# List of Sturgeon-class submarines

Named after the lead boat, the Sturgeon class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) served with the United States Navy from the late 1960s to the mid-2000s. With a submerged displacement of 4,780 tons, its successors were the 6,920-ton Los Angeles class, the first of which was commissioned in 1976. The Sturgeon class was designed with digital combat systems and more quieting features than its predecessor, the Thresher/Permit class. As SSNs, Sturgeon-class submarines were designed to primarily perform anti-submarine warfare operations. Seven different primary contractors constructed the 37 boats of the class, making it the second-most numerous nuclear-powered warship class in the world after the 62-boat Los Angeles class.
In the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy identified the need to reengineer the Thresher/Permit class, the boats of which were then being constructed. In pursuit of high-speed operations, many design aspects were sacrificed. To address such deficiences, the Sturgeon class was created. This class differed from its predecessor by having an enlarged and relocated sail to accommodate additional external sensors; a second periscope was also added. Additionally, the fairwater planes on the sail could be rotated 90 degrees to allow breaking through relatively thin ice. The hull was lengthened from about 278 ft (85 m) to about 292 ft (89 m); this, coupled with the larger sail, reduced the class's speed by 2 knots (2.3 mph; 3.7 km/h) compared to the Thresher/Permit class. Internally, the class's layout was rearranged to improve habitability and to admit more weapons as compared to its predecessor. The class was further redesigned with SUBSAFE program rules following the loss of Thresher in April 1963. Among the range of armaments used by the class were the Mark 48 torpedo, the Harpoon anti-ship missile, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the SUBROC nuclear anti-submarine missile.
Starting with USS Archerfish (SSN-678), the hull was lengthened by 10 ft (3 m) to allow a larger living and working space compared to previous boats of the class. Nine boats incorporated this extension. Other modifications included the addition of a Dry Deck Shelter (an external lockout chamber capable of accommodating SEAL Delivery Vehicles) to six boats to enable covert insertion and extraction of U.S. Navy SEALs.

## Boats

In October 1961, General Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded the contract to construct the lead boat of the class, USS Sturgeon (SSN-637). Laid down in August 1963, the boat was launched in February 1966 before being commissioned in March 1966. Electric Boat would be the largest builder of the class, responsible for twelve boats in total. It was followed by Newport News Shipbuilding (with nine boats), Ingalls Shipbuilding (seven boats), San Francisco Naval Shipyard/Mare Island Naval Shipyard (five boats), General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (two boats each). The final boat of the class, USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687), was commissioned in August 1975.
USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) was a significant modification of the Sturgeon design for an experimental propulsion system, and so was a one-ship class. USS Narwhal (SSN-671) was also identified as such during her construction, but later was admitted to have been a unique design with very little in common with the Sturgeon class
Originally designed for 20-year operational lives, boats of the Sturgeon class had this lengthened to 30 years, with a further planned three-year extension. However, many boats were retired prior to the limit to avoid costly nuclear refueling. The first to be decommissioned, in October 1991, was USS Sea Devil; the last, USS Parche (SSN-683), was decommissioned in July 2005. By then, the Los Angeles-, Seawolf-, and Virginia-class SSNs had entered service.

