Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

History

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Phoenix (SSN 702)

USS PHOENIX was the 15^th ship in the LOS ANGELES - class of nuclear powered attack submarine. Decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on July 29, 1998, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH., PHOENIX was subsequently towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA., where she spent the following 18 years laid up awaiting her turn in the submarine recycling program.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

• Click here to see which USS PHOENIX memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS PHOENIX History:

USS PHOENIX was a LOS ANGELES-class nuclear-powered attack submarine built for the U.S. Navy at the height of the Cold War and named for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Her construction contract was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics at Groton, Connecticut, on October 31, 1973, as part of the main production run of LOS ANGELES-class fast attack submarines designed for high-speed, deep-water anti-submarine warfare against Soviet forces.

Her keel was laid down at Groton on July 30, 1977, and she was launched there on December 8, 1979, sponsored by Betty Harvey Rhodes, the wife of Arizona congressman John J. Rhodes, underlining the connection with her namesake city. Following fitting out and initial trials, USS PHOENIX was commissioned at Groton on December 19, 1981, with Captain William C. Rothert in command. After commissioning, USS PHOENIX reported to Submarine Squadron Eight and took up her long-term home port at Norfolk, Virginia, where she would remain based for roughly sixteen years. Like other new LOS ANGELES-class submarines, she spent her first year in service completing shakedown operations, crew training, and a Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA), during which early experience at sea was used to correct minor material issues and refine her combat and engineering systems. With the PSA completed, she entered the pattern that would characterize most of her career: alternating periods of maintenance and training with extended deployments in support of U.S. and NATO naval operations.

One of the defining episodes of USS PHOENIX's early career came in 1983, when she undertook a long Western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment associated with the first around-the-world cruise of the carrier battle group built around USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70). According to contemporary accounts, she operated in direct support of that battle group, contributing to its anti-submarine screen, conducting oceanographic surveys, and carrying out independent anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence-gathering tasks in the broader Indo-Pacific region. During this deployment, USS PHOENIX made several notable port calls. Between July 1 and July 7, 1983, she visited HMAS Stirling, the Royal Australian Navy base near Rockingham in Western Australia, during a period when U.S. nuclear-powered ships were making regular calls there as part of alliance cooperation and Indian Ocean presence operations. She arrived in company with elements of the CARL VINSON battle group, including nuclear-powered cruiser USS TEXAS (CGN 39), highlighting her integration into a major carrier task group at a time when the United States was demonstrating its ability to surge carrier and submarine forces into the Indian Ocean.

Later in the same deployment, USS PHOENIX crossed the South Pacific to New Zealand. On November 9, 1983, she entered Auckland Harbor for a port visit that became a focal point for New Zealand's growing anti-nuclear movement. Protest flotillas of yachts, small boats, and canoes attempted to impede the submarine's entry, forcing her at one point to slow and reverse while New Zealand naval units escorted her safely into port. The visit, and the protests surrounding it, formed part of the political background that later led New Zealand to adopt anti-nuclear policies affecting visits by nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships. After completing her stay in Auckland in November 1983, PHOENIX continued east, transited the Panama Canal, and returned to Norfolk, completing a circumnavigation of the globe that lasted approximately 203 days and covered about 65,000 miles.

In early 1984, after returning from the world cruise, USS PHOENIX entered a major upkeep period to absorb lessons from her deployment and to prepare for further operations. That year, she became the first LOS ANGELES-class submarine to complete the Consolidated Anti-Submarine Readiness Test (CART), a demanding evaluation of her ability to detect, classify, and engage submarine targets.

Following a Selective Restricted Availability (SRA) later in the year, she conducted Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) operations in which she fired 25 exercise torpedoes, providing intensive training for future submarine commanding officers and demonstrating the reliability of her weapons and fire-control systems. The boat also successfully passed an unannounced Operational Reactor Safeguards Examination (ORSE), confirming the safe and effective operation of her nuclear propulsion plant. In November 1984, she achieved the highest possible Tactical Effectiveness Factor during a Tactical Readiness Evaluation (TRE), underscoring her status as a highly proficient attack submarine in the Atlantic Fleet.

