About this Unit
USS Grayling (SSN-646) was a Sturgeon-class attack submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned on October 11, 1969. Throughout her service during the Cold War, Grayling conducted numerous patrols and intelligence-gathering missions, primarily in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The submarine played a key role in anti-submarine warfare exercises and contributed to maintaining the U.S. Navy’s undersea superiority. After nearly three decades of service, USS Grayling was decommissioned on July 18, 1997, and later scrapped through the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program.
Historical Facts
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Namesake: USS Grayling (SSN-646) was named after the grayling, a freshwater fish, continuing a tradition of naming submarines after marine creatures.
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Sturgeon-Class Submarine: Grayling was part of the Sturgeon-class, the backbone of the US Navy’s attack submarine force during the Cold War, known for their quiet operation and advanced sonar systems.
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Commissioned in 1969: The submarine was commissioned on October 11, 1969, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
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Cold War Operations: USS Grayling spent her career conducting covert surveillance missions and intelligence gathering, often tracking Soviet submarines during heightened Cold War tensions.
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Collision Incident: In March 1993, Grayling collided with the Russian ballistic missile submarine K-407 Novomoskovsk in the Barents Sea. Both vessels survived, but the incident heightened US-Russian tensions post-Cold War.
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Ice Operations: USS Grayling participated in Arctic operations, surfacing at the North Pole as part of ICEX exercises, showcasing the US Navy’s ability to operate under the polar ice cap.
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Special Missions: Grayling was sometimes involved in deploying and recovering special operations forces, highlighting her versatility beyond traditional anti-submarine warfare.
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Decommissioned in 1997: After nearly 28 years of service, Grayling was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on July 18, 1997.
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Recycling Program: The submarine was scrapped through the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, completed in March 1998.
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Crew Legacy: Sailors who served aboard Grayling formed a strong alumni network, sharing stories of their unique and sometimes hazardous missions, preserving the submarine’s legacy in naval history.
