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USS Puffer (SSN 652)

USS PUFFER was the 10^th STURGEON - class attack submarine and the second ship in the Navy named after the fish. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on July 12, 1996, the PUFFER subsequently entered the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Wash. Recycling was completed on March 28, 1997.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS PUFFER. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS PUFFER History:

USS PUFFER was the second United States Navy ship to bear the name PUFFER and the tenth STURGEON-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The contract for USS PUFFER was awarded on March 26, 1963, to Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid there on February 8, 1965. She belonged to a design developed from the earlier THRESHER/PERMIT line and shaped by the Navy's post-THRESHER (SSN 593) emphasis on submarine safety, quality assurance, seawater-system integrity, quieting, sonar performance, survivability, and the ability to operate for long periods submerged in distant waters. USS PUFFER was launched at Pascagoula on March 30, 1968, sponsored by Mrs. John B. Colwell. Commander John M. Will Jr. and the precommissioning crew rode her down the ways at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries. During the following year and a half, the submarine was certified to operate her nuclear propulsion plant and underwent dock trials and sea trials.

USS PUFFER was commissioned on August 9, 1969, with Commander John M. Will Jr. in command. Two days after commissioning, USS PUFFER departed Pascagoula for Hawaiian waters. She operated locally around Hawaii for crew training and preparation for a post-shakedown availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, in December 1969. Her entry into service came at a time when the United States was still deeply involved in the Vietnam War, while the Soviet Pacific Fleet was expanding and American nuclear attack submarines were increasingly central to surveillance, tracking, and anti-submarine warfare in the Pacific.

In March 1970, USS PUFFER completed her post-shakedown availability and returned to sea. She arrived at her new home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on May 3, 1970. During the following months, she continued training and local operations. In October 1970, she deployed for a two-month submerged training cruise and returned to Pearl Harbor in December 1970. After upkeep and additional training, she departed on March 17, 1971, for her first western Pacific deployment. As a unit of the United States Seventh Fleet, she visited Adak, Alaska; Guam in the Mariana Islands; Yokosuka, Japan; Pusan, South Korea; Buckner Bay, Okinawa; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Hong Kong. These ports placed her within the standard Vietnam-era Seventh Fleet operating network, connecting Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, Guam, Korea, and Hong Kong. USS PUFFER returned to Pearl Harbor from this deployment in September 1971.

On January 4, 1972, Commander Daniel L. Cooper relieved Commander Will as USS PUFFER's second commanding officer. On June 1, 1972, the submarine left for the Puget Sound area to become the first Pacific Fleet submarine certified to carry the Mark 48 torpedo. The Mark 48 was a major development in submarine weapons, intended to engage both deep-diving submarines and high-performance surface ships. Certification of USS PUFFER for the weapon placed her among the Pacific Fleet boats being prepared for a new generation of undersea warfare. She returned to Pearl Harbor and, on August 4, 1972, deployed again to the western Pacific as a unit of the Seventh Fleet. During this deployment, she visited Yokosuka, Japan; Hong Kong; and Subic Bay, Philippines. She returned to Pearl Harbor on February 20, 1973, for upkeep and local operations in support of Pacific Fleet units. During this operating period, USS PUFFER also became the first submarine to fire the Mark 48 torpedo on the torpedo test range at Barking Sands, Kauai. She then departed Hawaii and transited to Bremerton, Washington, arriving on July 14, 1973, to begin a regular overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

On February 1, 1974, Lieutenant Commander Alton K. Thompson relieved Commander Cooper and became USS PUFFER's third commanding officer. The overhaul, which had begun in 1973, continued into 1974. After comprehensive sea trials, USS PUFFER completed the shipyard overhaul on October 20, 1974. Extensive weapons-system and acoustic trials were then conducted in Puget Sound and along the California coast before the submarine returned to Hawaii. The overhaul and post-overhaul trials occurred during a period when the Navy was improving its nuclear attack submarines for the increasingly demanding undersea contest with the Soviet Navy. Weapons certification, sonar performance, acoustic signature, and submarine readiness were all central to the ability of STURGEON-class boats to remain useful in the Pacific.

