The USS San Juan (SSN 751), a fast-attack submarine of the Los Angeles-class, made its last return to Naval Submarine Base New London on Tuesday, June 6.
The submarine concluded its final six-month deployment after 35 years of service and will undergo decommissioning later this year.
San Juan, while deployed in the US European Command area of responsibility, covered a distance of approximately 37,600 nautical miles and made port calls to Cypress and Rota, Spain.
SSN 751 was commissioned on August 6, 1988, and is the second US warship named after San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It is 361 feet long with a beam of 32 feet and had a crew of more than 110 personnel.
The Los Angeles-class, also known as the LA-class or the 688-class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines that serves as the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force.
These submarines are capable of fulfilling multiple missions and play a vital role in five of the Navy’s maritime strategy core capabilities, namely sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
Their design focuses on excelling in various areas such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare.
Fast-attack submarines are equipped to project power ashore by deploying special operations forces and utilizing Tomahawk cruise missiles, both as preventive measures and in response to regional crises.
“It’s a great feeling to welcome any ship home from deployment, but this homecoming is particularly meaningful,” Capt. O’Donnell said. “I feel honored to be a part of San Juan’s history and I cannot think of a better crew to lead this highly decorated submarine into decommissioning.”
