USS Scamp ( SSN - 588 ) USS " Scamp " ( SSN - 588 ) , a " Skipjack " - class nuclear - powered submarine , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the scamp , a member of the " serranidae " family of fish . Her keel was laid down on 23 January 1959 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo , California . She was launched on 8 October 1960 , sponsored by Mrs . John C . Hollingsworth , widow of Commander John C . Hollingsworth , the commanding officer of " Scamp " ( SS - 277 ) at the time of her loss in November 1944 . She was commissioned at Mare Island on 5 June 1961 with Commander W . N . Dietzen in command . Operational history . 1960s . " Scamp " ’ s first four months in the fleet were taken up by advanced trials and training exercises in the Bremerton , Washington , San Diego , California , and Pearl Harbor , areas . Following these operations , she returned to Vallejo , California , for post - shakedown availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard . Leaving the shipyard " Scamp " completed her final acceptance trials and began local operations in the San Diego area . In April 1962 she deployed to the western Pacific , returning to San Diego in July . She operated locally until September , when she departed on another extended training cruise . " Scamp " returned to San Diego and local operations until February 1963 when she entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard for interim drydocking . She refloated in March and , in April , deployed again to the western Pacific . While in the Far East , she conducted another extended period of advanced training , including operations in the Okinawa area . " Scamp " reentered San Diego Bay in October 1963 . She resumed her West Coast operations out of San Diego until June 1964 , then , she headed west again for advanced readiness training . She arrived back in San Diego in September 1964 . " Scamp " entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard again in January 1965 for extensive modification . In June 1966 after the installation of the SUBSAFE package and overhaul , she left Mare Island and returned to training cruises i In the San Diego operating area . In November she ventured north to Puget Sound for a month of operations and returned to San Diego in December . The nuclear submarine operated out of San Diego for the first six months of 1967 . On 28 June , she departed San Diego to join the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific . She remained in the Far East , participating in fleet operations along the Vietnamese coast , until returning to San Diego on 28 December 1967 . " Scamp " operated out of San Diego in the local operating area from January to May 1968 . On 11 May , she arrived at Pearl Harbor to conclude an extended training cruise . She returned to San Diego on 19 May and remained there until 15 June , when the submarine shifted to San Francisco to enter Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a three - week restricted availability . She returned to San Diego on 16 July and finished out the year sailing from that port on various exercises and training cruises . " Scamp " continued stateside duty throughout 1969 . She alternated in - port periods with training cruises until early March when she began pre - overhaul tests in the San Diego operating area . She continued preparing for overhaul and participating in exercises until 1 November when she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for regular overhaul . While at Bremerton , " Scamp " was assigned that port as her new home port . The overhaul continued through 1970 and ended in January 1971 . 1970s . Following post - overhaul sea trials in Puget Sound , " Scamp " was reassigned back to San Diego , as home port on 12 February 1971 , but did not enter that port until 16 April after a voyage to Pearl Harbor . On 27 July , she deployed to the western Pacific . " Scamp " stopped at Pearl Harbor from 2 August to 13 August , then headed on to Subic Bay , R . P . , arriving on 30 August . For the bulk of 1971 , she operated with the Seventh Fleet in Far Eastern waters other than off the coast of Vietnam , except for one short two - day period , 8 October and 9 October . She returned to San Diego on 2 February 1972 , but due to increasing tension in Southeast Asia , redeployed to the Seventh Fleet in May . She operated in the South China Sea for most of the summer , returning to San Diego on 1 August . Upon arrival , she went into a two - month standdown period , followed by more than a month of restricted availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard . She departed Puget Sound on 28 November , conducted weapons system accuracy tests , and returned , on 11 December , to San Diego , where she remained for the remainder of the year . " Scamp " operated locally around San Diego until 29 March 1973 . At that time , she departed the West Coast for deployment to the Far East . She stayed at Pearl Harbor between 5 and 10 April , then headed for Yokosuka , Japan . She arrived in Japan on 23 April and operated with the Seventh Fleet until 1 September , when she departed Guam for Pearl Harbor . " Scamp " stopped at Pearl Harbor during the period 10 to 15 September , then set sail for San Diego . Arriving on 21 September the nuclear submarine immediately entered a period of standdown and upkeep until 1 November , when she resumed operations in the vicinity of San Diego . During a storm in the North Atlantic on 25 February 1987 , while attempting to rescue members of the crew of the sinking Philippine freighter , MV Balsa 24 , " Scamp " suffered flooding and damage to her sail which led to her early retirement . Decommissioning . " Scamp " was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 28 April 1988 . ex - " Scamp " entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton , Washington , in 1990 and on 9 September 1994 became the first hulk to complete the program and ceased to exist . Honors and awards . " Scamp " earned three campaign star s for service in the Vietnam War .