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U.S.S. HUNLEY

(AS-31)

WE SERVE TO PRESERVE PEACE

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The USS Hunley (AS-31) keel was laid 28 November 1960 at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia. Hunley was sponsored by Mrs. J. Palmer Gaillard, wife of the Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, launched on 28 September 1961 and commisioned on 16 June 1962.

AS-31 was named for Horace Lawson Hunley (1823-1863), designer of the Confederate submarine CSS Hunley. Horance Hunley, along with the entire crew of the CSS Hunley, was drown when the Hunley was swamped during testing. The CSS Hunley was salvaged and went on to sink the USS Housatonic of the Union blockade force at Charleston SC.

Hunley was the first of a class of submarine tenders designed to support the Polaris Missle Submarines coming into service.

USS Hunley (AS-31) sailed from Hampton Roads in July 1962 for shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She continued with post-commisioning training and detailed fit out until late Decmeber 1962 when she departed for Holy Loch, Scotland. Hunley continued as tender to Submarine Squadron 14 at Holy Loch until April 1964. Hunley was upgraded to support a modified version of the Polaris Missle and returned to duty at Holy Loch in June 1964.

USS Hunley moved to her new homeport of Charleston SC in 1966. Overhauled in late 1967, Hunley steamed to Guam to relieve USS Proteus for overhaul. Hunley returned to Charleston in June 1968.

In July 1971 Hunley again transited to Guam to relieve USS Proteus for maintenance. Hunley returned to the the US in early 1973 and underwent overhaul in the Puget sound NSY. The overhaul included modifications to support the Posideon Missle then in service. Once out of the shipyard, USS Hunley voyaged to Charleston SC, touching at San Francisco, San Diego, Acapulco, the Panama Canal, Guantanomo Bay, Ft. Lauderdale and Cocoa Beach, Florida as she progressed back into service.

USS Hunley again relieved Proteus as the submarine tender on Gaum in November 1978, returning to Charleston in July 1980. Upon return she was overhauled in the Charleston NSY.

In January 1982 Hunley crossed to Atlantic to take up station at Holy Loch, Scotland. After spending five years on station at Holy Lock, she was relieved by USS Simon Lake and headed for the US in July 1987. Shortly after arriving in Charleston, Hunley was sent to Florida to assist in Hurricane Andrew Recovery.

Hulney shifted homeport to Norflok in July 1992. In November 1993 she sailed to Cape Canaveral, stopped at Key West and returned to Norfolk. This proved to be her last sailing.

USS Hunley (AS-33) was decommissioned on 30 September 1994. Hunleys hulk as sold for scrapping in 2007.

The USS Hunley (AS-31) operational history and significant events of her service career follow:

AS-31 Deployments - Major Events

Add a AS-31 Shellback Initiation Add a AS-31 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
NOV1960-Keel Date: 28 NOV 1960
at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Newport News VA
SEP1961-Launch Date: 28 SEP 1961
JUN1962-Commissioned: 16 JUN 1962
JUN1962-JUN1962North Atlantic-Med-Indian Ocean
NOV1963-SEP1967North Atlantic
JAN1966-SEP1969North Atlantic
DEC1967-JUL1968Middle Pacific
DEC1967-DEC1967Panama Canal
JAN1968-APR1969Panama Canal
APR1970-JUL1971UNITAS
MAY1970-MAY1976Antarctic Circle
AUG1970-FEB1973Guantanamo Bay
SEP1970-Shellback Initiation - 6 SEP 1970 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1971-JAN1975West Pac-Viet Nam
MAR1971-JAN1973Replaced Proteus in Apra Harbor Guam
SEP1971-Shellback Initiation - 20 SEP 1971 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1971- Shellback Initiation - 20 SEP 1971 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1972-JAN1975West Pac-Viet Nam
FEB1972-Shellback Initiation - 2 FEB 1972 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1973- Shellback Initiation - 26 JAN 1973 - Pacific Ocean
FEB1973- Shellback Initiation - 2 FEB 1973 - Pacific Ocean
FEB1973-Shellback Initiation - 2 FEB 1973 - Pacific Ocean
MAR1973-FEB1974Dry Dock
JAN1974-JAN1975west pac viet nam
FEB1974-MAR1977Dry Dock
MAR1974-MAR1977Subernon 18 Charleston SC Naval Weapons Station
MAR1974-JUL1978Charleston Naval Weapons Station
MAY1974-MAY1974Panama Canal
MAY1978-JUN1978Dry Dock
JUL1978-Shellback Initiation - 8 JUL 1978 - Pacific Ocean
AUG1978- Shellback Initiation - 19 AUG 1978 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1978- Shellback Initiation - 19 AUG 1978 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1978- Shellback Initiation - 19 AUG 1978 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1978-OCT1978Transit To Guam
AUG1978-Shellback Initiation - 19 AUG 1978 - Atlantic Ocean
SEP1978-SEP1978South America
SEP1978-SEP1978Transit of Strait of Magellan enroute Guam
SEP1978- Shellback Initiation - 10 SEP 1978 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1978- Shellback Initiation - 10 SEP 1978 - Pacific Ocean
NOV1978-JUL1980Refit Site III, Apra Harbor Guam
MAY1980-Shellback Initiation - 19 MAY 1980 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1980- Shellback Initiation - 24 JUL 1980 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1980-JAN1981Dry Dock/Refit
JUL1980-JUL1980Panama Canal
SEP1980-OCT1980Sea Trials
JAN1981-JAN1981Main Space Fire/ Crank case explosion
JAN1981-JAN1986Deployment to Holy Loch Scotland
JAN1981-MAY1987Site 1 Holy Loch Scotland
AUG1981-SEP1981Sea Trials
SEP1981-SEP1981Guantanamo Bay
AUG1989-NOV1989Relief of Frank Cable S.Carolina
SEP1994-Decommissioned: 30 SEP 1994