USS PUFFER's third western Pacific deployment began on August 28, 1975. During the deployment, she participated in anti-submarine warfare exercises and visited Subic Bay, Philippines; Guam in the Mariana Islands; and Hong Kong. For superior performance from August 28, 1975, to January 15, 1976, USS PUFFER received the Navy Unit Commendation. She returned to Pearl Harbor on March 1, 1976. This deployment took place in the months following the end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon in April 1975, as American naval forces in the Pacific adjusted from direct wartime support toward alliance maintenance, deterrence, surveillance, and fleet readiness.

On October 20, 1976, Commander Donald R. Mathiowetz relieved Lieutenant Commander Thompson and became USS PUFFER's fourth commanding officer. USS PUFFER received her second Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally superior performance from November to December 1976, and she also received the Submarine Squadron One Battle Efficiency "E" for 1976. Her fourth western Pacific deployment began on April 21, 1977. During that deployment, she visited Subic Bay, Philippines; Hong Kong; Guam; and Sattahip, Thailand. The Sattahip visit reflected the continued American naval presence in Southeast Asian waters after the end of the Vietnam War, while Subic Bay and Guam remained critical United States support points in the Pacific. USS PUFFER was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for exceptionally high performance from June 21, 1977, to August 8, 1977. She returned from deployment on September 14, 1977, and began preparing for overhaul. On December 6, 1977, she departed Hawaii for Bremerton, Washington.

USS PUFFER's second major shipyard overhaul began in early 1978 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and included reactor refueling as well as modernization of her fire-control and sonar equipment. During the overhaul, on May 22, 1978, a valve was mistakenly opened and radioactive water was released during the Puget Sound yard period, with some later accounts giving the figure as up to 500 gallons. The overhaul continued afterward and was completed in May 1979. After comprehensive weapons-system and acoustic trials, USS PUFFER returned to Pearl Harbor by way of San Diego. In the fall of 1979, she was recertified for the Mark 48 torpedo and was certified for the first time to carry the Harpoon missile. This combination of reactor refueling, fire-control modernization, sonar improvement, Mark 48 recertification, and Harpoon certification kept the boat relevant as Soviet naval capabilities continued to improve.

On February 2, 1980, Commander Howard W. Habermeyer Jr. relieved Commander Mathiowetz and became USS PUFFER's fifth commanding officer. Between February and May 1980, the submarine completed pre-overseas-movement operations and upkeep. In May 1980, she departed for her fifth deployment to the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. During this deployment, she visited Perth, Australia; Hong Kong; Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory; Guam; and Subic Bay, Philippines. Public summaries identify a visit to HMAS Stirling at Rockingham, Western Australia, from July 18 to July 25, 1980. Diego Garcia had become increasingly important to American naval operations after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. USS PUFFER's Indian Ocean activity therefore belonged to a period of heightened American concern over Middle Eastern access, Soviet influence, and sea-lane security. During this deployment, she earned second place in the 1980 Ney Memorial Award for the small-mess-afloat category, received the Submarine Squadron One Supply "E" in October 1980, and received her third Navy Unit Commendation.

After returning to Pearl Harbor from the 1980 western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment, USS PUFFER conducted local operations from November 1980 until May 1981. She then entered a Selected Restricted Availability that was completed in August 1981. During 1981, she received the Submarine Squadron One Battle Efficiency "E", Engineering "E", and Supply "E" for outstanding performance. From September through late October 1981, she conducted workups for another deployment. In November 1981, USS PUFFER began her sixth western Pacific deployment. During this cruise, she visited Subic Bay, Philippines; Perth, Australia; and Yokosuka, Japan. Public summaries also identify another visit to HMAS Stirling at Rockingham, Western Australia, from February 10 to February 17, 1982. She returned to Pearl Harbor on May 14, 1982. In September 1982, she was awarded her second consecutive Submarine Squadron One Battle Efficiency "E", and for continued exceptionally superior performance she received her fourth Navy Unit Commendation.

