USS Greenling (SSN-614), a , was the second 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 the greenling, an elongate, fine-scaled fish found from Kamchatka

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...

 to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Her keel was laid down on 15 August 1961 by the Electric Boat

Electric boat

While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...

 Company of Groton, Connecticut

Groton, Connecticut

Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....

.

On 10 April 1963, Thresher

USS Thresher (SSN-593)

The second USS Thresher was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in the United States Navy. Her loss at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963 is often considered a watershed event in the implementation of the rigorous submarine safety program SUBSAFE.The contract to build...

, the lead ship of Greenlings class, was lost due to severe design flaws in her non-nuclear piping systems. Because she was still early in the construction process, Greenling was one of three selected Thresher-class submarines selected for conversion to the "improved Thresher class." 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 4 April 1964 sponsored by Mrs. H.C. Bruton. On 29 April, she was towed to Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...

, for lengthening and submarine safety program (SUBSAFE

SUBSAFE

SUBSAFE is a quality assurance program of the United States Navy designed to maintain the safety of the nuclear submarine fleet; specifically, to provide maximum reasonable assurance that subs' hulls will stay watertight, and that they can recover from unanticipated flooding.SUBSAFE covers all...

) modifications. Modifications included increased buoyancy and adding 13 feet 9 inches of length to the hull, providing improved living and working conditions for the crew and space for additional equipment. Before construction of Greenling was completed, she and her sister ships were redesignated the Permit class, after the eldest surviving member of the class

USS Permit (SSN-594)

USS Permit became the lead ship of her class of submarine when the former lead ship, was lost. She was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the permit, a food fish, often called "round pompano," found in waters from North Carolina to Brazil.The contract to build her was...

. Greenling was 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 3 November 1967 with Commander Guy H.B. Schaffer in command.

Service history

On 27 May 1968, Greenlings fleet training exercise was interrupted by the search and rescue operation for missing submarine . Her Commanding Officer was designated the Commander of the SAR Task Element, which included of three nuclear and four diesel submarines. That assignment continued until 12 June 1968.

History from 1968 to 1994 needed.

Greenling was decommissioned on 18 April 1994 and was subsequently disposed through the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...

 on 30 September 1994. Equipment from Greenlings control room was salvaged and used to construct a simulation of a submarine control room as an exhibit at the Naval Undersea Museum

Naval Undersea Museum

The Naval Undersea Museum is an official naval museum located at Keyport, Washington, USA. The museum is one of the 12 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. The museum sits next to a branch of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center...

 in Keyport, Washington

Keyport, Washington

Keyport is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The community is located at the eastern terminus of State Route 308 on the Kitsap Peninsula, east of Subase Bangor. Keyport's ZIP Code, 98345, had a ZCTA population of 554 at the 2010 census, in addition to a...

.