ''Grayback'' was initially designated as an attack submarine, but was converted to a [[SSM-N-8 Regulus|Regulus guided missile]] submarine (SSG-574) in 1958. ===Guided missile submarine=== [[File:USS Grayback (SSG-574) building.jpg|thumb|left|''Grayback'' prior to launch]] The first of the Navy's guided missile submarines to carry the Regulus II sea-to surface missiles, ''Grayback'' conducted tests and shakedown along the West Coast. While operating out of [[Port Hueneme, California]], in September 1958 she carried out the first successful launching of a Regulus II missile from a submarine, which pointed the way to a revolutionary advance in the power of navies to attack land bases. Departing [[San Diego, California]], on 30 October, ''Grayback'' arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 8 November for a month of exercises and maneuvers before returning to Mare Island for her "10,000 mile checkup." [[Image:Graybackmissle.jpg|thumb|USS ''Grayback'' SSG-574 preparing to launch a Regulus II missile]] [[Image:USS Grayback DN-ST-86-01652.jpg|thumb|1982 view]] On 9 February 1959, ''Grayback'' departed Mare Island to make Pearl Harbor her permanent home base, reaching Hawaii on 7 March via [[Port Hueneme, California]], [[Long Beach, California]], and [[Mazatlan, Mexico]]. After a series of exercises there, she cruised to [[Dutch Harbor]], [[Umak Island]], Sequam Island, and [[Kodiak, Alaska]], for further missile exercises from 3–31 July. This was followed by the first of her nine deterrent missile strike missions, from 21 September to 12 November. ''Grayback''{{'}}s first patrol terminated at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka, Japan]], as did two others. She returned to [[Pearl Harbor]] 8 December. On 22 February 1960, ''Grayback'' modified her missile launching system and simplified her complex electrical circuits. After this, she again took up deterrent missile strike missions. Over the next 2½ years she completed seven missions for a total of nearly 18 months at sea, much of this time submerged. In addition to Yokosuka, both [[Adak, Alaska]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] also served as termination points for these patrols. On her nine patrols she spent more than 20 months at sea and logged well over 130,000 miles (209,000 km) on deterrent missile strike missions. That schedule took its toll. On 27 August 1963, while snorkeling to recharge batteries, ''Grayback'' was buffeted by particularly strong seas. The buffeting caused the After Main Battery breaker to short, starting a fire in the berthing compartment. One seaman failed to evacuate the compartment and was overcome by smoke and fumes. Main propulsion was lost for a short time, but was restored, and ''Grayback'' was able return to [[Pearl Harbor]] under her own power. Repairs took two weeks. As more and more [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris missile]] submarines became operational, they assumed the deterrent functions previously assigned to ''Grayback'' and her sister ships. The Regulus missile program ended in 1964 and ''Grayback'' was withdrawn from active service. She decommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, [[California]], on 25 May 1964. ===Amphibious transport submarine=== A second conversion began at the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] in November 1967. The conversion was originally estimated at US$15.2 million, but grew to over US$30 million. She was re-classified from a guided missile submarine to an amphibious transport submarine with [[hull classification symbol]] LPSS on 30 August 1968. (The [[Naval Vessel Registry]] entry for ''Grayback'' shows that at one point she was classified as a "plain" transport submarine, an APSS. Crew memoirs indicated that they were never aware of it. Presumably, while this classification was "official," it may have lasted only days.) The conversion heightened her sail by ten feet, added two auxiliary tanks to the forward end of the engine room (increasing the length of the boat by 12 feet), and, most significantly, converted the missile chambers to carry 67 embarked troops and SEAL [[Swimmer Delivery Vehicle]]s (SDVs), including a decompression chamber in the starboard hangar. In June 1972, the Grayback carried a team of [[Navy seals]] into the coastal waters of [[North Vietnam]] as part of [[Operation Thunderhead]]. This was the last attempt during the [[Vietnam War]] to rescue American POWs held in North Vietnam. [[File:USS Grayback (SSG-574) sink.jpg|thumb|right|''Grayback'' painted orange for sinking]] ''Grayback'' was decommissioned for the second time on 15 January 1984 at [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]] Naval Station in the [[Republic of the Philippines]]. After decommissioning, ''Grayback'' was sunk as a target on 13 April 1986 in the South China Sea. == External links == {{Commons category|USS Grayback (SSG-574)}} * [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08574b.htm navsource.org: USS ''Grayback''] * [http://ussgrayback574.com/ USS ''Grayback'' tribute webpage] * [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/ssg-574.htm USS ''Grayback'' technical information, pictures schematics] {{Grayback class submarine}} {{coord missing|Pacific Ocean}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Grayback (Ssg-574)}}