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U.S.S. TULLIBEE
(SSN-597)VENATOR NECATOR
Click to view crew list
USS TULLIBEE (SSN-597) - a Tullibee-class submarine
In Commission 1960 to 1988SSN-597 Deployments - Major Events
Add a SSN-597 Shellback Initiation | Add a SSN-597 Deployment - Major Event | ||||
Month | Year | to | Month | Year | Deployment / Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MAY | 1958 | - | Keel Date: 26 MAY 1958 | ||
APR | 1960 | - | Launch Date: 27 APR 1960 | ||
NOV | 1960 | - | Commissioned: 9 NOV 1960 | ||
AUG | 1970 | - | DEC | 1970 | Mediterranean |
APR | 1975 | - | OCT | 1975 | Mediterranean |
NOV | 1976 | - | APR | 1977 | Mediterranean |
DEC | 1985 | - | MAY | 1986 | Mediterranean |
JUN | 1988 | - | Decommissioned: 25 JUN 1988 |
SSN-597 General Specifications
Complement: 6 Officers and 60 Enlisted
Displacement: 2316 tons
Length: 273 feet
Beam: 23 feet 7 inches
Draft: 21 feet
Flank Speed: 13 knots
USS TULLIBEE (SSN-597)
The second Tullibee (SSN-597)
was laid down on 26 May 1958 at
Groton, Conn., by the Electric Boat Div.
of the General Dynamics Corp.; launched on 27 April 1960; sponsored by Mrs. John F. Davidson, the widow of Comdr. Charles F. Brindupke; and commissioned on 9 November 1960, Comdr. Richard S.
Jortberg in command.
Following her shakedown
in January 1961, Tullibee engaged in sonar evaluations and
nuclear submarine tactical exercises with
Submarine Developmental Group 2,
operating out of New London, Conn., into 1963. During this period, the ship visited Bermuda on several occasions, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In July 1964, Tullibee
participated in fleet exercises in
antisubmarine warfare (ASW) tactics with NATO units. The submarine resumed developmental work in 1965 and operated in
this capacity into the fall of that year. On 28 October, her home port
was temporarily changed to Portsmouth, N.H.,
when the ship entered the Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, for an
extensive overhaul. She remained in drydock for 754 days--emerging on 2 January 1968.
Shifted back to New
London, Tullibee deployed to the Caribbean Sea in January 1969 following refresher training and continued developmental work during 1969 and 1970. On 1 August 1970, Tullibee departed
New London, bound for the Mediterranean
and the ship's first service with the
6th Fleet. During this period, she
took part in NATO and 6th Fleet exercises and made port visits to Athens, Greece; Naples, Italy; and Rota, Spain, before returning to New London on
14 December, having travelled some
20,000 miles in 135 days.
In early 1971, the
submarine returned to developmental
exercises once more to work on SSN tactics and also made a port visit to
Cape Canaveral, Fla. Participating in a major
NATO exercise in the western Atlantic,
Tullibee visited Halifax, Nova Scotia, before she received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for
her contingency operations in the Mediterranean during the previous year (from 9 September to 31 October 1970). For the remainder of the year 1971, Tullibee
operated in the western Atlantic on NATO and ASW exercises. During this period, too, Tullibee received
the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for
significant improvement in the ship's
battle efficiency and readiness for that fiscal year.
The submarine conducted
regular operations with the Atlantic
Fleet Submarine Force into 1974, operating off the east coast and in the Caribbean. Following one Caribbean
cruise in the fall of 1974, Tullibee departed New London on 28 April
1975 for her second deployment to the 6th
Fleet. After operating in the Mediterranean
into the fall of that year, the submarine returned to New London in October for
an extended period of upkeep.
Tullibee subsequently participated in sonar evaluation tests with HMS Matapan (D 43) in the
Caribbean, in two separate
deployments between April and June 1976, before undergoing another extended upkeep period. The SSN conducted
ASW operations and local operations into the fall of 1976, before she departed New London on 12 November
for her third Mediterranean deployment. After serving in the 6th Fleet into the spring of 1977, she
returned to her home port on 24 April. During the remainder of the year, Tullibee underwent three upkeep
periods interspersed with ASW exercises off the east coast of the United States. The early months of 1978 were
spent in preparation for her fourth Mediterranean deployment. Departing New London in March, the
submarine conducted operations with various units of the 6th Fleet. The deployment was marred somewhat by a
propulsion casualty which necessitated a two-month repair period spent at Rota, Spain. Tullibee returned
to New London on 30 August. Operations out of that port took Tullibee into
1979.
Tullibee received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for her service with the 6th Fleet.
[Note: The above USS TULLIBEE (SSN-597) history may, or may not, contain text provided by crew members of the USS TULLIBEE (SSN-597), or by other non-crew members, and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]