Throughout most of 1985 and into early 1986, USS PHOENIX was heavily engaged in ASW operations in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic, reflecting the continuing priority placed on tracking and, in wartime, neutralizing Soviet ballistic-missile and attack submarines. During this period, she undertook four major ASW missions and took part in at least one major NATO exercise, honing her crew's skills in joint operations with allied navies. Her performance earned her crew a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the effectiveness of these missions, while inspections during the period included another ORSE and a Supply Management Inspection in which the ship received an "Excellent" assessment. She also earned the Submarine Squadron Eight Communications Green "C" for outstanding communications performance in 1985, indicating that her radio and communications teams had met very high standards for readiness and reliability.

In 1986, USS PHOENIX continued a high operational tempo. She participated in a major fleet exercise (FLEETEX), again conducted PCO operations, and once more passed an ORSE with strong results. Her tactical and engineering performance during a Tactical Readiness Evaluation earned her designation as a "top performer" within her squadron, and the ship's Supply Department received the Submarine Squadron Eight Blue "E" award for excellence in supply management for the year, marking sustained administrative and logistical competence alongside her operational achievements.

In 1987, USS PHOENIX deployed from February to May, a cruise that again resulted in award of a Meritorious Unit Commendation recognizing the effectiveness of the ship's operations during the deployment. After the boat returned to Norfolk, her crew stood down for rest and maintenance, and then resumed at-sea work with midshipman training cruises, torpedo proficiency firings, and type training through the summer of 1987. Later that year, she completed another TRE and ORSE. The ship's Medical Department earned particular recognition when it was judged to be the best in Submarine Squadron Eight and awarded the Medical Yellow "M", reflecting strong performance in medical readiness and care of the crew.

The following year, 1988, saw USS PHOENIX continue to support fleet readiness and tactical development. Early in the year, she conducted further torpedo proficiency firings and participated in testing of the Mk 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) torpedo, the newer and more capable version of the Navy's standard heavyweight torpedo, integrating it into her weapons suite. She again embarked on PCO operations and took part in a major FLEETEX, where her performance in simulated combat was strong enough that she recorded the highest percentage of "hits" and "sinkings" of any submarine participating in the exercise. After completing another ORSE in November 1988, the ship remained in port to close out the year, preparing for a significant modernization period.

In 1989, USS PHOENIX entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a Depot Modernization Period (DMP), a substantial overhaul that reflected mid-life modernization priorities as the Cold War neared its end. During this yard period, major elements of her combat system were upgraded: her fire-control and sonar suites were modernized, and improvements were made to the propulsion plant to enhance performance and reliability. This work ensured that she would remain an effective front-line asset into the 1990s despite rapid advances in undersea warfare technology.

By early 1990, USS PHOENIX had completed her DMP and returned to sea for post-overhaul sea trials, verifying the performance of her modernized systems and propulsion plant. After these trials she undertook midshipman training cruises and completed sonar and fire-control system certifications, confirming that both equipment and crew were ready for renewed deployment. Later in 1990, she participated in another major FLEETEX and again successfully completed an ORSE, sustaining her record of strong engineering performance.

In February 1991, as the end of the Cold War and the aftermath of the Gulf War reshaped U.S. naval operations, USS PHOENIX underwent another TRE and then began a Pre-Overseas Movement (POM) workup. After receiving POM certification, she deployed to the Mediterranean. On this deployment, she carried out numerous independent operations and ASW tasks, and her performance in anti-submarine warfare earned her the Commander Sixth Fleet "Hook 'Em" award for ASW excellence, reflecting her effectiveness in tracking and simulating engagement of submarines in one of the Navy's most demanding operational theaters.

During this cruise, she also became the first U.S. nuclear attack submarine to deploy as an integral part of a carrier battle group, operating with the carrier USS FORRESTAL (CV 59) and taking part in multiple combined exercises that showcased the role of fast attack submarines within carrier strike group operations in the post-Cold War environment.

In 1992, USS PHOENIX alternated local operations out of Norfolk and Independent Steaming Exercises with a Selective Restricted Availability in which she received further upgrades to her weapons and sensor systems, keeping her combat systems current as technology evolved. Over June and July 1992, she successfully completed an ORSE, a TRE, and a Nuclear Technical Weapons Proficiency Inspection (NTPI), a combination of examinations that collectively assessed her nuclear propulsion safety, tactical readiness, and weapons handling procedures. Her strong results were recognized when she received the Submarine Squadron Eight Tactical "T" award, highlighting her overall war-fighting readiness.

