Norfolk III (SSN-714)
1983–
The third U.S. Navy ship named for the seaport in southeastern Virginia on Hampton Roads. The first Norfolk, a brig, served from 1798–1800. The name Norfolk was assigned to a heavy cruiser (CA-137) laid down on 27 December 1944 at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pa., but her construction was cancelled on 12 August 1945. The second Norfolk was projected as a hunter-killer ship (CLK-1) but commissioned as a frigate (DL-1), and served from 1953–1973.
III
(SSN-714: displacement 6,149; length 362'; beam 33'; draft 32'; speed 25 knots; complement 110; armament UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, UUM-44 SubRoc antisubmarine missiles, UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Mk 48 torpedoes, four torpedo tubes; class Los Angeles)
The third Norfolk (SSN-714) was laid down on 1 August 1979 at Newport News, Va., by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.; launched on 31 October 1981; sponsored by Mrs. Jane D. Weinberger, wife of Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger; and commissioned on 21 May 1983 at Norfolk, Va., Capt. Kenneth R. Karr in command.
Norfolk collided with combat store ship San Diego (AFS-6) while attempting to pass her in Thimble Shoals Channel near Norfolk, on 17 January 1989. Both vessels sustained damage and Norfolk returned to port and subsequently completed her repairs. San Diego anchored for two days while her crewmen evaluated the damage, and then accomplished a restricted scope phased maintenance availability at Jonathan Corp., from 8 February–16 March, followed by additional repairs in non-self-propelled medium auxiliary floating dry dock Sustain (AFDM-7), from 30 March–10 April.
Norfolk was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk on 11 December 2014. She subsequently began the inactivation process at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.
Detailed history under construction.
Mark L. Evans
30 July 2015
