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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Accidents aboard the Ship Image Gallery to end of page |  |
USS DOLPHIN was an auxiliary research submarine and the seventh ship in the Navy to bear the name. Unofficially the "world's deepest diving submarine", the DOLPHIN spent most of her career doing acoustic and oceanographic surveys. Decommissioned in January 2007, the DOLPHIN was donated to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, Calif., on September 18, 2008, and is now open to the public. Click here for a photo tour of the DOLPHIN at San Diego, Calif.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: August 10, 1960 |
| Keel laid: November 9, 1962 | |
| Launched: June 8, 1968 | |
| Commissioned: August 17, 1968 | |
| Decommissioned: January 15, 2007 | |
| Builder: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, NH. | |
| Propulsion system: two diesel engines, two electric motors | |
| Propellers: one | |
| Length: 152 feet (46.3 meters) | |
| Beam: 19.3 feet (5.9 meters) | |
| Draft: 18 feet (5.5 meters) | |
| Displacement: Surfaced: approx. 800 tons Submerged: approx. 950 tons | |
| Speed: Surfaced: approx. 10 knots Submerged: approx. 8 knots | |
| Armament: one 533 mm torpedo tube when built (tube was removed in 1970) | |
| Crew: 3 Officers, 20 Enlisted and up to 7 Scientists |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS DOLPHIN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageAccidents aboard USS DOLPHIN:
| Date | Where | Events |
|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2002 | 100 nautical miles off San Diego, Calif. | USS DOLPHIN suffers a fire and flooding at 11:30 p.m. (PDT) while operating approximately 100 miles off the coast of San Diego. The Oceanographic Research Motor Vessel McGAW was operating in the vicinity and immediately responded. The fire and flooding was beyond the ability of the crew to control, so they were evacuated by small boat to McGAW after the submarine hatches had been secured. All crew members were safely recovered with only a few minor injuries. Two crew members were recovered from the water by a US Coast Guard helicopter during the transfer. MV McGAW subsequently proceeded to San Diego with DOLPHIN's crew on board. The quick response of the crew placed the submarine in a stable condition. USS THACH (FFG 43) also arrived on scene assessing the submarine's status and the submarine support vessel MV KELLIE CHOUEST got underway from San Diego at 3:30 a.m., May 22, to assist in the recovery assessment. On May 22, the DOLPHIN was safely towed to harbor. The photo below shows the DOLPHIN during the tow.  |
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USS DOLPHIN Image Gallery:
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The photos below were taken by me and show the decommissioned DOLPHIN laid-up at Point Loma, Calif., on March 11, 2008.
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The photos below were taken by me and show the DOLPHIN at San Diego, Calif., as part of the San Diego Maritime Museum. The photos were taken on March 24, 2010.
 |  |  | Click here for more photos. | |
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