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1977 Mediterranean Cruise
Port of call: La Maddelena, Sardenia
USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) and USS Nautilus (SSN-571) moored next to USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16)

photograph from Rich P. White, former EM2/SS

    The USS Los Angeles, SSN-688, latest (at the time) in the United States Nuclear Submarine fleet, moored next to the original nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus, SSN-571. This picture was taken during the USS Los Angeles' first major deployment and one of the last  for the USS Nautilus.

    Both boats are moored next to the submarine tender, USS Howard W. Gilmore, AS-16. The tender was named after the  first U.S. submariner to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II. Commander Howard W. Gilmore, was killed in action "in a selfless act of heroism that has become one of the most inspiring legends of the Submarine Force."

    The  submarine tender was built by the Naval Shipyard at Mare Island, California and commissioned during WWII on 05/24/1944. She was decommissioned 09/30/1980 after 36 years of service.The Gilmore is now under the control of the Maritime Administration and is part of the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Virginia.

    The photograph was snapped by EM2(SS) Rich P. White from the upper deck of the Gilmore.Here is a photograph by Greg Emerson, a former AS-16 sailor, that shows the USS Nautilus and other submarines moored to the Gilmore. The Nautilus was on her final Mediterranean Cruise when this was taken. Greg recalls that the photograph was taken in 1979 but was most probably 1977 or 1978.

   For more information on the Gilmore, visit Tender Tales: Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16). The site  includes a photograph of the Gilmore as she looked in the seventies.

Official U. S. Navy Phtograph

    The Nautilus made her final voyage as a commissioned vessel  in the Spring of 1979 as she made the transit  from her home port in Groton, Connecticut to her final destination at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. Her last day underway was May 16, 1979. She was decommissioned on March 3, 1980 after having served a distinquished career of twenty-five years. She steamed nearly 500,000 miles under nuclear power and was the first submarine to navigate to the North Pole. The Nautilus  was designated as a national historical landmark in 1982, moved back to her home port, and is now an integral part of the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.

For more on the USS Nautilus, try these web sites:

• Navy Stuff: USS Nautlilus SSN-571 by Gilbert M Bohannon Jr
• Nautilus Alumni home page
• Nova Online: See Inside A Submarine
• National Maritime Museum Association: Nautilus, SSN-571
• National Museum of American History: Nautilus, SSN-571

One of the great classic books about submarines is NAUTILUS 90 NORTH by William R. Anderson, former commander of the Nautilus, and Clay Blair, Jr.  Unfortunately, the book  is long out of print but may be found at Amazon.com.

Updated: Wednesday, October 04, 2000

Established: March 1, 1998