AS-31 General Specifications

Class: Hunley-class submarine tender

Named for: Horace Lawson Hunley

Complement: 1190 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 19000 tons

Length: 599 feet

Beam: 83 feet

Flank Speed: 18 kn

Final Disposition: Sold for scrap 5 January 2007



USS HUNLEY (AS-31)



Hunley (AS-31) was launched 28 September 1961 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. Newport News Va.; sponsored by Mrs. J. Palmer Gaillard wife of the Mayor of Charleston S.C.; and commissioned 16 June 1962 Captain Douglas N. Syverson in command.

Hunley has the distinction of being the first ship designed and built up from the keel to service and maintain the U.S. Navy's nuclear powered Ballistic Missile Submarine Fleet. She has complete facilities for servicing the complex Polaris Weapons Systems and for accomplishing any submarine repair other than a major shipyard overhaul.

Hunley sailed 25 July 1962 for shakedown training off Cuba. This completed 6 September she visited several Gulf and Atlantic ports including Mobile and Charleston. She returned north to Norfolk 28 September for postshakedown alterations until 8 December. She next paid a 3-day visit to New York City to host the Naval Reserve Officers Seminar "New Ships for the Modern Navy." She stood out of the Norfolk Operating Base 29 December 1962 for Holy Loch Scotland arriving 9 January 1963. Almost immediately she began taking the load off Proteus whom she officially relieved 15 March 1963 as tender to Submarine Squadron 14 at Holy Loch Scotland. This duty continued until 12 April 1964 when Hunley sailed for conversion that provided capability of handling the new A3 Polaris Missile. She resumed her duties at Holy Loch 15 June 1964.

A Polaris milestone was reached in December 1965 when Thomas A. Edison came alongside to commence the 100th refit of an SSBN by Hunley. This signified that one hundred SSBN submarines had gone out on time from Hunley and not one of them had to make an early return from patrol. This represents some 200 months of Polaris on station or 16½ years of submerged strategic deterrent since Hunley's arrival in Holy Loch 9 January 1963.

Among impressive jobs carried out by Hunley is welding on SSBN pressure hulls or reactor plant fluid systems. Once unheard of in submarine tending these jobs are only a few of many tackled with confidence and skill by Hunley. These and many other alterations are carried out as a matter of routine to keep SSBN's on the line with the newest possible technical improvements and safety devices. For example an auxiliary "Sub-Safe" package was accomplished on Theodore Roosevelt in which over 40 fittings and more than 100 feet of new piping in a major system were installed. A battery replacement for Ethan Allen was completed in only 11 days. Hunley meets demands from making water-borne propeller replacements to encapsulation of AC induction motors; delicate repairs to navigation and fire control and many other varied tasks to insure that each SSBN has the finest of care on each refit. The resolution can-do spirit and persevering fidelity of her officers and men give firm allegiance to Hunley's motto: "We Serve to Preserve Peace."

Hunley returned to the United States late in 1966 and in 1967 operates out of Charleston S.C. laboring to keep sharp the edge of the Navy's underwater nuclear deterrent.

[Note: The above USS HUNLEY (AS-31) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS HUNLEY (AS-31) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]