USS La Jolla Decommissions after Three Decades of Service

The US Navy’s Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, USS La Jolla (SSN 701), celebrated an active career spanning more than three decades at Lockwood Hall Lanai at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oct. 14, prior to her decommissioning.

La Jolla is scheduled to depart Pearl Harbor en route to Norfolk, Virginia, where she will be decommissioned and converted into a Moored Training Ship (MTS), serving as a training platform for Nuclear Power training at Naval Support Activity Charleston, South Carolina.

Along her illustrious 33-year career serving the U.S. Submarine Force, La Jolla had many ‘firsts’ under her belt, including the first of the Los Angeles-class of submarines to be homeported in San Diego; the first to participate in the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and Korean Maritime Self Defense Force’s first multi-national exercise, Pacific Reach 2004; the first to deploy overseas with the advanced AN/BQQ-5D sonar system on board; and the first to be fitted with the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).

The ship’s bell will soon be donated by the Navy in honor of the submarine’s sponsor, the late Shirley Wilson, to be displayed at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

Named for La Jolla, California, she is the first warship named after the township. Commissioned Oct. 24, 1981, La Jolla is the 14th ship of the Los Angeles-class of nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarines, is 360-feet long, and displaces 6,900 tons. The submarine can be armed with sophisticated Mark-48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) anti-submarine torpedoes and Tomahawk guided cruise missiles.

Image: US Navy
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