USS Thresher

Arlington National Cemetery

Memorial Project

 

The Submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593)

 

USS Thresher, lead ship of a class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.

 

Commissioned in August 1961, USS Thresher was the world's most technologically advanced nuclear powered submarine of her day. She was designed to be our Nation’s silent guardian by hunting down and destroying Soviet Ballistic Missile Submarines before they could unleash their nuclear weapons on key military installations and cities across our Nation.

 

USS Thresher was 278' 6" in length, 31' 8" in beam, and displaced 3,700 tons on the surface, and 4,300 tons submerged. Her top speed was greater than 20 knots and her maximum operational depth greater than 400 feet.

USS Thresher was manned by an operational crew of 16 officers and 96 enlisted men.

 

Duty aboard USS Thresher was a coveted assignment. The Submariners who met the stringent selection criteria where among the best the elite US Navy Submarine Force had to offer.

After commissioning, USS Thresher conducted lengthy trials in the western Atlantic and Caribbean areas in 1961 and 1962, providing a thorough evaluation of her many new technological features and weapons. After the completion of these test operations, Thresher returned to her builders for overhaul.

 

 

Portions of the above where excerpted from the History of USS Thresher (SSN-593) a web page in the US Navy's Heritage and History Command website. Also informative is the web page USS Thresher (SSN-593) 3 August 1961 to 10 April 1963 published in The Sextant website.

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