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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Shark (SSN-591)

Radio Call Sign: November - Oscar - Kilo - Mike

Skipjack Class Attack Submarine: Laid down, 24 February 1958, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA.; Launched, 16 March 1960; Commissioned, USS Shark (SSN-591), 9 February 1961; Decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 15 September 1990; Final Disposition, transferred to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 1 October 1995 for disposed through NPSSRP (Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., completed 28 June 1996.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 2,880 t., Submerged: 3,500 t.; Length 251' 9"; Beam 32'; Draft 28 ft.; Speed, Surfaced 15 kts, Submerged 30+ kts; Depth Limit 700'; Complement 118; Combat Systems, Sonar, BQR-12, BQR-2 passive, BQS-4 (modified) active/passive; Radar BPS-12; Fire Control, MK-101 torpedo FCS, ASW MK-48; Armament, six 21" torpedo tubes, forward; Propulsion System, one S5W nuclear reactor, two Westinghouse steam turbines, one propeller 15,000 shp.

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
179k	Submarine Silhouettes of 1960: Nautilus (SSN-571), Seawolf (SSN-575), Skate (SSN-578), Skipjack (SS-585), Triton (SSRN-586), Halibut (SSGN-587), Thresher (SSN-593), Tullibee (SSN-597), George Washington (SSBN-598), & Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) classes.	U.S. Navy Photograph submitted by Ron Titus, courtesy of Ingersoll-Rand. Corp.
187k	Nuclear Submarine Profiles 1960: Nautilus (SSN-571), Seawolf (SSN-575), Triton (SSRN-586), Skate (SSN-578) & Skipjack (SS-585) classes, Halibut (SSGN-587) & Tullibee (SSN-597) classes, George Washington (SSBN-598) & Thresher (SSN-593) classes.	US Navy photo courtesy of Ron Titus courtesy of Ingersoll-Rand. Corp. Photo i.d. courtesy of Dave Johnston.
60k	Watercolour and gouache on paper painting by the artist Viktor Stepansky entitled "Diving Skipjack Class". The Skipjack Class (SSN-585 / 88-92) - clearing showing the tear-drop shape adopted by many of the submarine's successors. The Scorpion (SSN-589) is pictured here underway.	Photo & text courtesy of subart.net.
201k	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co President W.E. Blewett Jr. speaks on board the Shark (SSN-591) at Dry Dock #2 as he delivered the Yard's first Nuclear boat during her commissioning ceremony on 9 February 1961. Among those present is Mrs. Louis Shane, who sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr., K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine March 1961, Volume XX, # II. Courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
438k	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co President W.E. Blewett Jr. speaks on board the Shark (SSN-591) at Dry Dock #2 as he delivered the Yard's first Nuclear boat during her commissioning ceremony on 9 February 1961. Among those present is Mrs. Louis Shane, who sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr., K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine March 1961, Volume XX, # II. Courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
79k	Mrs. Louis Shane, sponsor of the Shark (SSN-591) and wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. gives the boat her first taste of champagne at her launching, 16 March 1960.	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine, 1961, pg 11. Courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
132k	The Shark (SSN-591) shortly before her launching, 16 March 1960. The Polaris submarine Sam Houston (SSBN-609) is completely enclosed in the background.	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine March 1961, Volume XX, # II. Courtesy of John Shane & Robert Hall.
263k	Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Russell spoke at Shark's (SSN-591) commissioning ceremony on 9 February 1961 and attributed to her "the greatest capabilities of any ship built today". He told her crew and LDCR Fagan, (pictured) her commander, "May her exploits excel".	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine March 1961, Volume XX, # II. Courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
47k	Sailors onboard the deck of the Shark (SSN-591) salute the national ensign during her commissioning ceremony on 9 February 1961.	Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. magazine March 1961, Volume XX, # II. Courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
103k	Pre-commissioning photo of the Shark (SSN-591), 11 Jan. 1961.	USN photo.
131k	Shark's (SSN-591) commissioning crew wearing whites stand on the boat's sail in this 1961 photo.	USN photo courtesy of David Buell. Photo added 01/23/08.
345k	Port quarter view of the Shark (SSN-591) cutting through the water, most likely soon after her commissioning, circa early 1961.	US Navy photo courtesy of John Shane, whose grandmother, Mrs. Louis Shane sponsored the boat and was the wife of the late Lieutenant Commander Louis Shane, Jr. who was K.I.A. while commanding the Shark (SS-174), approximately 11 February 1942.
118k	Bow on view of the Shark (SSN-591) cutting through the water most likely soon after her commissioning, circa early 1961.	US Navy photo courtesy of Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
102k	Shark (SSN-591) approaching the Newport News (CA-148) in Athens, Greece during the 1961 Med. cruise.	Courtesy of George Klos.
41k	Shark (SSN-591) tied up alsongside the Newport News (CA-148) in Athens, Greece during the 1961 Med. cruise.	Courtesy of George Klos.
71k	Commemorative post mark honoring Shark (SSN-591) goodwill visit to Portsmouth England, March 1962.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
105k	Shark (SSN-591), in port at San Juan, PR., 1965. Triton (SSN-586) is on the *Shark's* right.	Photograped and contributed courtesy of John Hummel.
127k	Shark (SSN-591), in port at San Juan, PR., 1965. Triton (SSN-586) on left, you just see her topside. Redfin, (SS-272) and Requin (SS-481) are outboard of her.	Photograped and contributed courtesy of John Hummel.
345k	Shark (SSN-591), April 17, 1967, Chesapeak Bay, Maryland.	Courtesy of John Hummel.
68k	Port side view of the Shark (SSN-591) underway, circa 1971.	Photo courtesy of All Hands Magazine, Sept. 1971, submitted by Stan Svec.
