USS Bushnell (AS-15) was launched on 14 September 1942 at the Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. Luther Gibson; and commissioned on 10 April 1943, with Commander

Commander (United States)

In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...

 C. T. Bonney in command.

On 27 June, she departed for Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

, arriving on 3 July. While at the Submarine Base, Submarine Squadron 14 (SubRon 14) was assembled with Bushnell serving as tender and staff headquarters for the Squadron and Division Staff. Bushnell remained at Pearl Harbor until September 1943, when she sailed for Midway Island to deliver provisions and structural materials. Upon returning to Pearl Harbor in December, she resumed her task of refitting submarines until April 1944.

Bushnell weighed anchor on 27 April for Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...

, laden with provisions, fuel, and material. Majuro Atoll soon became a regular submarine operating base, although entirely dependent upon the tender. On 5 February 1945, Bushnell returned to Pearl Harbor. On 29 May, the tender steamed to Midway to refit submarines arriving there from war patrols. She was thus engaged until the cessation of hostilities.

From September-December 1945, Bushnell continued to act as a repair vessel for submarines throughout the period of demobilization and peacetime reorganization of the submarine force in the San Diego area. In January 1946, she sailed to Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 to tend submarines engaged in the occupation of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. This tour of duty continued until April, at which she was recalled to Pearl Harbor for duty with Submarine Squadron 1

Submarine Squadron 1

Submarine Squadron 1 is a squadron of submarines of the United States Navy based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, HI under the command of Captain Robinson . The submarines that make up SUBRON 1 include:-See also:...

. Bushnell operated with SubRon 1 until 24 May 1947. At that time, she sailed to Mare Island for overhaul. Returning to Pearl Harbor on 10 September, she resumed her duties with SubRon 1. In December 1947, Bushnell returned to Mare Island and reported for inactivation. She was placed out of commission in reserve on 30 April 1948.

Bushnell was recommissioned on 21 February 1952. After intensive training along the west coast, she departed for the Atlantic on 7 May. She transited the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 on 21 May and proceeded to Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

 for duty with SubRon 12. Since that time, she operated at Key West, tending the boats of SubRon 12 and conducting brief periods of service at Norfolk and short cruises in the Caribbean.

In 1965, she suffered a serious fire in some electrical generation equipment — and earned the nickname "the burning Bush". There was only one minor injury in that incident, and it didn't affect operations for long. She returned to Key West in 1967 to continue her service to the submarine fleet. In 1968, she celebrated her 25th year of service. She continued to supply services to SubRon 12 as well as support services to other ships in the Caribbean and Gulf Coast regions. She made regular visits to New Orleans, Mobile, Fort Lauderdale and Kingston, Jamaica.

In 1969, Bushnell was the Navy response ship for Hurricane Camille

Hurricane Camille

Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...

. She and her crew rebuilt Pilottown, Louisiana

Pilottown, Louisiana

Pilottown is a small community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.It serves as a base for river pilots to guide ships across the bar and up and down the Mississippi River....

, so that river traffic could again move on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, however, her nickname came to haunt her when in early 1970 a high pressure airline ruptured in the bilge, atomizing the oil and other liquids resulting in an explosion and fire that damaged the ship beyond repair. Her own crew did all of her own decommissioning work (not in a shipyard) in early 1970.

She was replaced in Key West by her sister ship .

Bushnell was placed out of commission on 20 June 1970 and was towed to Norfolk where she was turned over to the Reserve Fleet who used her as their new headquarters. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

 on 15 November 1980.

On 31 May 1983, the Coast Guard Cutter

United States Coast Guard Cutter

Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...

towed Bushnell out to sea approximately 175 mi (281.6 km) to 35° 34.7 North, 73° 18.6 West. On 3 June, she was sunk by MK-48 torpedoes fired by , with in company.