USS Grayling (SSN-646), a Sturgeon-class

Sturgeon class submarine

The Sturgeon class were a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy from the 1960s until 2004. They were the "work horses" of the submarine attack fleet throughout much of the Cold War...

 attack submarine, was the fifth 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 grayling

Arctic grayling

Arctic grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It comprises five subspecies native to the Nearctic and Palearctic ecozones. T. a. arcticus is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper...

, a fresh-water game fish closely related to the trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build Grayling was awarded on 5 September 1962 and her keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

 was laid down at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...

 at Kittery

Kittery, Maine

Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, on 12 May 1964. She was launched on 22 June 1967, sponsored by Miss Lori Brinker, the daughter of Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...

 Robert Brinker, who was commanding officer

Commanding officer

The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

 of the previous when she was lost with all hands in September 1943 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Grayling (SSN-646) was commissioned on 11 October 1969 with Charles R. Baron in command.

Badge Design, 1981

The colorful Grayling "Badge" logo was designed by Nuclear Trained Machinist Mate Second Class, Gary Helmink, shortly after reporting on board in late 1979. This badge was used thereafter. Gary is a native of Raleigh, NC.

Collision with Russian submarine, 1993

On 20 March 1993, Grayling collided with the Russian Navy submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 Novomoskovsk (K-407)

Russian submarine K-407 Novomoskovsk

Novomoskovsk is a Project 667BDRM Delfin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.-Background:...

, a Delfin-class (NATO reporting name

NATO reporting name

NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...

 Delta IV-class

Delta class submarine

The Delta class is a class of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973...

) ballistic missile submarine

Ballistic missile submarine

A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...

 commanded by Captain First Rank Andrei Bulgarkov.

Novomoskovsk was performing combat training tasks at a site 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) north of the area of the collision. Having reached the northern border of the designated area, she turned back, making only 4 knots (7.8 km/h). Twenty-five minutes later Novomoskovsk felt an impact followed by screeching noises. Immediately afterwards, her sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 reported noises of a foreign submarine close by. The intruder increased its speed to 23 knots (45.1 km/h) to clear the area. An investigation revealed that Grayling had been tracking Novomoskovsk from a position between 155 and 165 degrees to port and from distances of between 11–13 km (5.9–7 nmi). Grayling lost contact with Novomoskovsk when Novomoskovsk changed course. To reacquire the target, Grayling sped to the location of contact loss at 8–15 kn (15.7–29.4 km/h).

In the 30- to 40-degree sector aft of a submarine, the noises made by the screws

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

, turbine

Turbine

A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...

s, circulation pumps, and autonomous generator

Engine-generator

An engine-generator is the combination of an electrical generator and an engine mounted together to form a single piece of equipment. This combination is also called an engine-generator set or a gen-set...

s of nearby submarines are screened by the hull

Hull (watercraft)

A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...

, which creates a sort of "acoustic channel"; from above, the noise diagram of a submarine resembles a squirrel

Squirrel

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

 in form, so that when two submarines approach one another head-on, each detects the other when the distance is dangerously small. Graylings passive sonar detected Novomoskovsk at a distance of about a kilometer (0.54 nautical mile) by using noise triangulation, the major method of submarine detection in all navies because it provides stealth. With the distance closing and Graylings Combat Information Center

Combat Information Center

The Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...

 still trying to decide on the best way of avoiding a collision, Grayling's commanding officer tried to change course and to surface, but the attempts were thwarted by Graylings momentum

Momentum

In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...

. Fortunately, Grayling collided with the upper structure of Novomoskovsk, which did not sustain any serious damage.

1993-1997

In June 1996, Grayling took part in Exercise TAPON 96, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercise held in the Alboran Sea

Alboran Sea

|300px|thumb|]]The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south...

, Gulf of Cadiz

Gulf of Cadiz

The Gulf of Cádiz is the arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Cape St. Vincent in Portugal and Cape Trafalgar at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar...

, and eastern Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, along with the U.S. Navy destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 , the Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias

Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias

The Príncipe de Asturias , originally named Almirante Carrero Blanco, is an aircraft carrier, the flagship of the Spanish Navy...

, the Spanish frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

s Baleares (F71)

Baleares class frigate

The Baleares class are a group of five frigates built for the Spanish navy in the 1970s. The ships are a modified version of the American Knox class frigates. The key differences are the replacement of the Sea Sparrow PDMS and ASW helicopter facilities by Standard SAM and associated radars...

, SPS Santa María (F81), and SPS Numancia (F83)

SPS Numancia (F83)

SPS Numancia is the third of the six Spanish-built s, based on the American design, of the Spanish Navy.Laid down on January 8, 1986, and launched on January 29, 1987, Numancia was commissioned in service on November 17, 1989....

, the Spanish submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 SPS Delfin (S61), and the Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 destroyer HS Formion (D220).
Sorry, as a crew member, this report is all wrong. The collision did not happen that way. And why it happened is wrong. Plus, the Grayling crew was the only ship in the USN that was allowed to at first to wear a gray cover, but then a black one. Talk to the bubbleheads that served, and get the facts right. Try Facebook.

Decommissioning and disposal

Grayling was deactivated on 1 March 1997, placed in commission in reserve a week later as she entered the Ship and Submarine Recycling Program, then decommissioned and stricken 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 18 July 1997. Her scrapping via the U.S. Navys 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...

 at Bremerton

Bremerton, Washington

Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...

, Washington, was completed on 31 March 1998.

Commemoration

Graylings sail

Sail (submarine)

In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...

 is now a memorial on the grounds of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, and her anchor

Anchor

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...

 and chain are on display as a memorial in downtown Grayling

Grayling, Michigan

Grayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.