Historical Records (SSN660)

HISTORICAL RECORDS

Mrs.Thomas J. McIntyre
SPONSOR

Senator Thomas J. McIntyre
New Hampshire

SUMMARIZED HISTORY
USS SAND LANCE (SSN 660)

Awarded	24	October 1963
Keel Laid	15	January 1965
Launched	11	November 1969
Placed in Service	04	January 1971
Initial Builder's Sea Trials	12	July 1971
Commissioned	25	September 1971
Delivered	01	October 1971
Initial Homeport, Charleston	01	October 1971
Final Homeport, Groton	05	April 1995
Inactivation Ceremony	15	January 1998
Final Departure from Homeport	04	February 1998
Deactivated	01	April 1998
Decommissioned	07	August 1998
Stricken Naval Vessel Register	07	August 1998
Entered Submarine Recycling	18	June 1999
Completed Submarine Recycling	30	August 1999

Commander William A. Kennington, U. S. Navy
	25	September	1971	Commissioned
September		December	1971	Shakedown Operations and Weapons Certification
January		December	1972	Local Operations Charleston Area
February		April	1973	CNO Special Operations
June		August	1973	CNO Special Operations
August		September	1973	Faslane Naval Base, Scotland
October		December	1973	Assigned to the Sixth Fleet (Egypt and Israel Conflict)


Commander Robert L. Bovey, U. S. Navy
January		February	1974	Local Operations Charleston ( Sonar Evaluations)
March		April	1974	Operational Weapons Testing (MK48, SUBROC, CAPTOR)
September 74		March	1975	Mediterranean Deployment
February		April	1973	CNO Special Operations
April		December	1975	Local Operations Charleston (Sonar Evaluations)
			1976	Overhaul, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia


Commander Michael A. Covell, U. S. Navy
			1977	Technical Evaluation of the AN/BQQ-5 Sonar System
			1978	A serious flooding event was averted during maintenance when the CO recognized that a flood prevention collar was being installed on the wrong seawater valve.
January		June	1978	Mediterranean Deployment
February		April	1979	CNO Special Operations SECNAV Navy Unit Commendation
		June	1979	Panama Canal Transit
June 79		January	1981	Re-Fueling, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
		February	1981	Panama Canal Transit


Commander Hugh M. Doherty, U. S. Navy
November 81		April	1982	Mediterranean Deployment
June 83		March	1984	(3) CNO Special Operations SECNAV Meritorious Unit Commendation


Commander Orval L. Sweeney, U. S. Navy
May		July	1987	CNO Special Operations


Commander Hubert D. Hopkins, U. S. Navy
May 88			1989	Overhaul, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine


Commander Brian J. Rabe, U. S. Navy
July		December	1991	UNITAS XXXII (32-91)
		October	1991	Navigated Cape Horn
			1992	Western Atlantic, National Security Objectives


Commander Randall J. Slack, U. S. Navy
October 93		March	1994	Mediterranean Deployment
			1994	In 1994 Sand Lance, moored ahead of the Grayling in Charleston, almost sank next to the pier due to flooding in the ERLL when a main seawater valve was being removed for maintenance. The blank plates, which are placed over the hull penetrations by divers, were placed over the wrong main seawater openings. The flooding was stopped, but not before most of the ERLL was flooded.
January		February	1995	Western Atlantic Special Operations
	05	April	1995	Homeport Change, Charleston to Groton - CSS2


Commander George H. Baker Jr., U. S. Navy
01 March	31	August	1996	ICE-X 96, Arctic Circle Patrol
05 June	14	June	1996	SORBET Royal 96 Operations, Submarine Rescue Exercise
	12	July	1996	Surfaced at the North Pole SECNAV Letter of Commendation Realm of the Arctic Circle Certificate The Domain of the Golden Dragon Certificate
July		December	1997	UNITAS XXXVIII (38-97) Deployment
17 July			1997	Order of the Spanishman Certificate
		October	1997	Navigated Cape Horn, Second Time
	30	November	1997	Imperium Neptuni Regis (Shellback) Certificate (Unitas 38-97)
	22	December	1997	Returned to Homeport after completing a Final Deployment Medical "M" Award
	15	January	1998	Inactivation Ceremony
	04	February	1998	Final Departure from homeport Groton
	08	February	1998	Panama Canal Transit Order of the Ditch Certificate
		February	1998	Final Blow from 660' during approach to Juan de Fuca Canyon, Pacific Northwest OPAREAS
	01	April	1998	Deactivation at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
	01	April	1998	Last Cruise Certificate
	01	April	1998	Decommissioning Plank Owners Certificate
	07	August	1998	Decommissioned, Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
	18	June	1999	Entered Submarine Recycling Program, Bremerton, WA
	30	August	1999	Completed Submarine Recycling Program, Bremerton, WA

Reflections of a Commanding Officer

Does the USS Sand Lance (SSN 660) history end with the completion of the Submarine Recycling Program? Does Gene Fluckey's USS Barb cease to exist? Does the USS Sand Lance (SS 381) cease to exist? As we entered the shipyard for decommissioning, we preached that every dollar we saved in recycling the Sand Lance was one dollar more we had to spend toward the New Attack Submarine (now known as the Virginia Class SSN). The Decommissioning Crew finished Inactivation both early and under budget. Every day they were looking for ways to safely speed up the process. And through traditional submarine ingenuity, they found them!

Each new generation is the greatest because it stands on the shoulders of the previous. We recycle the old and keep the best parts to grow an entirely new class of American firepower. Though the last physical evidence of the USS Sand Lance (SSN 660) may have slipped away on 30 August 1999, so long as Americans yearn for freedom, she will live on. So long as Americans yearn for freedom, Sand Lance will never cease to exist. That history will always be a part of who we are. It's in our DNA. And I suspect that none of us would want it any other way.

Captain Baker Signature
Captain George H. Baker Jr., U. S. Navy Retired
Decommissioning Commanding Officer

USS SAND LANCE (SSN 660) Awards include:

Secretary of the Navy Awards:

Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Expeditionary Medal
Meritorious Unit Commendation
Letter of Commendation

Battle Efficiency "E" Awards
Three Engineering "E" Awards
Anti-Submarine Warfare "A" Awards
Communications "C" Award
Medical "M" Award