EMBROIDERED PATCH USS HONOLULU
SSN-718 *MINT* USN NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE PEARL HARBOR
I RECEIVED THIS ONBOARD THE SHIP AROUND 2002-2003 AND IT
HAS SAT IN MY DESK DRAWER EVER SINCE. MARITIME KEEPSAKE. PERFECT GIFT FOR CURRENT / FORMER CREWMEMBER
OR PERSON INTERESTED IN THE EUNITED STATES NAVY.
If your Dad or
Brother or Son (women were not yet allowed to serve in submarines during the
time this ship was in commission) was a former crewmember perhaps he mis-placed
his during one of many moves and now you can replace it.
Collectors of
Cold War Militaria value these (especially from nuclear-powered submarines) and
they are especially difficult to find since the crews were small (hence, few
were made) and by the nature of their propulsion system & un-publicized
operations they made very infrequent port visits.
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Additional
Information from Internet Encyclopedia
USS Honolulu
(SSN-718), was a Los Angeles-class submarine, and the third ship of the United
States Navy to be named for Honolulu, Hawaii. The contract to build her was
awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News,
Virginia on 15 September 1977 and her keel was laid down on 10 November 1981.
She was launched on 24 September 1983 sponsored by Mrs. Joan B. Clark, and
commissioned on 6 July 1985, with Commander Robert M. Mitchell in command.
Honolulu featured
unique split stern planes that operated from independent hydraulic systems.
With this redundant configuration, the inboard and outboard planes could be
operated independently, preventing a failure of one or the other from causing
an uncontrolled dive.
Honolulu's patrols
are commemorated by ten surfboards signed by the crews aboard her at the time.
The latest three are kept on board the submarine; the other seven are stored at
Pearl Harbor.
Honolulu held a
farewell ceremony in Pearl Harbor on 15 April 2006, that included remarks by
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona, U.S. Pacific Fleet
commander Admiral Gary Roughead and former Honolulu commanding officer Vice
Admiral Jonathan Greenert. Honolulu put to sea in early May 2006 for her final
patrol. Her last patrol ended at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in October 2006
where she was placed on stand down, on her way to decommissioning.
Honolulu was
decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 2 November 2007.
Ex-Honolulu entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in
Bremerton, Washington.
The forward
section of ex-Honolulu was transferred to USS San Francisco, repairing
extensive damage caused by a severe grounding San Francisco experienced in
2005. Despite difficulties, the unusual project was completed on 20 October
2008.
