USS SPRINGFIELD (SSN 761)

USS Springfield (1862 - 1865)
 

The first SPRINGFIELD was a stern-wheel river steamer purchased by the Navy in 1862 and commissioned as a light draft gunboat in January, 1863.  It operated on the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers as a transport escort, keeping the Army's lines of communication and supply open during the Civil War.  In July, 1863, Springfield joined with other gunboats in pursuing a large confederate force that had crossed the Ohio River into the North.  The chase lasted 10 days and covered 500 miles, with the raiders surrendering in the end. For the rest of the war, Springfield participated mainly in routine convoy and patrol service, before being decommissioned in June, 1865.  The steamer was sold that August.

USS Springfield (1901 - 1919)
 

The second SPRINGFIELD - a river steamer build in 1901 - was chartered from the Delaware River Line in 1918 by the 4th Naval District.  Assigned to the District and operating under direction of the Philadelphia Navy Yard Commandant, Springfield carried freight for nearly a year before being returned to the Delaware River Line and stricken from the Navy List.

USS Springfield (CL-66/CLG-7), (1944 - 1974)

The Light Cruiser SPRINGFIELD (CL-66), the third ship to bear the name, was commissioned in September, 1944.  For the next six months, the cruiser participated in exercised and drills.  In February, 1945, having arrived in Pearl Harbor en route to the West Pacific, Springfield was assigned to Task Force 58 protecting carriers during the invasion of Okinawa.  Later, Springfield joined Task Force 38 during attacks on Tokyo, Honshu and Hokkaido.  Following the Japanese surrender in mid-August, Springfield entered Tokyo Bay in early September.  The cruiser earned two battle stars for service during World War II.

After the war, Springfield operated along the West Coast, voyaging to the Far East in the late 1940s before being placed in the San Francisco Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet in 1950.  Nearly a decade later, in May, 1959, Springfield was converted to a Providence-class guided-missile cruiser, redesignated CLG-7.  During this second career, which spanned the 1960s and early 1970s, Springfield served as flagship of the Commander, 6th Fleet, later serving as flagship of the Commander, 2nd Fleet.  The ship participated in many exercised with other nations, and hosted numerous dignitaries, including royalty, diplomats, political figures and military leaders.  In the fall of 1973, Springfield returned to Virginia for inactivation and was decommissioned in May, 1974.

USS Springfield (1993 - Present)

The submarine USS SPRINGFIELD (SSN 761) is the fourth U.S. Naval vessel to be named in honor of the capitol city of Illinois, as well as the city in south central Massachusetts.

Keel Layed:  29 January 1990
Christening Date:  4 January 1992
Commissioning Date:  9 January 1993
Currently:  In Active Service

USS SPRINGFIELD PHOTOGRAPHS

USS SPRINGFIELD (SSN 761) "Emergency Blow"

USS  SPRINGFIELD (CL-66)

USS  SPRINGFIELD (CLG-7) Firing a "Terrier" Guided Missile

USS  SPRINGFIELD (CLG-7)