In November 1982, USS PUFFER deployed for her seventh western Pacific deployment. In January 1983, she visited Yokosuka, Japan, for a port visit and upkeep. She returned to Pearl Harbor on January 26, 1983, and successfully completed mine-readiness certification. This certification reflected another part of the STURGEON-class mission set: the ability to employ mines as well as torpedoes and missiles. On June 3, 1983, Commander Bernard D. Greeson relieved Captain Habermeyer and became USS PUFFER's sixth commanding officer. On August 1, 1983, USS PUFFER again deployed to the western Pacific, visiting Hong Kong for a port visit and Subic Bay, Philippines, for upkeep. She completed her eighth deployment and returned to Hawaii on October 30, 1983. During the following months, she conducted local operations and was awarded the Submarine Squadron One Deck Seamanship Efficiency "E" for 1983.

In January 1984, USS PUFFER deployed on Chief of Naval Operations Project 670-OT-I, followed by an unscheduled deployment to the Middle Pacific in February 1984. On April 1, 1984, USS PUFFER entered a three-month Selected Restricted Availability that included steam-generator chemical cleaning. The availability was completed on July 1, 1984. After returning to operational status, she entered intensive training in preparation for a deployment to the eastern Pacific. On July 30, 1984, she deployed to the eastern Pacific, visiting San Diego and Alameda, California, and returned to Pearl Harbor on August 28, 1984.

On October 29, 1984, Commander Clinton E. Wright relieved Commander Greeson as USS PUFFER's seventh commanding officer. Following deployment preparations, USS PUFFER departed on her ninth western Pacific deployment on January 31, 1985. Ports of call were made at Fremantle, Australia; Yokosuka, Japan; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Diego Garcia. She returned to Pearl Harbor on August 5, 1985. She conducted local operations through January 1986 and then departed on a northern Pacific deployment on February 12, 1986. After returning to Pearl Harbor in April, she conducted local operations and pre-overhaul testing through August 1986. On August 24, 1986, USS PUFFER deployed on another northern Pacific deployment with less than 30 hours' notice.

On October 17, 1986, Commander Charles B. Reigner relieved Commander Wright as USS PUFFER's eighth commanding officer. On November 7, 1986, the submarine departed on a scheduled northern Pacific deployment. She returned on December 5, 1986, and her home port was officially changed to Bremerton, Washington, in preparation for her third overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. On January 14, 1987, USS PUFFER relocated to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and on February 9, 1987, she entered Dry Dock Number 6. Her overhaul continued through 1988 and finished ahead of schedule. She departed Washington in January 1989 and transited to her new home port at San Diego, California, becoming the newest member of Submarine Squadron Three. During the next several months, she conducted extensive post-overhaul material and weapons certifications during local operations off the southern California coast.

On August 10, 1989, Commander Thomas G. Kyle relieved Commander Reigner and became USS PUFFER's ninth commanding officer. Later that year, USS PUFFER gained a small place in popular culture when scenes connected with the film The Hunt for Red October were filmed off San Diego using the submarine and a boat from one of the submarine tenders at the Point Loma submarine base. Public accounts state that actor Sean Connery came aboard before filming to prepare for his role, and that the flashing-light sequence was filmed using USS PUFFER, although the submarine was not credited in the film. This was not a naval operation, but it is one of the few non-operational public episodes associated with the boat.

On December 8, 1989, USS PUFFER deployed for her tenth western Pacific deployment and her first since 1985. During the next six months, she visited Guam; Chinhae, South Korea; Pattaya Beach, Thailand; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Yokosuka, Japan. She completed the six-month deployment on June 6, 1990, returning to San Diego. The deployment occurred at the end of the Cold War: the Berlin Wall had fallen in November 1989, Eastern Europe was moving away from Soviet control, and the strategic structure that had shaped American submarine operations since the 1950s was changing rapidly. USS PUFFER's operational pattern, however, still reflected the established Pacific Fleet requirement for forward submarine presence, alliance support, and readiness in the western Pacific.

USS PUFFER prepared for her first Arctic deployment in July 1990 and, on August 24, 1990, departed for the Arctic Ocean. During the two-month operation, she made 25 surfacings in the Arctic, including one at the North Pole. Arctic operations tested navigation, sonar performance, communications, surfacing procedures, and shiphandling in one of the most demanding environments available to a nuclear submarine. They also retained military significance because the Arctic had long been tied to Soviet submarine operations and to the broader question of access beneath the polar ice. USS PUFFER was underway during the first two months of 1991 for Chief of Naval Operations special operations, returning to port on February 16, 1991. On May 20, 1991, she began a Selected Restricted Availability, which was completed on July 15, 1991. She was again underway in July and August 1991 for Chief of Naval Operations special operations.

