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Career
Awarded:	10 June 1988
Laid down:	15 August 1991
Launched:	20 March 1994
Commissioned:	18 August 1995
Status:	Active in service as of 2007
Homeport:	Pearl Harbor
depth:	470-500m
General characteristics
Displacement:	6000 tons light, 6927 tons full, 927 tons dead
Length:	110.3 meters (362 feet)
Beam:	10 meters (33 feet)
Draft:	9.4 meters (31 feet)
Propulsion:	one S6G reactor
Complement:	12 officers, 98 men

USS Tucson (SSN-770), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Tucson, Arizona. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 10 June 1988 and her keel was laid down on 15 August 1991. She was launched on 20 March 1994 sponsored by Mrs. Diane C. Kent.

The Tucson was supposed to be commissioned on 18 August 1995, however, Hurricane Felix threatened the Virginia coast, and the U.S. Navy decided to sortie the fleet, to prevent damage to ships in port if the hurricane made landfall. The Tucson was the last ship to leave port, in case the prediction for landfall changed. As it turned out, the hurricane never did make landfall, but the Tucson was at sea on 18 August. Upon returning to port, the commissioning ceremony was quickly rescheduled for 9 September 1995. At the new commissioning ceremony, the Commanding Officer, Commander Duane M. Baker, declared that for the next two hours, it was officially August 18th.

In June 1996, the Tucson was struck by the USNS GILLILAND (T-AKR 298) while moored inport at Newport News. A sudden windstorm caused the Gilliland to break free from its mooring and cross the harbor, colliding with the Tucson and a destroyer parked behind her. While the destroyer suffered the most damage, Tucson suffered minor damage to the outboard stern plane and one of its BRA-34 antennas was crushed.

From September 1996 to October 1996, the Tucson changed its home port. The Tucson left Norfolk, Virginia, passed through the Panama Canal and stopped in San Diego, California for 5 days. VIPs from Tucson, Arizona were allowed to ride on three separate short cruises, and then busloads of tourists from the city of Tucson came for tours of the submarine while in port. Following this port visit, the Tucson continued on to arrive in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Tucson left for its first Western Pacific deployment (Maiden Deployment) in February of 1997. For historical context, note that prior to departure, tensions between the United Nations and Iraq had escalted drastically. In the 30 days leading up to departure, the government of Iraq had blocked access to the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and had withrawn cooperation with the UNSCOM monitoring teams(http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Chronology/chronologyframe.htm). The ship traveled as far west as the Persian Gulf before returning to Pearl Harbor in August of 1997. It was during this period of time that the PBS series "Nova" filmed the episode "Battlegroups" aboard the Tucson.

On 19 May 2004, Tucson departed for a Western Pacific deployment.

See USS Tucson for other ships of the same name.

• Baker, DM CDR
• Miller, JD CDR --/--/-- - 09/--/98
• Murphy, DJ CDR 09/--/98 - 01/--/01
• Thomas, CDR 01/--/01 - 02/--/01
• Murphy, DJ CDR 02/--/01 - 03/--/01
• Traub, CDR 03/--/01 - --/--/--
• Pitts, JE CDR --/--/-- - 09/29/06
• Spear, PD CDR 09/29/06 - --/--/--

• In Tom Clancy's novel The Bear and the Dragon, Tucson is charged with sinking China's only SSBN type submarine.
• In Clive Cussler's novel Dragon, Tucson was the submarine used to search for Dirk Pitt after the undersea mining complex "Soggy Acres" was destroyed by aftershocks of a nuclear blast.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register as well as various press releases and news stories.