History:
USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688),
the fourth naval ship to be named after the City of Los Angeles,
is the lead ship of her class. Designed as a follow-on to the
STURGEON class submarines built during the 1960s, the Los
Angeles class incorporated improved sound quieting and a larger
propulsion plant than previous classes. Her many capabilities
include wartime functions of undersea warfare, surface warfare,
strike warfare, mining operations, special forces delivery,
reconnaissance, carrier battle group support and escort, and
intelligence collection. Her missiles can hit on target 75
percent of the Earth’s land surface.
Launched on 6 April 1974 at Newport News Shipbuilding and
Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia, her sponsor was the
Honorable Anne L. Armstrong, counselor to the President. She was
commissioned on 13 November 1976. On 27 May 1977, she hosted
President Jimmy Carter for an at-sea demonstration of the
capabilities of the nation’s newest fast attack submarine.
LOS ANGELES made her first operational deployment to the
Mediterranean Sea in 1977 and was awarded a Meritorious Unit
Citation.
In 1978 she transferred to the Pacific Fleet and was
assigned to Submarine Squadron SEVEN, homeported in Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii. LOS ANGELES operated with distinction,
conducting five Western Pacific, one Indian Ocean, and four
Northern Pacific deployments. These operations, earned her three
additional Meritorious Unit Citations. Additionally, she was
awarded her squadron’s annual Battle Efficiency "E"
for excellence in combat readiness four times.
In July 1992, LOS ANGELES departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
for a Change of Homeport to Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo,
California. Arriving on 6 August, she commenced the first
Engineered Refueling Overhaul of a Los Angeles class fast attack
submarine. During the overhaul, she was outfitted with the
latest state-of-the-art sonar and fire control systems, as well
as the Navy’s newest reactor controls equipment. These
extensive upgrades make her one of the most advanced submarines
in the submarine force.
LOS ANGELES returned to an operational status after the 31
month overhaul in March 1995. She was re-assigned to Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii attached to Submarine Squadron ONE. |
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