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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch on left contributed by Mike Smolinski, Decal on right by unlimiteddetails.com ,
Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Tango - Sierra

Sturgeon (SSN-637)

Sturgeon Class Attack Submarine: Laid down, 10 August 1963, at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA; Launched, 26 February 1966; Commissioned, USS Sturgeon (SSN-637), 3 March 1967; Decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 1 August 1994; Final Disposition, disposed by NPSSRP (Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 11 December 1995.

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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For Full Size		SizeImage DescriptionContributed By
>Sturgeon24k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the Sturgeon's (SSN-637) keel laying at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA., 10 August 1963.Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Sturgeon996k Sturgeon (SSN-637) cutaway image.Photo courtesy of unlimiteddetails.com .
>Sturgeon19kLine art drawing of the Sturgeon (SSN-637). Courtesy of globalsecurity.org.
Sturgeon227kLaunching ceremony of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Sturgeon (SSN-637) on 26 February 1966.
Sturgeon is receiving her first attack on her bow by her sponsor; Mrs. Everett Dirksen, the wife of United States Senator Everett Dirksen (1896-1969) of Illinois. 		Photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave.
Sturgeon241kSturgeon (SSN-637) on her ways down on 26 February 1966.USN photo was graciously provided by the Executive Officer, Wade I. Melton, Captain (retired), courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Sturgeon449k Sturgeon (SSN-637) all the way in on 26 February 1966.USN photo # NPC 1114997 courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Sturgeon230k Sturgeon (SSN-637) is now waterborne.USN photo was graciously provided by the Executive Officer, Wade I. Melton, Captain (retired), courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Sturgeon124k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the Sturgeon's (SSN-637) launching, 26 February 1966. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Sturgeon120k Sturgeon (SSN-637) underway, possibly during her seatrials off the New England coast, 1966-67.Official USN photo courtesy of Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
Sturgeon108kTopside bowview of the Sturgeon (SSN-637), underway, 17 January 1967.Electric Boat / USN photo.
Sturgeon218kBow view's of the Sturgeon (SSN-637) on shakedown trials on 15 February 1967.USN photo # NPC K-36125 courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Sturgeon280kCommissioning photo of the Sturgeon (SSN-637), 3 March 1967. Photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave.
Sturgeon974kEight page Welcome Aboard PDF for the Sturgeon (SSN-637).PDF courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Haddock & Sturgeon69kHaddock (SSN-621) & Sturgeon (SSN-637) moored together in New London, CT., spring 1968.Courtesy of Gerald W. Van Iwaardenm, plankowner.
Sturgeon31k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the Sturgeon's (SSN-637) visit to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, August 21-27, 1979.Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Sturgeon Class43kOil 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.USN photo courtesy of Robert Hall.
Sturgeon165k Sturgeon (SSN-637) in Roosevelt Roads in the early 1980s on Operation Alter Ego. Photo courtesy of Glenn Kenney, LCDR, USN Ret.
Sturgeon124kBow view of the Sturgeon (SSN-637) in Roosevelt Roads in the early 1980s on Operation Alter Ego. Photo courtesy of Glenn Kenney, LCDR, USN Ret.
Sturgeon91kThe Sturgeon (SSN-637) at Portsmouth, England in July of 1984.Photo courtesy of Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR RET. Photo i.d. courtesy of Paul Cantrell (Former MM1(SS).
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 (USN, retired)
Sturgeon52kThe Sturgeon (SSN-637) lies in shallow broken ice at the North Pole, 17 April 1989. USN photo courtesy of US Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory & csp.navy.mil.
Sturgeon436kA starboard bow view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Sturgeon (SSN-637) underway off Long Island, N.Y. on 1 February 1991. Defense Visual Information Center photo # DN-SC-94-02227, by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Grant, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil. & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
Sturgeon148kCommemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the decommissioning Sturgeon (SSN-637) on 1 August 1994.Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Reactor Compartments83kTrench 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 submitted by Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Spent Fuel569kSealed 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).
As time passes & more boats are retired from service and their reactors are brought here, so the numbers rise. In this photo dated November 2009, 98 nuclear submarines and six nuclear cruisers have been recycled. For an up to date view, click here		USN photo submitted by Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Insert link courtesy of wikimedia.org
Sturgeon209kThe Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington houses the sail of the Sturgeon (SSN-637), which is on display outside the museum. Photo courtesy of John MacKay.
Commanding Officers
01CDR. Shellman Jr., Curtis Barnett, USN (USNA 1952)03.03.1967 - 27.03.1968 First Date in Commission
02CDR. Bohannan, William Louis, USN27.03.1968 - 15.07.1971
03CDR. Hellewell, John Seymour, USN (USNA 1957)15.07.1971 - 01.05.1973
04CDR. Payne, Joseph Carroll, USN01.05.1973 - 04.06.1973
05CDR. Roberts, James Norman, USN (USNA 1959)04.06.1973 - 19.01.1976
06CDR. Broadfield, Donald Earl, USN (USNA 1960)19.01.1976 - 21.09.1979
07CDR. Sterner, George Rudolph, USN :VADM21.09.1979 - 12.05.1982
08CDR. Armitage, Charles Edmund (Chuck), USN12.05.1982 - 05.12.1986
09CDR. David Paul, USN (USNA 1971)05.12.1986 - 23.06.1989
10CDR. Johnson, Michael David, USN23.06.1989 - 15.02.1992
11CDR. Dietrich, Rolf Adam, USN15.02.1992 - 01.08.1994 Last Date in Commission
Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
View the Sturgeon (SSN-637)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
FAS--SSN-637 Sturgeon class
HISTORIC SUBMARINE DOCUMENTARY AND TRAINING FILMS
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