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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive


Contributed by Mike Smolinski.

Drum (SSN-677)
Commissioning - Decommissioning

Radio Call Sign: November - Romeo - Papa - Victor

To Additional Pages

Keel Laying - Launching


Sturgeon Class Attack Submarine: Laid down, 20 August 1968, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA.; Launched, 23 May 1970; Commissioned, USS Drum (SSN-677), 15 April 1972; Decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 30 October 1995; Final Disposition, scheduled for disposal through the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program (NPSSRP) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 8 October 2001

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 3,640 t., Submerged: 4,640 t.; Length 292' 3"; Beam 31' 8"; Draft 28' 8"; Speed, Surfaced 15 kts, Submerged 25 kts; Depth limit 1,300'; Complement 108; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes amidships aft of bow, MK 48 Torpedoes, UUM-44A SUBROC, UGM-84A/C Harpoon, MK 57 deep water mines, 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 S5W nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one propeller, 15,000 shp.
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Drum151k The front cover of Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program and its back showning vital statistics on the sub.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum150k Page 1 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program covering a short history of The First Attack Submarine.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum432k Pages 2 & 3 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program showing pictures of her launching at Mare Island and picture of her underway.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum343k Pages 4 & 5 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program covering the history and picture of the World War II submarine Drum (SS-228).
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum299k Pages 6 & 7 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program showing the fish for which Drum was named. Biography of RADM Paul L. Lacy, Jr., USN, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum342k Pages 8 & 9 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program Biography of RADM Maurice H. Rindskopf, USN, Coordination, Deep Submergence Systems Program and CDR James L. Willis, USN, Commanding Officer, Drum.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum193k Pages 10 & 11 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program lists the program for the commissioning ceremony.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum264k Pages 12 & 13 of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program lists the names of the Plank Owners of the Drum.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum245k Pages 14 & 15 pictures of the officers assigned to the Drum (SSN-677) and the crew member of the Navigation - Operations Departments.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum212k Pages 16 & 17 pictures of the Drum (SSN-677) crew members of the Engineering Department.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum248k Pages 18 & 19 pictures of the crew members of the Drum (SSN-677) Weapons, Executive, & Supply Departments.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum172k Page 20. Drum (SSN-677) under way.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum222k Front and back of the back cover of the Drum (SSN-677) Commissioning Program. First page covers the design of the ship's crest and the next shows the actual crest.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum114kBuilder's plaque (Fleet Introduction Site) fis on display during the commissioning ceremonies for the Drum (SSN-677) on 15 Apr 1972 at Mare Island.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum68kOfficer of the Deck, Drum (SSN-677) salutes Admirals flag during the commissioning ceremonies aboard the ship at Mare Island on 15 Apr 1972.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Drum86kDrum (SSN-677) at Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 15 Apr 1972 during her commissioning ceremony. The photo is taken looking southeast across the Mare Island Channel at Vallejo, CA. The large building across the channel is the rear of the main post office. The small boat in the background in the Mare Island to Vallejo ferry. She is bringing swing shift workers over from Vallejo and therefore time is about 3:15 - 3:25 PM. Note: Crew topside is in dress blues. There is no Jack on the Jackstaff. If she was in commissioning it should be flying.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Sturgeon Class43k 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.
Submerged submarines145kSubmerged submarines in tandem.U.S. Navy Photo courtesy of Robert Hall. Photo added 04/22/07.
Drum425k A port quarter view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Drum (SSN-677) underway on 4 Jan 1984 passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-84-04128 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
Drum66k Port quarter view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Drum (SSN-677) entering port on 11 Aug 1984.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-85-09446 by PHAN John D. Greathouse, USN, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
Drum508k Starboard bow view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Drum (SSN-677) entering port on 11 Aug 1984.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-85-09447 by PHAN John D. Greathouse, USN, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
Drum314k Starboard bow view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Drum (SSN-677) entering port accompanied by the large harbor tug Kittanning (YTB-787) on 11 Aug 1984. The Japanese Antarctic support ship Fuji (AB-5001) is in the background.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-85-09445 by PHAN John D. Greathouse, USN, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
Ballast Point, San Diego48kAn Oil on masonite painting by the artist John Charles Roach, entitled "Ballast Point, San Diego", depicts sub base with subs and tenders at the pier in San Diego during mid 1986. The tenders were possibly the: McKee (AS-42) for Subron 7:
Dixon (AS-37) for Subron 3:
Among the subs were the:
Dolphin (AGSS-555):
Gudgeon (SS-567):
Albacore (AGSS-569):
Barbel (SS-580):
Blueback (SS-581):
Permit (SSN-594):
Plunger (SSN-595):
Pollack (SSN-603)
Haddo (SSN-604):
Guardfish (SSN-612):
Haddock (SSN-621):
Sturgeon (SSN-637):
Gurnard (SSN-662) :
Hawkbill (SSN-666):
Pintado (SSN-672):
Drum (SSN-677):
William H. Bates (SSN-680):
La Jolla (SSN-701):
Portsmouth (SSN-707) &
Salt Lake City (SSN-716).
Ballast Point, San Diego
John Charles Roach 1986.5
Oil on masonite, 1986, courtesy of the USNHC, # 88-163-CR.
Text contributed by OMC J. Reid Pallady USNR-RET & QM2(SS) David Johnston, USNR.
Drum88k Commemorative postal cover marking the 100 anniversary of the submarine service on Aprill 11, 2000, picturing the Drum (SSN-677) and listing all the Mare Island Navy Yard, CA. built nuclear attack submarines.
Courtesy of The Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum and submitted by Darryl Baker.
Drum27k From left to right, Drum (SSN-677), Bluefish (SSN-675), Ray (SSN-653), Lapon (SSN-661) and Richard B. Russell (SSN-687) await scrapping at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 8 October 2001.
Courtesy of Don Sheldon.
SSN-671 & 67766k 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.

There is no DANFS History currently available for Drum (SSN-677) at the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site, the main archive for the DANFS Online Project.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Drum SSN-677
FAS--SSN-637 Sturgeon class

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