USS Miami (SSN-755)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Miami.

The USS Miami in Port Everglades, Florida in April 2004.
USS Miami moored to a Port Everglades pier in April 2004.
History
United States
NameMiami
NamesakeCity of Miami
Awarded28 November 1983
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down24 October 1986
Launched12 November 1988
Sponsored byJane P. Wilkinson
Commissioned30 June 1990
Decommissioned28 March 2014
Out of service8 August 2013
Stricken28 March 2014
HomeportGroton, Connecticut, U.S.
IdentificationSSN-755
Motto"No Free Rides, Everybody Rows!"
StatusStricken, to be disposed of by submarine recycling
Badge755insig.png
General characteristics
Class and type Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement
  • 5,751 long tons (5,843 t) light
  • 6,146 long tons (6,245 t) full
  • 395 long tons (401 t) dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
PropulsionS6G nuclear reactor
Complement12 officers, 98 men
Armament

USS Miami (SSN-755) was a United States Navy Los Angeles-class attack submarine. She was the third vessel of the U.S. Navy to be named after Miami, Florida. Miami was the forty-fourth Los Angeles-class (688) submarine and the fifth Improved Los Angeles-class (688I) submarine to be built and commissioned. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 28 November 1983 and her keel was laid down on 24 October 1986. She was launched on 12 November 1988 and commissioned on 30 June 1990 with Commander Thomas W. Mader in command.

On 1 March 2012, Miami pulled into the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for a scheduled 20-month Engineered Overhaul (EOH) and system upgrades. On 23 May, a shipyard employee started a fire that spread to crew living, command and control, and torpedo spaces. Repairs were initially estimated to require three years and $450 million, a figure that was later revised to a range of $450 million to $700 million.

On 6 August 2013, Navy officials said that due to budget cuts the vessel would not be repaired. The submarine was placed on the inactive list,[1] then decommissioned on 28 March 2014.[2]

History[]

1999[]

Miami became the first submarine to conduct combat operations in two theaters since World War II (Operation Desert Fox and Operation Allied Force).[3]

2012 fire[]

Miami enters dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 15 March 2012 to begin an engineered overhaul. She was severely damaged by fire two months later.

At 5:41 p.m. EDT on 23 May 2012, fire crews were called with a report of a fire on Miami while being overhauled at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. At the time, the submarine was on a scheduled 20-month maintenance cycle,[4][5] indicating that she was undergoing an extensive overhaul called an "Engineering Overhaul".[6] The national media reported that seven firefighters had been injured.[7] One crew member suffered broken ribs when he fell through a hole left by removed deck plates during the fire.[8] It took firefighters 12 hours to extinguish it.[9]

Originally, the U.S. Navy reported that the fire started when an industrial vacuum cleaner used "to clean worksites on the sub after shipyard workers’ shifts" sucked up a heat source that ignited debris inside the vacuum. On 23 July 2012, however, civilian painter and sandblaster Casey J. Fury was indicted on two counts of arson after confessing to starting the fire. Fury admitted to setting it by igniting some rags on the top bunk in a berthing compartment. He claimed to have started it in order to get out of work early.[10][11][12][13] On 15 March 2013, he was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $400 million in restitution.[14]

The debate over whether to repair or scrap the submarine lasted more than a year. Within a month of the fire, Maine Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe advocated repairing her.[15] In July 2012, Navy leaders asked Congress to add $220 million to the operations and maintenance budget for emergent and unfunded ship repairs to help repair Miami.[16] In August, the Navy decided to repair the boat for an estimated total cost of $450 million.[17] The repair cost was expected to be trimmed by using spare parts from the recently decommissioned USS Memphis[18] and by repairing rather than replacing damaged hull sections, as had been done with another Los Angeles-class boat, San Francisco.[19] But both of these approaches proved unworkable with the newer Miami.[20][21] As well, a detailed assessment raised the estimated repair bill to $700 million.[22]

On 6 August 2013, the U.S. Navy announced its intention to decommission Miami, concluding the cost was more than it could afford in a time of budget cuts. [23] The sub was officially decommissioned on 28 March 2014, to be disposed of via the nuclear Ship-Submarine Recycling Program.[24]

Previous mottos[]

  • "Can do, will do, glad to." This motto was used prior to Operation Desert Fox.
  • "First to fire. Twice to fire." This motto was adopted after returning to home port after the 1998-1999 deployment.

