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USS Parche (SSN 683)

- decommissioned -

The keel of the USS PARCHE was laid in December 1970 at Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi, and was the second ship in the Navy to bear the name. PARCHE was commissioned in August of 1974 and served as a unit of Atlantic Submarine Force until 1976 before transferring to SUBPAC. Once arriving at her new homeport at Mare Island, California, PARCHE received ocean engineering modifications. From 1987 to 1991, PARCHE began the extended overhaul at Mare Island Shipyard. The boat was refueled and modified for research and development, adding a one hundred foot extension to her hull, and began a new mission as part of Submarine Development Squadron 5. PARCHE resumed Pacific Fleet operations in 1992 and was transferred to her new homeport at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington in November 1994. She continued to operate out of Bangor, Wash., until decommissioned on October 20, 2004. Between 1976 and 2004, PARCHE conducted numerous classified operations that earned her a total of nine Presidential Unit Citations, ten Navy Unit Commendations, 13 Navy Expeditionary Medals and 15 Battle "E"s. These awards made her the most-decorated ship in US Navy history.

General Characteristics:Awarded: June 25, 1968
Keel Laid: December 10, 1970
Launched: January 13, 1973
Commissioned: August 17, 1974
Decommissioned: October 20, 2004
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss.
Propulsion system: one S5W2 nuclear reactor
Propellers: one
Length: 401.5 feet (122.4 meters)
Beam: 31.7 feet (9.65 meters)
Draft: 29.2 feet (8.9 meters)
Displacement: Surfaced: approx. ? tons
Submerged: approx. 7,800 tons
Speed: Surfaced: approx. 15 knots
Submerged: 20+ knots
Armament: four 533 mm torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes, Harpoon, Tomahawk, and SUBROC missiles, ability to lay mines
Crew: 22 Officers, 157 Enlisted


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Crew List:

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


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USS PARCHE Patch Gallery:

Mission 1993


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before the conversion

after the conversion


The photo below was taken by me and shows the preserved sail of PARCHE located at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. The photo was taken on May 12, 2012. The sail displays all decorations and awards the PARCHE has earned in her career, although the command excellence awards are not displayed correctly.



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