USS Growler (SSG-577)
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USS ''Growler'' (SSG-577) was an early attempt by the U.S. Navy to field a cruise missile submarine that would provide a nuclear deterrent using its second series of cruise missiles. Built to deliver the
Regulus I The SSM-N-8A Regulus or the Regulus I was a United States Navy-developed ship-and-submarine-launched, nuclear-capable turbojet-powered second generation cruise missile, deployed from 1955 to 1964. Its development was an outgrowth of U.S. Nav ...
cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
, ''Growler'' was the second and final submarine of the ''Grayback'' class, fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named after the growler. Since Regulus I and Regulus II programs had problems, ''Growler'' and ''Grayback'' were the only two submarines built in this class as instead, the U.S. Navy veered its
nuclear deterrence Deterrence theory refers to the scholarship and practice of how threats or limited force by one party can convince another party to refrain from initiating some other course of action. The topic gained increased prominence as a military strategy ...
efforts into
submarine launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead a ...
s (SLBMs)β€”the
Polaris missile The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missile ...
program. What makes ''Growler'' and her sister unusual was her nuclear armament, deployed on a conventional diesel-electric submarine. Her mission was to provide nuclear deterrent capability off the Pacific coast of the Soviet Union during peak years of the Cold War, from 1958 to 1964. Additionally, special forces missions were deployed from its torpedo tubes and nuclear hangar.


Construction and training

''Growler'' was laid down on 15 February 1955 by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 5 April 1958 sponsored by Mrs. Robert K. Byerts, widow of Commander Thomas B. Oakley, Jr. ''Growler'' commissioned at Portsmouth on 30 August 1958 with Lieutenant Commander Charles Priest, Jr., in command. After training exercises off the East Coast ''Growler'' sailed south for her shakedown cruise, arriving at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico, on 19 February 1959. After a brief run back to Portsmouth, she returned to the Caribbean Sea in March to train in launching
Regulus I The SSM-N-8A Regulus or the Regulus I was a United States Navy-developed ship-and-submarine-launched, nuclear-capable turbojet-powered second generation cruise missile, deployed from 1955 to 1964. Its development was an outgrowth of U.S. Nav ...
and
Regulus II The SSM-N-9 Regulus II cruise missile is a supersonic guided missile armed with a nuclear warhead, intended for launching from surface ships and submarines of the U.S. Navy (USN).Koch, Charles A"Regulus II cruise missile".''Regulus II Cruise Missi ...
nuclear cruise missiles, assisted by USS ''Runner'', which was one of several submarines with Regulus guidance equipment. ''Growler'' returned to Portsmouth 19 April via
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, and New London, Connecticut.


Operational history

''Growler'' then proceeded to the Pacific via
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
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, and the Panama Canal, putting in at Pearl Harbor on 7 September to serve as flagship of Submarine Division 12. At Pearl Harbor the guided missile sub participated in a variety of battle and torpedo exercises as well as missile practice before beginning her first Regulus Deterrent Mission. On this mission, which lasted from 12 March to 17 May 1960, ''Growler'' departed Hawaii with a full store of Regulus sea-to-surface missiles, armed with nuclear warheads, and patrolled under a strict cloak of secrecy. Their patrols could last two months or more at a stretch and required them to remain submerged for hours and even days—which pales in comparison to the patrols of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, but was a strain for the crew of a much smaller diesel boat. It is traditional that the log entries for 00:00 (midnight) on New Year's Day be made in verse. On 1 January 1961, during ''Growlers second patrol, Lieutenant (j.g.) Bruce Felt wrote: "Not our idea of fun and good cheers/But doing our job to ensure many New Years." According to the documentary "Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines", the primary target for ''Growler'' in the event of a nuclear exchange would be to eliminate the Soviet naval base at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.''Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines'' documentary, Spark, 2002 The patrols made by ''Growler'' and her sisters represented the first ever deterrent patrols in the history of the submarine Navy, preceding those made by the Polaris missile submarines. From May 1960 through December 1963, ''Growler'' made nine such deterrent mission patrols, the fourth of which terminated at Yokosuka, Japan, on 24 April 1962, as the Navy displayed one of its newest weapons.


Decommissioning and fate

Returning to Mare Island, California, ''Growler'' decommissioned 25 May 1964 and was placed in reserve. She was initially moved to the Inactive Fleet section in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, and was later relocated to the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1980 and was scheduled to be used as a torpedo target. However, on 8 August 1988, Congress awarded the
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Zachary Fisher Zachary Fisher (September 26, 1910 β€“ June 4, 1999) was an American philanthropist and businessman. Born in the Brooklyn area, Fisher began his involvement with construction in his teen years. He then played a role in the New York real est ...
, Chairman of the ''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Due to the renovations to the entire ''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum complex, including and Pier 86, ''Growler'' was towed to Brooklyn for repairs. Holes found rusted in the hull complicated matters and pushed repair costs past $1.5 million. ''Growler'' returned to Pier 86 in late February 2009, and was re-opened to the public on 21 May 2009, during the ''Intrepid'' museum "Fleet Week 2009" celebration.


Growler today

''Growler'' is the only nuclear missile submarine available open to the public in the United States. As the information areas about the sub on Pier 86 are spacious, visitors are encouraged to learn and take in as much information as they can in the early parts of the tour before entering the submarine. Once on board, lines can move quickly and the ability to ask questions of the staff is limited, but encouraged.


References

* Gardiner, Robert. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995'', London: Conway Maritime Press, Ltd, 1995, pp. 609–610


External links

*
Regulus Missile and Submarine Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Growler Grayback-class submarines Museum ships in New York (state) Ships built in Kittery, Maine 1958 ships Military and war museums in New York (state) Museums in Manhattan Cold War submarines of the United States