### Keys

* Boats in orange(†) were built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut.
* Boats in yellow(#) were built by Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia.
* Boats in lawn green(‡) were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
* Boats in aqua(↓) were built by San Francisco Naval Shipyard/Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California.
* Boats in sandy brown(§) were built by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division in Quincy, Massachusetts.
* Boats in red(↑) were built by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
| Length | Boat | Hull number | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Delivered | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Period of service | Fate |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Sturgeon † | SSN-637 | 30 November 1961 | 10 August 1963 | 26 February 1966 | 3 March 1967 | 3 March 1967 | 1 August 1994 | 27.4 | Disposed of by recycling; sail transferred to museum |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Whale § | SSN-638 | 30 November 1961 | 27 May 1964 | 14 October 1966 | 26 October 1968 | 12 October 1968 | 25 June 1996 | 27.7 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Tautog ‡ | SSN-639 | 30 November 1961 | 27 January 1964 | 15 April 1967 | 30 August 1968 | 17 August 1968 | 31 March 1997 | 28.6 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Grayling ↑ | SSN-646 | 5 September 1962 | 12 May 1964 | 22 June 1967 | 10 December 1969 | 11 October 1969 | 18 July 1997 | 27.8 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Pogy ‡ | SSN-647 | 23 March 1963 | 5 May 1964 | 3 June 1967 | 15 May 1971 | 15 May 1971 | 11 June 1999 | 28.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Aspro ‡ | SSN-648 | 23 March 1963 | 23 November 1964 | 29 November 1967 | 20 February 1969 | 20 February 1969 | 31 March 1995 | 26.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Sunfish § | SSN-649 | 23 March 1963 | 15 January 1965 | 14 October 1966 | 15 March 1969 | 15 March 1969 | 31 March 1997 | 28.0 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Pargo † | SSN-650 | 23 March 1963 | 3 June 1964 | 17 September 1966 | 23 December 1967 | 5 January 1968 | 14 April 1995 | 27.3 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Queenfish # | SSN-651 | 23 March 1963 | 11 May 1964 | 25 February 1966 | 6 December 1966 | 6 December 1966 | 14 April 1992 | 25.4 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Puffer ‡ | SSN-652 | 23 March 1963 | 8 February 1965 | 30 March 1968 | 31 July 1969 | 9 August 1969 | 12 July 1996 | 26.9 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Ray # | SSN-653 | 23 March 1963 | 4 January 1965 | 21 June 1966 | 19 April 1967 | 12 April 1967 | 16 March 1993 | 25.9 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Sand Lance ↑ | SSN-660 | 24 October 1963 | 15 January 1965 | 11 November 1969 | 1 October 1971 | 25 September 1971 | 7 August 1998 | 26.9 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Lapon # | SSN-661 | 24 October 1963 | 26 July 1965 | 16 December 1966 | 14 December 1967 | 14 December 1967 | 8 August 1992 | 24.7 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Gurnard ↓ | SSN-662 | 24 October 1963 | 22 December 1964 | 20 May 1967 | 8 December 1968 | 6 December 1968 | 28 April 1995 | 26.4 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Hammerhead # | SSN-663 | 28 May 1964 | 29 November 1965 | 14 April 1967 | 28 June 1968 | 28 June 1968 | 5 April 1995 | 26.8 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Sea Devil # | SSN-664 | 28 May 1964 | 12 April 1966 | 5 October 1967 | – | 30 January 1969 | 16 October 1991 | 22.7 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Guitarro ↓ | SSN-665 | 18 December 1964 | 9 December 1965 | 27 July 1968 | 9 September 1972 | 9 September 1972 | 29 May 1992 | 19.7 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Hawkbill | SSN-666 | 18 December 1964 | 12 September 1966 | 12 April 1969 | 1 March 1971 | 4 February 1971 | 15 March 2000 | 29.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Bergall † | SSN-667 | 9 March 1965 | 16 April 1966 | 17 February 1968 | 9 June 1969 | 13 June 1969 | 6 June 1996 | 27.0 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Spadefish # | SSN-668 | 9 March 1965 | 21 December 1966 | 15 May 1968 | 14 August 1969 | 14 August 1969 | 11 April 1997 | 27.7 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Seahorse † | SSN-669 | 9 March 1965 | 13 August 1966 | 15 June 1968 | 24 September 1969 | 19 September 1969 | 17 August 1995 | 25.9 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Finback # | SSN-670 | 9 March 1965 | 26 June 1967 | 7 December 1968 | 1 February 1970 | 4 February 1970 | 28 March 1997 | 27.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Pintado ↓ | SSN-672 | 29 December 1965 | 27 October 1967 | 16 August 1969 | 1 September 1971 | 11 September 1971 | 26 February 1998 | 26.5 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Flying Fish † | SSN-673 | 15 July 1966 | 30 June 1967 | 17 May 1969 | 1 April 1970 | 29 April 1970 | 16 May 1996 | 26.0 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Trepang † | SSN-674 | 15 July 1966 | 28 October 1967 | 27 September 1969 | 1 August 1970 | 14 August 1970 | 1 June 1999 | 28.8 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Bluefish † | SSN-675 | 15 July 1966 | 13 March 1968 | 10 January 1970 | 1 January 1971 | 8 January 1971 | 31 May 1996 | 25.4 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Billfish † | SSN-676 | 15 July 1966 | 20 September 1968 | 1 May 1970 | 1 March 1971 | 12 March 1971 | 1 July 1999 | 28.3 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 292 ft (89 m) | Drum ↓ | SSN-677 | 15 March 1967 | 20 August 1968 | 23 May 1970 | 1 April 1972 | 15 April 1972 | 30 October 1995 | 23.5 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Archerfish † | SSN-678 | 25 June 1968 | 19 June 1969 | 16 January 1971 | 1 December 1971 | 17 December 1971 | 31 March 1998 | 26.3 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Silversides † | SSN-679 | 25 June 1968 | 13 October 1969 | 4 June 1971 | 5 May 1972 | 5 May 1972 | 21 July 1994 | 22.2 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | William H. Bates (ex Redfish) ‡ | SSN-680 | 25 June 1968 | 4 August 1969 | 11 December 1971 | 1 May 1973 | 5 May 1973 | 11 February 2000 | 26.8 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Batfish † | SSN-681 | 25 June 1968 | 9 February 1970 | 9 October 1971 | 1 September 1972 | 1 September 1972 | 17 March 1999 | 26.5 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Tunny ‡ | SSN-682 | 25 June 1968 | 22 May 1970 | 10 June 1972 | 1 January 1974 | 26 January 1974 | 13 March 1998 | 24.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Parche ‡ | SSN-683 | 25 June 1968 | 10 December 1970 | 13 January 1973 | 1 August 1974 | 17 August 1974 | 18 July 2005 | 30.9 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Cavalla † | SSN-684 | 24 July 1968 | 4 June 1970 | 19 February 1972 | 1 April 1973 | 9 February 1973 | 30 March 1998 | 25.1 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | L. Mendel Rivers # | SSN-686 | 1 July 1969 | 26 June 1971 | 2 June 1973 | 1 December 1974 | 1 February 1975 | 10 May 2001 | 26.3 | Disposed of by recycling |
| 302 ft (92 m) | Richard B. Russell # | SSN-687 | 25 July 1969 | 19 October 1971 | 12 January 1974 | 12 August 1975 | 16 August 1975 | 24 June 1994 | 18.9 | Disposed of by recycling |