USS Scamp (SSN-588) - Operational History - 1960s

1960s

Scamp’s first four months in the fleet were taken up by advanced trials and training exercises in the Bremerton, Washington, San Diego, California, and Pearl Harbor, areas. Following these operations, she returned to Vallejo, California, for post-shakedown availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Leaving the shipyard Scamp completed her final acceptance trials and began local operations in the San Diego area. In April 1962 she deployed to the western Pacific, returning to San Diego in July. She operated locally until September, when she departed on another extended training cruise. Scamp returned to San Diego and local operations until February 1963 when she entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard for interim drydocking. She refloated in March and, in April, deployed again to the western Pacific. While in the Far East, she conducted another extended period of advanced training, including operations in the Okinawa area. Scamp reentered San Diego Bay in October 1963. She resumed her West Coast operations out of San Diego until June 1964, then, she headed west again for advanced readiness training. She arrived back in San Diego in September 1964.

Scamp entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard again in January 1965 for extensive modification. In June 1966 after the installation of the SUBSAFE package and overhaul, she left Mare Island and returned to training cruises i In the San Diego operating area. In November she ventured north to Puget Sound for a month of operations and returned to San Diego in December. The nuclear submarine operated out of San Diego for the first six months of 1967. On 28 June, she departed San Diego to join the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific. She remained in the Far East, participating in fleet operations along the Vietnamese coast, until returning to San Diego on 28 December 1967.

Scamp operated out of San Diego in the local operating area from January to May 1968. On 11 May, she arrived at Pearl Harbor to conclude an extended training cruise. She returned to San Diego on 19 May and remained there until 15 June, when the submarine shifted to San Francisco to enter Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a three-week restricted availability. She returned to San Diego on 16 July and finished out the year sailing from that port on various exercises and training cruises.

Scamp continued stateside duty throughout 1969. She alternated in-port periods with training cruises until early March when she began pre-overhaul tests in the San Diego operating area. She continued preparing for overhaul and participating in exercises until 1 November when she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for regular overhaul. While at Bremerton, Scamp was assigned that port as her new home port. The overhaul continued through 1970 and ended in January 1971.