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USS Pasadena (SSN 752)

USS PASADENA is the 41^st LOS ANGELES - class Attack Submarine. In September 2013, PASADENA completed an extended two-year overhaul at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, and shifted her homeport from Pearl Harbor, Hi., to San Diego, Calif. She served with the Pacific Fleet until September 2019, when she departed San Diego to shift her homeport to Naval Base Norfolk, Va., where she arrived in October 2019.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS PASADENA. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS PASADENA History:

USS PASADENA began as an Electric Boat contract awarded on November 30, 1982. Her keel was laid at Groton, Connecticut, on December 20, 1985; she was launched on September 12, 1987, sponsored by Pauline Trost, and commissioned on February 11, 1989, under the command of CDR W. Fritchman. Originally assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, she shifted to the Pacific in October 1990 and was homeported in San Diego. In July 1991, PASADENA became the first Improved 688-class submarine to deploy, a six-month Western Pacific (WestPac) cruise that marked the beginning of a career centered on multi-mission operations across the Indo-Pacific.

A second WestPac began in June 1993 and carried PASADENA through the Arabian Sea into the Persian Gulf during a period of regional stabilization following the 1991 Gulf War. During this deployment the boat exercised with Royal Saudi, Royal Omani, and Royal Australian naval units. She also became the first U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine to conduct exercises with the Indian Navy during a MALABAR event, reflecting the early growth of U.S.-India naval cooperation. On the same cruise she executed the first visit by a nuclear-powered submarine to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, signaling expanding access arrangements for U.S. units in the Red Sea.

Beginning in March 1995, PASADENA again deployed west, operating for an extended period inside the Persian Gulf at the time U.S. FIFTH FLEET was being reestablished in Bahrain (July 1995). During this tour she became the first nuclear submarine to visit Muscat, Oman, and is credited as the first SSN assigned under Commander, U.S. FIFTH FLEET - illustrating how attack submarines were woven into routine Gulf presence and maritime security tasks as sanctions and enforcement patrols continued through the mid-1990s.

In April 1996, the submarine changed homeport to Pearl Harbor and joined COMSUBRON SEVEN. A Selected Restricted Availability from June-September 1996 upgraded combat systems and defensive suites. In April 1997, PASADENA deployed to the Eastern Pacific in support of UNITAS activities with partner navies, a South and Central American maritime exercise series focused on anti-submarine and combined operations. The late-1990s brought intensive training under COMSUBRON SEVEN culminating in a Battle "E" for 1998.

Through the early 2000s PASADENA continued operations across Seventh Fleet and Central Command waters. On April 13, 2004, during RIMPAC-related events, she fired a live MK-48 warshot that sank the decommissioned SPRUANCE-class destroyer ex-JOHN YOUNG (DD 973), a standard sink exercise used to validate weapons performance and crew proficiency.

On March 26, 2007, operating on the Point Mugu sea range off southern California, PASADENA conducted a Tomahawk Block IV (TLAM-E) torpedo-tube launch that transitioned to cruise and flew to the China Lake land range - part of a series of developmental and operational tests validating strike mission profiles from LOS ANGELES-class platforms.

In 2008, she executed another WestPac that included a maintenance and liberty call at Subic Bay, Philippines, where tender USS FRANK CABLE (AS 40) provided support, and a visit to Sepanggar Bay, Malaysia, underscoring engagement with Southeast Asian partners along key maritime chokepoints.

During the summer of 2010, PASADENA took part in RIMPAC 2010, departing Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in early July and returning at month's end after combined anti-submarine and multi-domain events with regional navies. The participation came amid ongoing U.S. emphasis on Pacific interoperability and undersea dominance.

In September 2011, the submarine arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for a planned engineered overhaul. Yard work - modernizing sonar, fire control, and navigation systems - extended into 2013. After completing the availability, PASADENA shifted homeport to San Diego in November 2013, to join COMSUBRON ELEVEN, reflecting Pacific Fleet distribution of improved 688-class units.

From January 2 to July 3, 2015, PASADENA conducted a six-month Western Pacific deployment in the U.S. SEVENTH FLEET area. The crew steamed more than 40,000 nautical miles and made port visits in Okinawa; Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan; Busan, Republic of Korea; Singapore; and Guam, combining liberty with logistics and theater engagement while conducting routine patrols and combined operations.

Late in 2016, the boat made a December 22 port visit to Yokosuka during another Western Pacific period of operations. She returned to San Diego in March 2017 after a deployment characterized by presence patrols and integration with Pacific Fleet surface and air units. The same year, COMSUBRON ELEVEN held a change-of-command ceremony aboard PASADENA at Point Loma, highlighting the submarine's role within the squadron.

In 2019, PASADENA transitioned from the West Coast to Norfolk, Virginia, aligning to Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic and SUBRON SIX. A Navy news release in March 2020, at a change of command, confirmed the 2019 homeport shift and noted recent Battle "E" performance under San Diego-based COMSUBRON ELEVEN.

From 2020 into 2021, the submarine underwent a Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, completing the DSRA and formally returning to the fleet on October 31, 2021. The availability replaced, repaired, and overhauled systems to extend service life and readiness within the Atlantic force.

In March 2022, PASADENA participated in ICE EXERCISE (ICEX) 2022, operating under the Arctic ice pack and surfacing through the Beaufort Sea as the Navy established Ice Camp Queenfish on drifting sea ice. The three-week event measured Arctic operational readiness, environmental data collection, and combined-service integration, and included test torpedo workups and under-ice navigation - missions that reflect renewed strategic attention to the High North.

On September 1, 2022, the crew held a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. In mid-2023, PASADENA shifted to U.S. FOURTH FLEET operations to join UNITAS LXIV, the long-running multinational exercise hosted by Colombia. Before the opening events, PASADENA called at Guantanamo Bay on July 5. During UNITAS (July 11-21) she worked alongside U.S. and partner forces that included USS NEW YORK (LPD 21), USS COLE (DDG 67), USS LITTLE ROCK (LCS 9), and USNS BURLINGTON (T-EPF 10), while special operations forces conducted integration training from PASADENA's deck near Cartagena. The exercise concluded with a ceremony in Cartagena on July 21.

Through late 2023 and 2024, the submarine continued Atlantic Fleet training and certifications from Norfolk. Public announcements in early 2025 listed PASADENA as a Battle "E" winner within Submarine Squadron 6 for the 2024 competitive cycle - an indicator of sustained material readiness and tactical performance - and recognized the crew for medical readiness excellence.

On January 15, 2025, PASADENA held another change-of-command ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, marking continued stewardship as the boat entered her mid-thirties of commissioned service.

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Homeports of USS PASADENA:

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USS PASADENA Patch Gallery:

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USS PASADENA Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, Calif., on December 27, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA dry-docked in the floating drydock ARCO (ARDM 5) at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, Calif., on October 2, 2015. The docking took place one day earlier.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, Calif., on April 18, 2016.

The photo below was taken by John Rebus (Michael) and shows the PASADENA at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, Calif., on June 2, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, Calif., on October 11, 2017.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows USS PASADENA at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va., on December 26, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on September 6, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 4, 2024.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PASADENA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on May 31, 2025.

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