From April to May 1993, USS PHOENIX deployed to the North Atlantic, reflecting the continuing importance of that theater for monitoring Russian submarine activities after the end of the Soviet Union. She followed the deployment with her annual sequence of evaluations, including a TRE, ORSE, and Supply Management Inspection, all of which she completed successfully. For her seamanship and topside preservation efforts, she received the Submarine Squadron Eight Deck Seamanship "D" award in 1993, recognizing the state of her topside equipment, hull appearance, and deck operations.

The year 1994 saw USS PHOENIX undertake two separate deployments to the North Atlantic, together totaling about six months at sea. These cruises took place during a period when NATO navies continued to refine undersea warfare cooperation even as traditional Cold War threats diminished. She completed another ORSE in September 1994, balancing operational commitments with training and engineering assessments. For her collective performance from January 1994 through March 1995 she received a third Meritorious Unit Commendation, underscoring continuing high-level operational results in the post-Cold War environment. Submarine Squadron Eight further recognized her performance by awarding her both the Tactical "T" and the Anti-Submarine Warfare "A" for 1994, indicating top-tier readiness in overall combat capability and ASW specialization.

In March 1995, USS PHOENIX returned from this North Atlantic period of operations and later that year underwent another SRA from July to October, during which maintenance and incremental improvements were carried out. From late October through mid-November 1995, she went to sea again for ORSE workups and the ORSE itself. She again received the Submarine Squadron Eight Deck Seamanship "D" award for 1995, a sign of consistent performance in seamanship and material upkeep.

During 1996, USS PHOENIX completed several at-sea periods devoted to local operations, training, and tactical development. Later in the year, she passed another TRE and ORSE and completed a Logistics Readiness Examination, which assessed her ability to sustain operations over extended periods. In July 1996, the crew began a new POM workup aimed at a forthcoming North Atlantic deployment, focusing on refining tactical skills and ensuring that all systems and departments were prepared. For 1996, she received the Squadron Eight Damage Control "DC" award, reflecting excellence in shipboard firefighting readiness and casualty response procedures.

USS PHOENIX began what would be her final major deployment in January 1997, once again sailing to the North Atlantic. She returned from this deployment in April 1997, adding one more series of Cold War-style patrols to her record even as the strategic environment continued to evolve. After a post-deployment stand-down and upkeep, she spent the summer of 1997 at sea on midshipman training cruises, sonar testing, and a series of cruises for distinguished visitors, which gave civilian and military guests an opportunity to see first-hand the capabilities of a modern attack submarine. An unscheduled ORSE during this period again tested her engineering readiness.

On September 18, 1997, USS PHOENIX was officially inactivated at Norfolk Naval Base, a formal step toward decommissioning that removed her from the list of active units while her nuclear fuel and major systems began to be prepared for retirement. Later that month, she departed Norfolk under tow for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, where the remaining preparations for decommissioning were carried out. USS PHOENIX was formally decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on July 29, 1998.

After decommissioning, she entered the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. There, she remained in waterborne storage for many years - about eighteen years in total - before final recycling, a period longer than her seventeen years of active service. Even after her hull began to be disposed of, USS PHOENIX continued to have a presence connected with her namesake city. The Navy agreed to donate key portions of the submarine - the sail, diving planes, and rudder - for use in a Cold War monument in Phoenix, Arizona. Planning for this project was undertaken by local veterans' organizations and civic groups, which worked with the Navy to secure the components and design an appropriate memorial.

On August 12, 2016, the sail, diving planes, and rudder of USS PHOENIX arrived by truck at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix after transport from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Together the pieces weighed over 123,000 pounds. There, they were placed in storage pending fundraising and design work for the future USS PHOENIX Cold War Monument at Steele Indian School Park, where the preserved elements of the submarine are intended to serve as a tangible reminder of the city's namesake boat and of the role played by attack submarines in the Cold War and its aftermath.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS PHOENIX Image Gallery:

back to top

Back to Submarines list.

Back to ships list.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.