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SSN Rickover Deactivates From Service
Norfolk, VA (SPX) Jan 02, 2007 After 22 years of service, USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) was inactivated in a ceremony Dec. 14 at Norfolk Naval Station Pier 3. The widow of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, retired Cmdr. Eleonore Rickover, who also served as the ship's sponsor, attended the submarine's final ceremony and was able to recount vividly the day Rickover was brought to life. She also recounted the significant impact the sub had on her life. "This submarine has been very special to me the last 22 years. When my husband died it was like, through the submarine, he was still alive," said Rickover. Rickover, whose name was memorialized with the attack submarine, as well as Rickover Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, retired from the United States Navy on January 31, 1982, after 63 years of service to his country and to 13 different presidents. During the ceremony Adm. Kirkland Donald, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, talked about some of Rickover's philosophy and traits and the life accomplishments which had a large impact on today's Navy. "Adm. Rickover believed that hard work and heavy sweat was the only way to work and he often reminded his students of that. We are his students and we share one thing in common, we strive for excellence, because he taught us how," said Donald. Donald went on to say that it was a sad day, but also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Rickover and its crew. During Rickover's 22 years of service it has completed 14 deployments and earned four Battle Efficiency "E" awards, pending the announcement of the 2006 results. Rickover recently returned from its final six-month deployment to the North Atlantic where it made port visits to Haakonsvern, Norway; Faslane, Scotland; and Rota, Spain. Submarines like Rickover have comprised the front line of defense for decades. During deployment the crew demonstrated the flexibility of the fast-attack submarine by conducting stealth endurance and agility operations in support of the global war on terrorism and maritime security operations. When first commissioned, Rickover surpassed the underwater capabilities of any class of ship that had come before. With stealth, persistence, agility and firepower, fast-attack submarines like Rickover are multi-mission capable -- able to deploy and support special forces operations, disrupt and destroy an adversary's military and economic operations at sea, provide early strike from close proximity, and ensure undersea superiority. Rickover is 360 feet long, displaces 6,900 tons of water, and can travel in excess of 25 knots. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Naval Warfare in the 21st Century Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Naval Warfare in the 21st Century
India To Launch Submarine Production
Mumbai (AFP) Dec 12, 2006India is to begin assembling Franco-Spanish Scorpene attack submarines this week as part of plan to boost its naval power and military-industrial know-how. Indian navy Vice Admiral S.K.K. Krishnan, the head of Mumbai's Mazagaon Dock naval shipyard, said production would begin on Thursday, with a formal opening ceremony attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be held at a later date. |
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