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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Radio Call Sign: November -Bravo - Echo- Sierra

Narwhal (SSN-671)

Sturgeon Class Attack Submarine: Laid down, 17 January 1966, at the Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corp., Groton, CT.; Launched, 9 September 1967; Commissioned, USS Narwhal (SSN-671), 12 July 1969; Decommissioned in 1999; Final Disposition, scheduled to be preserved as a museum in Newport, Kentucky in 2009. When opened, it will be the only U. S. Navy nuclear powered submarine on display open to the public.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 4,948 t., Submerged: 5,292 t.; Length 303'; Beam 33'; Draft 33`'; Speed, Surfaced 15 kts, Submerged 20+ kts; Test depth limit 1,300'; Complement 141; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes amidships aft of bow, MK 48 Torpedoes, UUM-44A SUBROC, UGM-84A/C Harpoon, MK 57 deep water mines, Tomahawk missiles, MK 60 CAPTOR mines; Combat Sensors, Radar, BPS-14/15 surface search, Sonars, BQQ-5 multi-function bow mounted, BQR-7 passive in submarines with BQQ-2, BQS-12 active 7, TB-16 or TB-23 towed array, EW Systems, WLQ-4(V), WLR-4(V), WLR-9 ; Propulsion System, one S5G nuclear reactor, single, enormous, directly-coupled main turbine & one-of-a-kind direct-drive, one propeller, 17,000 shp. Specs provided in part by LT Richard Dubnansky, Robert F. Marble TMCS(SS) USN (Ret)& CAPT William A. Matson, USN (ret.)

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
71k	Mrs. Glynn R. Donaho, sponsor of the Narwhal (SSN-671), christens her at the Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corp., Groton, CT.,9 September 1967. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover is at her immeadiate left.	Courtesy of nssdc.us.
93k	The Narwhal (SSN-671) slides down the launching ways at the Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corp., Groton, CT., 9 September 1967.	USN photo.
43k	Oil on canvas painting by the artist Jim Christley entitled "Trailing". During the Cold War the US Naval Submarine Force was tasked with keeping tabs on Soviet Naval movements in particular, the Soviet Submarine Force. Submarines of the *Sturgeon Class* were well suited to this task and often trailed Soviet submarines for days reporting on their movements and recording noise signatures. In this image, such a trailing has turned into a close aboard encounter as a Soviet *Viktor III Class* has turned to port to check his baffles (to listen to see if anyone is immediately astern). A trailing *Sturgeon* has stopped his screw and gone quiet. Extending far behind the US submarine is its towed array sonar which assists in giving a clear picture of the ocean’s acoustics	Photo & text courtesy of subart.net.
145k	Submerged submarines in tandem.	U.S. Navy Photo courtesy of Robert Hall.
21k	Commemorative postal cover marking the Narwhal's (SSN-671) visit to Port Everglades, Florida, June 1975.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
59k	Night time photo of the Narwhal (SSN-671), in port, possibly at Norfolk, VA., circa 1990.	Photographed and copyrighted by Terry Baumgartner, courtesy of goatlocker.org.
225k	A port bow view of the submarine tender L. Y. Spear (AS-36) tied up on the north side of one of the Destroyer & Submarine (D&S) piers at Norfolk, VA., 8 Oct 1994. The nuclear-powered attack submarine Narwhal (SSN-671) is tied up inboard on the south side of the pier with a *Sturgeon-class* nuclear-powered attack submarine outboard. Note the large raised hump added to the *Narwhal's* stern.	USN photo # DN-SC-95-01406, by Don S. Montgomery, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
174k	An aerial view, looking west, of a section of the naval base showing two of the destroyer and submarine (D&S) piers located on the south end of the installation. A submarine tender and several nuclear-powered attack submarines are tied up, 22 Jan 1995. The submarine in the right hand corner is most likely the Narwhal (SSN-671). She has a general *637* hull and sail structure but the hull is longer. Her fat line array stowage tube is on the starboard side versus the port as on a *637. While 685* was also a stretched *637* hull, her fat line tube was still on the port side; only *Narwhal* and the *688's* have it on the stbd side. It also appears this was during the period when she had the thin line array "hump" on her stern.	USN photo # DN-ST-95-01441, by Robert J. Sitar, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil. Photo i.d. courtesy of Phil Tuckey.
686k	A starboard quarter view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Narwhal (SSN-671) tied up at NAS Norfolk, Pier 22, Berth 4 on 19 Aug 1995. The hump at the stern of the *Narwhal* is a special sonar unit to assist a *DSRV*.	USN photo # DN-SC-92-06256 by Don S. Montgomery, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
434k	The Chilean Navy *Thomspon (Type 209) class(TYPE 1300) (SSK)* submarine anchored at Coquimbo, Chile, 3 Oct 1996. The U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine Narwhal (SSN-671) is anchored in the background. Both subs are participating in Phase 5 exercises of Operation Unitas 37-96.	USN photo # DNSD0-109816 by LT.JG Joe Clark, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
126k	Narwhal (SSN-671), at sea, possibly during October 1996 during joint exercise Operation Unitas 37-96 in Paraguay.	Federation of American Scientists (fas.org)
65k	Narwhal (SSN-671), underway, starboard view, off the coast of Puget Sound, Washington.	Official US Navy photo courtesy of Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
84k	The Narwhal (SSN-671) cuts through the sea off the coast of Puget Sound, Washington.	USN photo courtesy of Robert Hurst.
75k	Narwhal (SSN-671), in Gibraltar 2nd Nov. 1998.	Courtesy of Daniel Ferro.
19k	Commemorative postal cover marking the Narwhal's (SSN-671) decommissioning ceremony, 15 January 1999.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
33k	Commemorative postal cover marking the Narwhal's (SSN-671) decommissioning, 31 January 2000.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
66k	ex Long Beach (CG-9) and some friends - namely ex Narwhal (SSN-671), ex Drum (SSN-677), and beyond ex Midway (CV-41). Shot taken January of 2003 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard just a few months prior to the *ex Midway's* move to San Diego. Also in the mix are some *Spruance Class* destroyers and the ex Ranger (CV-61) on the far side but out of sight here.	Courtesy of Larry Lee.
285k	During a vacation trip Aug 2008 to the Seattle area I was able to get over to Port Orchard and get a shot of the ex Drum (SSN-677). It is next to the ex Narwhal (SSN-671) and *Drum* appears to be the last *637 Class* "left standing". The efforts by the Mare Island Historic Park Commission to save the *Drum* have fallen through due to funding shortfalls and lack of local Gov't support. It is expected that the "recycling" of *Drum* will take place this winter.	Courtesy of Rick Wetmore. Photo added 01/04/09.