USS Greeneville (SSN-772), a , is the only ship of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 to be named for Greeneville, Tennessee

Greeneville, Tennessee

Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...

. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding

Northrop Grumman Newport News

Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...

 and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

, on 14 December 1988, and her keel was laid down on 28 February 1992. She was launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

 on 17 September 1994, sponsored by Tipper Gore

Tipper Gore

Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...

, and commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 on 16 February 1996, with Commander Duane B. Hatch in command.

The ship was named for Greeneville, home of 17th United States President Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

, after local residents, businesses such as Greeneville Metal Manufacturing, which built submarine components, and government officials began a campaign for a submarine to be named after their town, rather than a large metropolitan area.

The Greeneville is probably best known for colliding with a Japanese fishing vessel off the coast of Oahu in February 2001.

The Ehime Maru incident

On 9 February 2001, while conducting an emergency main ballast tank blow off the coast of Oahu while hosting several civilian "distinguished visitors", mainly donors to the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Greeneville struck the commercial Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru (えひめ丸), causing the fisher to sink in less than ten minutes with the death of nine crew members, including four high school students. The commander of the Greeneville, Commander Scott Waddle, accepted full responsibility for the incident. However, after he faced a court of inquiry, it was decided a full court-martial

Court-martial

A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...

 would be unnecessary and Commander Waddle was forced to retire and given an honorable discharge.

Saipan incident

On 27 August 2001, Greeneville ran aground while entering port in Saipan

Saipan

Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...

 on a routine Western Pacific deployment. The boat's underside, rudder, and secondary propulsion motor suffered minor damage; repairs required drydocking and a significant delay in the remainder of her deployment. The boat's commanding officer, Commander David Bogdan, was relieved of command, and the navigator and assistant navigator were also removed from their duties. In addition, the navigator and the sub's executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Gerald Pfieffer, were found guilty of "hazarding a vessel" during an admiral's mast

Mast (naval)

In naval tradition, a mast is a non-judicial punishment disciplinary hearing in which a commanding officer studies and disposes of cases involving those in his or her command. If the officer is a captain, as in most cases, it is referred to as a captain's mast...

, conducted by Rear Admiral Joseph Enright, Commander, Submarine Group Seven.

USS Ogden collision

Then, on 27 January 2002, less than a year after colliding with Ehime Maru and five months after running aground, Greeneville collided with during a personnel transfer off the coast of Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

, opening a 5 by 18 inch (130 by 460 mm) hole in one of Ogdens fuel tanks and spilling several thousand gallons of fuel. After the collision, both vessels left the area under their own power.

Post-2002 Service

Commander Lindsay R. Hankins was allowed to remain in command and went on to have a successful command tour with his XO Lt.Cdr Mark D. Pyle. Capt. Hankins went on to be awarded the coveted Admiral James Stockdale

James Stockdale

Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.Stockdale led aerial attacks from the carrier during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident...

 Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Navy commanding officer. Lt. Cdr Pyle also went on to have the honor of being bestowed with the John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...

award, which recognizes outstanding leadership.

On 9 July 2004, when Commander Lorin Selby relieved Hankins as commanding officer of Greeneville, Captain Cecil Haney, Commodore, Submarine Squadron One, stated that "The performance of USS Greeneville during Captain Hankins' tour has been nothing but remarkable. It has been marked by top grades in both tactical and engineering readiness. Lee Hankins was handpicked by our leadership for the job as CO of Greeneville. They got it right." Hankins was selected for promotion to Captain in 2005 and served as Commodore of Submarine Squadron One (COMSUBRON 1) based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Captain Hankins is now serving as the Chief of Staff for the Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific.

In October 2007, Greeneville left her homeport of Pearl Harbor to conduct a Depot Modernization Period at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME. She returned to Pearl Harbor, HI in July 2009. In early 2011, Greeneville returned from a Western Pacific deployment under the command of CDR Carullo.

External links

• USS Greeneville at Naval Vessel Register