USS Greeneville (SSN 772)

USS GREENEVILLE is the 61^st LOS ANGELES class submarine and the 22^nd Improved LOS ANGELES class attack submarine.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: December 14, 1988
	Keel laid: February 28, 1992
	Launched: September 17, 1994
	Commissioned: February 16, 1996
	Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
	Propulsion system: one nuclear reactor
	Propellers: one
	Length: 360 feet (109.73 meters)
	Beam: 33 feet (10 meters)
	Draft: 32,15 feet (9.8 meters)
	Displacement: Surfaced: approx. 6,300 tons Submerged: approx. 7,100 tons
	Speed: Surfaced: approx. 15 knots Submerged: approx. 32 knots
	Armament: Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles from 12 VLS-tubes, four 533 mm torpedo Tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes, ability to lay mines
	Cost: approx. $900 million
	Homeport: San Diego, Calif.
	Crew: 13 Officers, 116 Enlisted

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Crew List:

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

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS GREENEVILLE memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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History of USS GREENEVILLE:

USS GREENEVILLE is the 61st Los Angeles Class submarine and the 22nd Improved Los Angeles Class Attack submarine. Construction began on March 1, 1990 and her keel was laid on April 16, 1992 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. The Pre-Commissioning Unit GREENEVILLE was officially manned on January 19, 1994, and christened on September 17, 1994 by Mrs. Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, USS GREENEVILLE was commissioned a U.S. Naval warship at Norfolk Naval Base on February 16, 1996.

GREENEVILLE conducted shakedown operations in the western Atlantic from February 1996 to July 1996. A post shakedown availability was conducted at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company from August 1996 through February 1997 to conduct various alterations to improve noise quieting, equipment reliability and install support systems for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle and the Advanced SEAL Delivery System.

GREENEVILLE changed homeport to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March 1997, and is assigned to Submarine Squadron One.

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Accidents aboard USS GREENEVILLE:

Date

Where

Events

February 9, 2001

9 miles off Honolulu, HI.

During a visit of civilians aboard the submarine, the GREENEVILLE demonstrated an emergency surfacing during which the submarine collided with the Japanese fishing trawler EHIME MARU (499 tons). The collision occurred at 1.45pm local time. The trawler sank about 5 minutes after the collision. 26 of the trawler's 35 crew members could be rescued immediately. 12 of them suffered minor injuries. The trawler was a training ship of a Japanese fishing school and had 13 students and their teachers aboard. From the 35 people aboard 9 were killed in the accident. These were four 17 years old students, two teachers and three crew members of the trawler.
The collision caused damage to the USS GREENEVILLE and she had to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. The Commanding Officer was relieved.

Click here to listen to COMSUBPAC's distress call to the Coast Guard following the collision. (20 seconds - 246 KByte)

The Distress Call:

"Coast Guard, uh, this is, uh, COMSUPAC Pearl Harbor. We have a vessel that has had a collision approximately nine miles south of Diamond Head. A commercial ship with a submarine. Vessel has sunk. Uh, people are in the water. The rough seas may prohibit submarine from ..."

The photo below shows the GREENEVILLE in dock at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The place on which the GREENEVILLE contacted the EHIME MARU can be seen right below the sail.

The two photos below show the fishing trawler EHIME MARU and once again the damage on board GREENEVILLE.

January 27, 2002

about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Oman

While transferring personnel from USS GREENEVILLE to USS OGDEN (LPD 5), the hull of OGDEN and GREENEVILLE's stern plate came into contact which resulted in a rupture to one of OGDEN's fuel tanks. The 5-by-18-inch long rupture was below the waterline at the back on the right side. Both ships continued to operate safely and GREENEVILLE headed toward Diego Garcia for an underwater assessment.

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About the Submarine’s Name, about Greeneville and Greene County, Tennessee:

Greeneville, a historic town in northeastern Tennessee of approximately 15,000 people, is named in honor of Revolutionary War hero General Nathaniel Greene. Settled around 1780 by Scot-Irish settlers, the town is older than the state of Tennessee. Although many town and cities share the name, only Greeneville, Tennessee has an extra "E" in the middle.

The famous frontiersman, Davy Crockett, was born in Greene County in 1786. Davy’s great-great-great-great grandson lives in Greene County today.

From 1785 to 1788, Greeneville was the capital of "the most successful unsuccessful political experiment" in history, the Lost State of Franklin. The region now known as "East Tennessee" was part of Virginia and later North Carolina. Known as the State of Franklin in the late 18th century, the Continental Congress under heavy adverse pressure from North Carolina, missed statehood ratification by only two votes. A replica of the Capital stands today as one of several historical points of interest in the Greeneville Historic District.

During the Civil War the area often changed hands, providing a classic study of how the Civil War divided friends and families throughout the south. Greene County’s courthouse lawn contains two monuments, one dedicated to the Union and one to the Confederacy.

Greeneville, the county seat of Greene County, has a strong agricultural base, yet boasts 14 companies with fortune 500 affiliations.

Deeply rooted in our nation’s history, it lays claim to our 17th president, Andrew Johnson. Johnson’s two homes have been restored as national monuments and are administered by the National Park Service. The site includes "Monument Hill" - a beautiful hilltop cemetery where Johnson and his family are buried. Greenevillians felt the Navy should honor small town America by naming a ship after a city other than a major metropolitan area. What community could be more representative of small-town America than Greeneville? With only two remaining SSN’s scheduled to be built before the Los Angeles class ended, the people of Greeneville and Greene County decided they wanted one of their own.

The idea originated with two Greeneville Metal Manufacturing employees Supervisor Dale Long, and plant manager Bob Herndon (GMMI built many submarine components). They approached Mayor G. Thomas Love and the local Chamber of Commerce. A decision was made to pursue the naming and the USS GREENEVILLE Committee was formed.

The citizens began a very active campaign, organizing a drive that included local businesses, schools and various government and civic organizations. Many petitions and letters were written to Washington officials. A 12-member delegation flew to Washington for meetings and presentations with state Senators and Congressmen, as well as representatives of the Secretary of the Navy and President Bush. On December 12, 1989 the Secretary of the Navy announced that SSN 772 would be christened USS GREENEVILLE.