USS Narwhal ( SSN - 671 ) USS " Narwhal " ( SSN - 671 ) , a unique submarine , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the narwhal , a gray and white arctic whale with a unicorn - like , ivory tusk . Her keel was laid down on 17 January 1966 by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation , in Groton , Connecticut . She was launched on 9 September 1967 sponsored by Glynn R . Donaho , and commissioned on 12 July 1969 with Commander W . A . Matson in command . Design . Very little of the " Narwhal " s design was based on the submarine . Her power plant , engine room , and forward compartment layout was unlike any other U . S . submarine . Forward of her reactor compartment the crew enjoyed more available space and berthing than her , " Sturgeon " , or sisters . Her engine room was spacious and well laid out . Elements of her propulsion were incorporated in later ship classes , especially the , but no other submarine has used all of " Narwhal " s innovations . These innovations included a natural circulation reactor plant , scoop seawater injection ( which was not repeated ) , the ability to cross connect main and auxiliary seawater systems , main air ejectors instead of noisy R - 114 units for cooling , and a directly coupled main engine turbine . Her small reactor coolant pumps had two speeds : On and Off . The result was the quietest submarine of her era , and for many years to follow . Her silence was equaled only by the " Ohio " class and finally surpassed by the . " Narwhal " was fitted with a " turtleback " structure just forward of her rudder that may have been used for remote - controlled underwater vehicles , or for housing an experimental towed sonar array . Career . Little information about " Narwhal " s career is available , but it was not uneventful and included a very heavy deployment rate interrupted only by three overhauls ( two involving reactor refueling ) . " Narwhal " had few difficulties in Arctic waters , easily shadowing Soviet and Russia n vessels . Those deployments earned " Narwhal " a Navy Unit Commendation for a 1972 deployment , and Meritorious Unit Commendation s for operations in 1971 , 1977 , 1979 , and 1998 . She also earned the Battle Efficiency E ( five awards ) , the Engineering E ( four awards ) , and the Anti - Submarine Warfare A , the Communications C and the Supply E . She may have also been used for special operations duty . " Narwhal " sustained minor damage on 22 September 1989 when Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston , South Carolina . She was moored with nine double wires and two three - inch ship ' s lines in preparation for the storm . All but one of the lines parted during the first half of the storm , and she drifted into the Cooper River . Tugboats and " Narwhal " s crew tried unsuccessfully to move the submarine back to the pier before the second half of the storm . As the storm resumed , " Narwhal " submerged in the river and rode out the remainder of the hurricane with only part of her sail exposed . " Narwhal " was deactivated , while still in commission , on 16 January 1999 in Norfolk , Virginia . She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1999 , and entered the Navy ' s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program ( NPSSRP ) in Bremerton , Washington on 1 October 2001 . For a time , it appeared that , unlike most hulks processed through the NPSSRP , " Narwhal " would not be scrapped . Legislation signed on 30 September 2003 authorized the Secretary of the Navy to transfer " Narwhal " to the National Submarine Science Discovery Center ( NSSDC ) in Newport , Kentucky . The nuclear reactor and propulsion equipment would be removed and replaced with a plug of the proper dimensions and shape , containing a theater and classroom . However , on 26 April 2006 , Peter Kay , board chair of the Discovery Center , announced the cancellation of the exhibit ; fundraising fell about $ 1 . 5 million short of the $ 2 million needed .