In popular culture[]

  • USS Miami is one of two vessels featured in Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, a 1993 non-fiction book by Tom Clancy.[25]
  • In 1999, the ship was featured in The Learning Channel's Extreme Machines on "Nuclear Submarines". In that episode, it is also depicted in a fictional scenario in which it sinks a Typhoon Class Submarine but is able to escape an Akula Class Submarine without harm.
  • October 8, 1999 Andy Rooney, of 60 minutes, reported on his experiences after partaking in a day-long cruise aboard the Miami.
  • In 2012, Miami was featured in the novel Hunter Killer (previously published as Firing Point) by George Wallace and Don Keith.

Gallery[]

  • Tugboats maneuver Miami into a berth at Port Everglades, Florida on 17 July 1993.

  • A bow-on view looking down on Miami in the auxiliary medium repair dock Shippingport (ARDM-4) during a routine hull inspection at Naval Submarine Base New London. (16 March 1994)

  • Sailors aboard Miami man the rails as they prepare to moor at Port Everglades, Florida, Fleet Week. (26 April 2004)

  • Miami moored at Port Everglades, Florida. (26 April 2004)

  • Miami surfaces in the North Arabian Sea during an anti-submarine warfare exercise with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group. (11 November 2007)

  • Miami steams through the Arabian Sea accompanied by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), and USS Gettysburg (CG 64). (11 November 2007)

  • Santa Claus stands with sailors aboard Miami during the submarine's return to Naval Submarine Base New London after an eight-month deployment. (2 December 2009)

  • Sailors man the rails as the submarine transits the Thames River en route to Naval Submarine Base New London after an eight-month deployment. (2 December 2009)

  • Sailors aboard the decommissioned nuclear submarine Nautilus salute the sailors aboard Miami as the boat returns home to Naval Submarine Base New London following an eight-month deployment. (2 December 2009)

  • Rear Admiral Bernt Grimstvedt, chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy, looks through the periscope during a port visit to strengthen maritime partnership with Norwegian counterparts. (11 October 2011)

  • Miami returns home to Submarine Base New London following a five-month deployment conducting operations in the United States Sixth Fleet area of responsibility. (15 December 2011)

  • Miami returns home following a five-month deployment. (15 December 2011)

References[]

  1. ^ Miller, Kevin; Hoey, Dennis (6 August 2013). "Navy abandons plan to fix nuclear sub burned in Maine". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Decommissioning today for fire-damaged sub Miami". Militarytimes.com. Associated Press. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016.
  3. ^ "USS Miami (SSN 755) History". uscarriers.net. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Fire Extinguished On Nuclear Submarine In Maine". CBS Boston. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Fire reported on nuclear-powered submarine at Maine shipyard". Necn.com. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  6. ^ Pike, John (29 October 2003). "SSN-688 Los Angeles-class Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO)". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  7. ^ ABC's Good Morning America 24 May 2012
  8. ^ Sharp, David (10 September 2012). "Nuclear Submarine Fire Sparks Two Navy Probes". Portland Press Herald.
  9. ^ Sharp, David (6 August 2013). "Navy drops plans to repair fire-damaged submarine USS Miami, citing budget restraints". Times Colonist. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Navy: No update on USS Miami investigation". boston.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  11. ^ McMahon, Charles (23 July 2012). "Suspect in $400M sub blaze appears in court". seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Man charged in fire on USS Miami". www.wcvb.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  13. ^ Canfield, Clarke (2012). "Civilian worker charged with setting both fires aboard, near submarine in Maine shipyard". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  14. ^ Boyette, Chris (16 March 2013). "Shipyard worker sentenced to 17 years for $400 million submarine fire". CNN. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  15. ^ Hoey, Dennis (7 June 2012). "Navy: Fire on nuclear sub started in vacuum cleaner". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  16. ^ McDermott, Jennifer (20 July 2012). "Links to USS Miami fire explored". theday.com. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  17. ^ "USS Miami Expected Back In Service In 2015". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  18. ^ "Parts from retired sub will be used to repair USS Miami". WMUR. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  19. ^ Ewing, Philip (21 October 2008). "Transplant complete, attack sub floats again". NavyTimes. Retrieved 5 July 2015. (subscription required)
  20. ^ [1] Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Fire and Fixes aboard USS Miami". Defenseindustrydaily.com. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  22. ^ Sharp, David (18 March 2013). "Navy: Repairs to submarine Miami now uncertain". NavyTimes. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  23. ^ Breckenridge, Richard (7 August 2013). "USS Miami: A Tangible Impact to Readiness from Sequestration". Navy Live. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  24. ^ McDermott, Jennifer (29 March 2014). "Fire-stricken submarine USS Miami is decommissioned". The Day. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  25. ^ Clancy, Tom (1993). Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship. ISBN 0-425-13873-9.

External links[]

This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.

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