On September 17, 1991, USS PUFFER began her eleventh western Pacific deployment. Ports of call included Yokosuka, Japan; Adak, Alaska; Guam; and Brisbane, Australia. She returned home to San Diego on March 17, 1992, and was awarded her fourth Meritorious Unit Commendation for operations during that deployment. In April 1992, she was certified for the new Mark 48 Advanced Capability torpedo. This certification reflected the continuing modernization of submarine weapons after the Cold War. Although the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, the Navy still required attack submarines capable of high-end anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, and the Mark 48 ADCAP became central to that mission.

On May 12, 1992, Commander Richard A. Wright relieved Commander Kyle and became USS PUFFER's tenth commanding officer. In June 1992, USS PUFFER began a ten-week underway period that included operations with Special Forces and culminated in a successful operational test launch of a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Her performance in 1992 earned her the first Submarine Squadron Three Tactical "T" for tactical excellence, recognition as the "Top Torpedo and Missile Shooter", and her third consecutive Submarine Squadron Three Red "DC" for damage-control excellence. These awards show that, even after more than two decades of service, USS PUFFER was still being used for weapons testing, tactical evaluation, and special-operations support.

After preparations for a second Arctic deployment, USS PUFFER departed for the Arctic Ocean on March 17, 1993. During the deployment, she surfaced through the ice, including at the North Pole on April 27, 1993, and conducted research and development experiments. Arctic Submarine Laboratory records identify USS PUFFER, commanded by Commander Richard A. "Rick" Wright, and USS SAN JUAN (SSN 751), commanded by Commander David L. Thomas, as conducting joint Arctic operations in 1993. USS SAN JUAN conducted the first through-ice surfacing by an improved LOS ANGELES-class submarine. During the deployment, USS PUFFER circumnavigated the North American continent, visiting Faslane, Scotland, and Puerto Rico en route and transiting the Panama Canal. She returned home from her Arctic deployment on June 15, 1993, and was awarded the Navy Arctic Service Ribbon and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Her 1993 Arctic cruise linked several themes of her career: under-ice operations, research and development work, special operational skill, and long-distance submerged endurance.

USS PUFFER's performance in 1993 earned her a second consecutive Submarine Squadron Three Tactical "T" for tactical excellence and an Engineering "E" for engineering excellence. From November 23, 1993, to January 31, 1994, she completed a Selected Restricted Availability, followed by preparations for her twelfth and final western Pacific deployment. She deployed on August 15, 1994. During that final deployment, she visited Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Yokosuka, Japan; Guam; Sasebo, Japan; Hong Kong; and Suva, Fiji. Public photographs from this deployment show her at or near Guam around Halloween in 1994. She returned home from her final deployment on February 15, 1995. This last western Pacific cruise took place in the early post-Cold-War environment, when the Navy was reducing force structure but still maintaining Pacific presence, alliance support, and submarine readiness in Japan, Korea, Guam, and Southeast Asian waters.

On April 10, 1995, Commander David A. Burkhard relieved Commander Wright and became USS PUFFER's eleventh and final commanding officer. The submarine continued with local operations and preparations for inactivation. Her inactivation ceremony was held at Naval Submarine Base San Diego, California, on September 8, 1995. The ceremony program identified Commander Burkhard as commanding officer and Commander J. P. Fallon as executive officer, with Senior Chief Electronics Technician Submarines K. E. Wilber as chief of the boat. Commander Burkhard gave the welcoming remarks, Vice Admiral Daniel L. Cooper, retired, the submarine's second commanding officer, introduced the principal speaker, and Captain John M. Will Jr., retired, USS PUFFER's first commanding officer, delivered the principal address.

After the inactivation period, USS PUFFER proceeded through the final administrative and disposal process. She was formally decommissioned on July 12, 1996, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. After decommissioning, ex-USS PUFFER entered the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Public disposal summaries record the recycling process as beginning on October 20, 1996, and being completed on March 28, 1997. Her fairwater planes later became part of The Fin Project, a permanent outdoor art installation at Magnuson Park on the shore of Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington.

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