USS Barbel (SS-580)
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USS ''Barbel'' (SS-580) was the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...
of her class of
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. She was the second Navy ship named for the
barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprinid ...
, a cyprinoid fish, commonly called a
minnow Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...
or
carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...
. The contract to build ''Barbel'' was awarded to
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...
in
Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. 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. The southernmost town in t ...
on 24 August 1955 and her keel was laid down on 18 May 1956. She was launched on 19 July 1958 sponsored by Mrs.
Bernard L. Austin Bernard Lige Austin (15 December 1902 – 21 September 1979) was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy. His career included service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War and command of submarines and surface ship forces, durin ...
, and commissioned on 17 January 1959, with Lieutenant Commander Ord Kimzey, Jr., in command.


1950s and 1960s

''Barbel''-class submarines were originally designed and built with bow planes. On 30 November 1960, the ''Barbel'' had been operating off the coast of the Eastern U.S. while participating in training exercise SLAMEX. Following her first dive of the day to test depth (700 feet), she ruptured a 5" line used for cooling equipment which circulated sea water throughout the boat at sea pressure. An emergency blow was performed and on reaching the surface it was found that she had taken on of water in the engine room. She entered
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...
and underwent major repairs of all her piping over 2". At that time, her
bow plane Bow often refers to: * Bow and arrow, a weapon * Bowing, bending the upper body as a social gesture * An ornamental knot made of ribbon Bow may also refer to: * Bow (watercraft), the foremost part of a ship or boat * Bow (position), the rowe ...
s were also converted to
fairwater plane Diving planes, also known as hydroplanes, are control surfaces found on a submarine which allow the vessel to pitch its bow and stern up or down to assist in the process of submerging or surfacing the boat, as well as controlling depth when subm ...
s. In 1966 ''Barbel'' accidentally rammed and sank
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
's largest freighter while trying to determine what type of war-related cargo it was carrying. Although damaged, ''Barbel'' was able to remain submerged and return to port for repairs. During the 1950s and 1960s, the early classes of nuclear submarines suffered propulsion plant reliability problems, and occasionally were unable to complete their assigned missions. In 1969, while deployed in WESPAC, ''Barbel'' was assigned to fill in on a "special mission" for such a nuclear submarine. It was noted by the control room watch standers at that time that there should be some sort of recognition badge, similar to the recently authorized "Polaris Patrol Pin", for diesel boats required to fill in for a broken down nuclear submarine. A contest was held to design the badge. ETR3(SS) Leon Figurido's winning design was a broadside view of a guppy submarine with SS superimposed on the North Atlantic sail. There were two bare-breasted mermaids facing towards the sail with arms outstretched. Completing the design was a wreath under the boat, with holes for stars, and centered on the wreath were the letters "DBF" standing for "Diesel Boats Forever". And so was born the DBF pin.


1970s and 1980s

In 1973 ''Barbel''s weapons division set a SUBPAC record for successfully shooting 118 torpedoes that year. This included successful salvo firing two Mark 16-8 exercise torpedoes, and a successful MK 16-8 warshot operational test. In addition the boat performed a zero error
Mark 45 torpedo The Mark 45 anti-submarine torpedo, a.k.a. ASTOR, was a submarine-launched wire-guided nuclear torpedo designed by the United States Navy for use against high-speed, deep-diving, enemy submarines. This was one of several weapons recommended for ...
Technical Standardization Inspection conducted by DoD, a Navy Technical Proficiency Inspection, and the torpedomen identified the source of the MK 45 torpedo "flex hose eater problem." For this record, ''Barbel'' was awarded the 1973 Battle Efficiency "E". ''Barbel'' record for firing torpedoes was around 1978. She also succeeded in a simulated "sinking" of the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
during
Exercise RIMPAC RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held i ...
during that same period. From 19 January 1981 to 22 January, ''Barbel'' and fellow submarine participated in ASWEX 81-3U off the coast of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, an exercise in shallow water ASW. The submarines opposed the transit of the oiler , which was escorted by the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s (CTF 75 embarked) and , and
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s , , , and through the narrow straits. From 1988 until her decommissioning in 1989, ''Barbel'' was commanded by Commander William F. Bundy who was the first African-American Navy enlisted man to rise to become a submarine commander. After retiring from the Navy, Bundy served as Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and later as a professor at the
Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
in
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
. On 1 May 1989, while operating off
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
, Japan, three submariners were washed overboard by heavy waves. One sailor was rescued; two drowned. Due to extensive damage from flooding during the incident, the decision was made to decommission ''Barbel''. Supposedly, the May 89 event was caused soon after having surfaced due to improperly ensuring the vessel had a proper positive buoyancy, and when a large wave went over the bow, the boat was driven below periscope depth before ships force was able to recover depth control and resurface.


Fate

''Barbel'' was decommissioned on 4 December 1989, and stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) 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 t ...
on 17 January 1990. The Navy sold ''Barbel'' to a scrapper who began the process of scrapping her. After the sail, superstructure and induction piping were removed, the scrapper discovered the boat's interior was filled with painted-over asbestos insulation. Scrapping ceased at that time while the scrapper decided what to do with ''Barbel''. ''Barbel'' had her sail and superstructure reconstructed out of plywood for a brief role in the movie '' Crimson Tide'' (1995). She is seen as the submarine when it is tied up and they are making preparations for departure on patrol. After eight years ''Barbel'' returned to Navy ownership. She was towed from the berth in San Pedro, Los Angeles and on 30 January 2001 she was sunk as a target off the
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
coast in 1,972 fathoms (3,606 m).


References

*


External links


navsource:org: USS ''Barbel''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbel (SS-580) Barbel-class submarines of the United States Navy Ships built in Kittery, Maine 1958 ships Cold War submarines of the United States Ships sunk as targets Shipwrecks of the California coast