USS Pintado ( SSN - 672 ) USS " Pintado " ( SSN - 672 ) , a " Sturgeon " - class attack submarine , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pintado , a large mackerel - like fish , whose elongated spots suggested the Spanish language word meaning " painted . " Construction and commissioning . The contract to build " Pintado " was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo , California , on 29 December 1965 and her keel was laid down there on 27 October 1967 . She was launched on 16 August 1969 , sponsored by Mrs . Bernard A . Clarey , the wife of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations , Admiral Bernard A . " Chick " Clarey ( 1912 – 1996 ) , and commissioned on 11 September 1971 with Commander William Holland , Jr . , in command . Service history . " Pintado " was assigned San Diego , California , as her home port . She commenced her first operational deployment to the United States Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific in late October 1972 , returning to San Diego in April 1973 . " Pintado " conducted her second operational deployment from March to October 1974 . After returning to San Diego , " Pintado " became the first submarine to successfully launch the Harpoon missile . In May 1974 " Pintado " collided with a Soviet Navy YANKEE class ballistic missile submarine in the approaches to the Petropavlovsk - Kamchatsky naval base on the Soviet Union s Kamchatka Peninsula . The collision smashed much of " Pintado " s sonar sphere , jammed one of her a starboard - side torpedo hatches shut , and moderately damaging one of her diving plane s . The Soviet submarine surfaced immediately , but the extent of damage to her was not known . " Pintado " , meanwhile , remained submerged and departed the area at top speed . She proceeded to Guam , where she entered drydock for repairs that lasted seven weeks . Following her first overhaul , " Pintado " deployed to the Western Pacific in August 1977 . She was operating with Republic of Korea Navy vessels on 6 December 1977 when a South Korean surface ship abruptly turned toward her . She executed a crash dive , but the two ships collided , and " Pintado " sustained damage to the top of her rudder . She returned to San Diego in February 1978 . From September to November 1978 " Pintado " operated in the Arctic under the polar ice cap , surfacing at the North Pole on 10 October 1978 . In September 1979 " Pintado " deployed to the Indian Ocean and supported Carrier Battle Groups Alpha and Bravo during the early weeks of the Iranian hostage crisis . She returned to San Diego in February 1980 . " Pintado " again deployed to the Western Pacific from February to August 1981 , earning a Navy Unit Commendation . In June 1982 , " Pintado " entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , for a 16 - month regular overhaul during which her combat systems were extensively upgraded . The overhaul was completed in October 1983 , and in December 1983 she resumed operations out of San Diego . " Pintado " returned to the Arctic Ocean in September 1984 , operating under the polar ice cap until November 1984 in company with one of her sister ships , the attack submarine . On 12 November 1984 " Pintado " and " Gurnard " became the third pair of submarines to surface together at the North Pole . From July 1985 to January 1986 " Pintado " conducted her fifth operational deployment to the United States Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific . During this deployment , " Pintado " steamed over 33 , 000 nautical miles ( 61 , 116 kilometers ) and conducted numerous fast - paced and highly successful operations . Following her return to San Diego , she completed repairs and alteration and celebrated the 15th anniversary of her commissioning . During the autumn of 1986 , " Pintado " conducted over 50 days of highly successful operations as the Commander , Submarine Force , Pacific ready nuclear - powered attack submarine . " Pintado " surfaced at the North Pole for the third time on 16 June 1987 , during arduous Arctic operations extending from May to July 1987 . " Pintado " completed a two - month Arctic deployment in June 1988 . In July 1989 " Pintado " entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul . In January 1992 , " Pintado " s home port was changed to Pearl Harbor and became a member of Submarine Squadron 1 . From August 1992 through October 1992 " Pintado " conducted her fourth Arctic operation , also marking her 1000th surfacing and dive on 23 August 1992 . She surfaced at the North Pole for an unprecedented fourth time on 4 September 1992 and returned to Pearl Harbor in November 1992 after circumnavigating North America and steaming over 20 , 000 nautical miles ( 37 , 040 kilometers ) . In July 1993 , " Pintado " made a six - month UNITAS deployment in company with several U . S . Navy surface units , circumnavigating South America while visiting numerous ports and working extensively in exercises with various South American navies . From January 1996 through July 1996 " Pintado " conducted her sixth and final deployment to the Western Pacific . During this deployment " Pintado " participated in several exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self - Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy . Decommissioning and disposal . " Pintado " was decommissioned on 26 February 1998 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day . Her scrapping via the Nuclear - Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton , Washington , was completed on 27 October 1998 .