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USS San Juan (SSN-751)

USS San Juan in the Atlantic Ocean, 29 August 2023
History
United States
Name	San Juan
Namesake	The City of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awarded	30 November 1982
Builder	General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down	9 August 1985
Launched	6 December 1986
Sponsored by	Mrs. Sherrill Hernandez
Commissioned	6 August 1988
Homeport	Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton
Identification	21312 MMSI number: 369970217 Callsign: NSJP
Motto	Technology and Tradition
Status	In active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement	5,790 long tons (5,883 t) light 6,197 long tons (6,296 t) full 407 long tons (414 t) dead
Length	110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft	9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Installed power	nuclear
Propulsion	1 × S6G PWR nuclear reactor with D2W core (165 MW), HEU 93.5% 2 × steam turbines (33,500) shp 1 × shaft 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
Speed	Classified
Complement	12 officers, 98 men
Sensors and processing systems	BSY-1 sonar suite combat system
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes 12 × vertical launch Tomahawk missiles

USS San Juan (SSN-751), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named San Juan, though only the second named for San Juan, Puerto Rico. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 30 November 1982 and her keel was laid down on 9 August 1985. She was launched on 6 December 1986 sponsored by Mrs. Sherrill Hernandez, wife of VADM Diego E. Hernández, and commissioned on 6 August 1988.

During the early evening of 13 March 2007, units of the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) received a series of indications that USS San Juan (SSN-751), a Los Angeles-class submarine conducting pre-deployment training with the Enterprise CSG, was in distress.

The submarine established communications in the early morning hours of 14 March, and indicated that there were no problems; hence, units were able to stand down from the search and rescue that was already well underway.

History

San Juan was the first of the Flight III or 688i for "improved" design, that received a number of significant improvements to the previous boats in the class. San Juan and all subsequent boats in her class are quieter and incorporate an advanced AN/BSY-1 sonar suite combat system. Another improvement includes the ability to lay mines from their torpedo tubes. San Juan's sail was also strengthened, enabling the ability to break through ice.

First 688i through-ice surfacing

In 1993 San Juan conducted the first through-ice surfacing for a 688i-class submarine in the Arctic.

Collision with USS Kentucky

On 19 March 1998 off the coast of Long Island, New York, the submerged San Juan collided with the surfaced fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN-737). There were no injuries reported as a result of the collision.

Lost communication

On 13 March 2007, San Juan was the subject of a search and rescue mission by the carrier USS Enterprise and elements of her Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Florida, when contact with the submarine was lost, and a red flare was spotted in her projected vicinity, suggesting an emergency. Communications were re-established early the next day when San Juan surfaced, and no problems were indicated.

Visit to South Africa

On 4 November 2009 San Juan arrived at Simon's Town, South Africa. The ship engaged in at-sea maneuvers with the South African Navy for the first time in U.S. history.

2010 overhaul

San Juan arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY), Maine, on 8 April 2010 for an engineered overhaul (EOH); for maintenance and system upgrades.

As of 2012 San Juan was assigned to Submarine Group Two. Submarine Group Two was disestablished in 2014, and San Juan became part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMSUBLANT).

Awards

• Battle E – 30 September 1991
• Battle E – 30 September 1992
• Battle E – 30 September 1994
• Navy Unit Commendation – 1 July 1994
• Meritorious Unit Commendation – 1 July 1997
• Meritorious Unit Commendation – 10 December 1998
• Battle E – 31 December 2002
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal – 31 March 2003
• Meritorious Unit Commendation – 5 October 2005
• Meritorious Unit Commendation – 22 November 2009
• Battle E – 8 January 2010
• Battle Effectiveness Award – 12 January 2017

References

1. SSN751
2. NVR.Navy.mil: USS San Juan, Retrieved 12 February 2012
3. "International Panel on Fissile Materials". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
4. "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
5. "USS San Juan (SSN-751)". seaforces.org. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
6. ^ Affairs, This story was written by Commander, Submarine Force U. S. Atlantic Fleet Public. "SUBLANT Statement Regarding USS San Juan and Missing Submarine Procedures". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. "USS San Juan arrives at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard". seacoastonline.com. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
8. "Arctic Submarine Laboratory Historical Timeline". US Navy. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
9. "2 U.S. submarines collide off Long Island". CNN. 19 March 1998. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
10. "Billion-Dollar U.S. Sub Disappears Overnight for Several Hours". United States: ABC News. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
11. "San Juan Makes Historic Visit to South Africa". US Navy. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
12. Navy.mil: USS San Juan Arrives at PNSY for Overhaul, retrieved 12 February 2012
13. "Unit Awards for San Juan SSN 751". US Navy. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
14. "USS San Juan Receives Battle 'E'". US Navy. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
15. "CSS-12 Commodore presents USS San Juan (SSN-751) with Battle E". US Navy. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

 This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Navy.

External links

• USS San Juan Homepage
• Naval Vessel Register entry for USS San Juan

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1998
Shipwrecks	16 Jan: Flare 23 Mar: Demetrios II 7 Apr: USS Hull 22 Jun: Yugo-class submarine 22 Jul: USS Badger, USS Somers 9 Aug: USS Richmond K. Turner 19 Aug: ARA Comodoro Somellera 23 Sep: Um El Faroud 18 Sep: Princess of the Orient 24 Sep: USS Belknap, Ocean Alley 21 Oct: Eendracht 27 Oct: Fantome 11 Nov: Ministro Portales 5 Dec: Adolphus Busch 17 Dec: I-SILC-class semi-submersible infiltration vessel Unknown date: Brown Bear, HMS Sirius
Other incidents	19 Mar: USS Kentucky, USS San Juan 4 Apr: Admiral 20 Jul: Ecstasy 19 Aug: ARA Suboficial Castillo 27–28 Dec: 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
1997 1999

• Ships built in Groton, Connecticut
• Los Angeles-class submarines
• Cold War submarines of the United States
• Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy
• United States submarine accidents
• Maritime incidents in 1998
• 1986 ships
• Submarines of the United States