297k	A photo of the Shark (SSN-591) issued by the ship and project team during her overhaul at Mare Island from 1 Oct 1981 to 2 Jun 1983.	USN Photo # 180674, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
179k	A starboard bow view of the submarine tender L. Y. SPEAR (AS-36) moored at the destroyer and submarine piers at Norfolk Naval Base on 7 Sep 1983. A *Skipjack class* nuclear-powered attack submarine is moored alongside, possibly the Skipjack (SS-585), Shark (SSN-591) or Snook (SSN-592).	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-ST-85-11655, by Don S. Montgomery, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
645k	A port bow view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Shark (SSN-591) underway, 1 Sep 1985.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-86-03560 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
563k	Crew members stand on the sail and diving planes of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Shark (SSN-591) as locomotives pull it through the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal on 11 Nov 1989. The submarine is en route to the Pacific Ocean.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DF-ST-93-04964 by MSGT. Herbert Cintron Jr., from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
430k	The cargo ship *Solar Wind* stands above the nuclear-powered attack submarine Shark (SSN-591) as locomotives pull it through the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal on 11 Nov 1989. The submarine is en route to the Pacific Ocean.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DF-ST-93-04965 by MSGT. Herbert Cintron Jr., from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil. & submited by Bill Gonyo.
976k	Crew members stand on the sail and diving planes of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Shark (SSN-591) as locomotives pull it through the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal on 11 Nov 1989. The submarine is en route to the Pacific Ocean.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DF-ST-93-04967 by MSGT. Herbert Cintron Jr., from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
297k	Cover of Shark (SSN-591) Deactivation Ceremony pamphlet, 11 October, 1989.	Courtesy of Ken Hart / USN.
291k	"Sign of the times." March 1994 photo of Nuclear submarines at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard waiting in line for scrapping. Top row left to right are Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), Seawolf (SSN-575), Plunger (SSN-595), Shark (SSN-591), Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) alongside Sperry (AS-12), with Triton (SSRN-586) across the pier from the *Sperry* . Bottom row, from left to right Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), Skipjack (SS-585), Snook (SSN-592), Henry Clay (SSBN-625), Lapon (SSN-661), Dace (SSN-607), Skate (SSN-578), Swordfish (SSN-579), Sargo (SSN-583) , Seadragon (SSN-584). Across the pier are Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618), and not in view, Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), George Washington (SSBN-598),Barb (SSN-596) & Sea Devil (SSN-664). There are so many submarines at PSNSY that the yard is running out of pier space.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
83k	Trench 94, Hanford Site, Washington, 1994. Hull sections containing defueled reactor compartments of decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines are put in disposal trenches. Once full, the trench will be filled with dirt and buried. The compartments are expected to retain their integrity for more than 600 years.	USN photo & partial text courtesy of home.flash.net/~tomj/tunny/chop/rx. & submitted by Jack Treutle.
569k	Sealed reactor compartments are shipped by barge out of Puget Sound Naval Base down the coast and along the Columbia River to the port of Benton. There the radioactively-contaminated hull sections are transferred to special multiwheeled high-load trailers for transport to the Hanford Reservation in Washington State. Pictured below is the burial ground for spent fuel of the following 77 nuclear reactor submarines as of March 2003: Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), Snook (SSN-592), George Washington (SSBN-598), Scamp (SSN-588), Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601), Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618), Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600), Dace (SSN-607), John Adams (SSBN-620), Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), Barb (SSN-596), Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), Pollack (SSN-603), Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685), James Monroe (SSBN-622), Skipjack (SS-585), Nathan Hale (SSBN-623), Plunger (SSN-595), Shark (SSN-591), Lafayette (SSBN-616), Sam Houston (SSBN-609), Jack (SSN-605), Haddo (SSN-604), Tinosa (SSN-606), Guardfish (SSN-612), Permit (SSN-594), Queenfish (SSN-651), Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN-631), John Marshall (SSBN-611), George C. Marshall (SSBN-654), Flasher (SSN-613), Guitarro (SSN-665), Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617), George Washington Carver (SSBN-656), Tecumseh (SSBN-628), Halibut (SSGN-587), Will Rogers (SSBN-659), Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655), Daniel Boone (SSBN-629), Greenling (SSN-614), John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630), Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), Skate (SSN-578), Sargo (SSN-583), Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657), Sturgeon (SSN-637), Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640), Swordfish (SSN-579), Seadragon (SSN-584), Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634), Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641), Hammerhead (SSN-663), Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658) , Tullibee (SSN-597), Lewis & Clark (SSBN-644), Pargo (SSN-650), Seahorse (SSN-669), Gurnard (SSN-662), Flying Fish (SSN-673), Gato (SSN-615), Puffer (SSN-652), Seawolf (SSN-575), Baton Rouge (SSN-689), Bergall (SSN-667), Whale (SSN-638), Henry Clay (SSBN-625), James Madison (SSBN-627), Finback (SSN-670), Spadefish (SSN-668), Sunfish (SSN-649), George Bancroft (SSBN-643), Grayling (SSN-646), Pintado (SSN-672), Tunny (SSN-682), Archerfish (SSN-678), & Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624).	USN photo & partial text courtesy of home.flash.net/~tomj/tunny/chop/rx. & submitted by Jack Treutle.