NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
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| Click On Image For Full Size | Size | Image Description | Source By |
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 | 660k | View of the launching ceremony on Shipway 5, 12 January 1974. The Los Angeles (SSN-688) is under the canvas covering on the right. | Newport News Shipbuilding photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave. | |
 | 47k | The ring shaped hull section of Cincinnati (SSN-693) and the hull of Los Angeles (SSN-688) on the ways prior to the twin keel laying and launching ceremony on 6 April 1974. Clipping provided by Mike Hogan. | Photo courtesy Tenneco Magazine, text courtesy of la-ex.org. & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 348k | Mrs. Anne Armstrong, Counsellor to the President was chosen as the sponsor of the Los Angeles (SSN-688). As the sponsor, Mrs. Armstrong was asked to christen the ship using the traditional bottle of Champagne. She had just a little difficulty with that task. Mrs. Armstrong tried over a dozen swings in an attempt to break the bottle and splash champagne on the bow of Los Angeles. It took a second, a spare, bottle to do the trick."The second bottle was to christen the Los Angeles: the first bottle was to show that the ship and her crew are staunch and strong and unyielding." | USN photo & text courtesy of la-ex.org. & submitted by Bill Gonyo & Dale Hargrave. | |
 | 903k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) slides down the ways. | Photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave. | |
 | 792k | Ringed by the keel laying flag of the Cincinnati (SSN-693), tugs nudge the Los Angeles (SSN-688) dockside after her launching. | Photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave. | |
 | 15k | Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the launching of the Los Angeles (SSN-688), 6 April 1974. | Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory). | |
 | 355k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) underway, probably during her alpha sea trials off the Atlantic coast, summer 1976. | USN photo submitted by Fabio Peña, courtesy of the Com Sub Group Nine. | |
 | 2.54k | Welcome Aboard Los Angeles (SSN-688). | USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com. | |
 | 747k | Overheard view of the Los Angeles (SSN-688) in the Atlantic Ocean on 28 April 1977. | Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 58k | Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of a Presidential visit & cruise of the Los Angeles (SSN-688), 27 May 1977. | Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory). | |
 | 75k | The First Lady peers through a periscope of Los Angeles (SSN-688),with tips of what to look for from her husband, President Jimmy Carter, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, 27 May 1977. | USNI photo. | |
 | 116k | A port bow view of the nuclear-powered attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) underway on 1 December 1982. | Photo # NN-33300514 by Newport News & Shipbuilding, in the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). Also referenced as # DN-SN-83-02657 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.&submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 709k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) arrives at Mare Island on 6 August 1992 for overhaul and refueling. The tug Skenandoa (YTB-835) ready to assist in her berthing at the shipyard. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 232k | The Los Angeles (SSN-688) arrives at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in August 1992. She under went a refueling overhaul at the yard from 1 October 1992 to 10 March 1995. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 276k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) is shown in the early morning of 10 March 1995 prior to her departure from Mare Island after her overhaul. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 189k | A crowd has gathered along side the Los Angeles (SSN-688) to mark the completion of her overhaul at Mare Island on 10 March 1995. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 74k | Capt John B. Cavender, Commander Mare Island Naval Shipyard and Paul Tipton, Project Manager for Los Angeles (SSN-688) are shown casting off the last line of the last overhaul at now closed shipyard on 10 March 1995. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 60k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) is shown departing Mare Island on 10 March 1995 are completing an overhaul. The decommissioned Baton Rouge (SSN-689) is seen on the far right. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 148k | Broadside view of the Los Angeles (SSN-688) on a training maneuver off the coast of Singapore. | USN photo and caption by PH1(AW/SW) Kevin H. Tierney, courtesy of csp.navy.mil., submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 276k | Powering along and forming a boiling wake, the Los Angeles (SSN-688) completes a training maneuver off the coast of Singapore. | USN photo and caption by PH1(AW/SW) Kevin H. Tierney, courtesy of csp.navy.mil., submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 388k | Captain Christopher B. Thomas received his commission in 1984 from Miami University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Following graduation, he reported to the Navy Staff in Washington D.C. where he worked in the SSN 688 procurement program until reporting to Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Florida. Completing the Nuclear Power Training, and Submarine School, he reported to Oklahoma City (SSN-723) in February 1986 where he served as Reactor Control Assistant, and Main Propulsion Assistant. In July 1989, Captain Thomas reported to Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a degree of Master of Science specializing in Plasma Physics. Following Department Head School in Groton, Connecticut, he served as Engineer Officer in Pargo (SSN-650) from July 1992 to May 1995, where he conducted two arctic deployments and one northern Atlantic deployment before decommissioning the ship in Bremerton, Washington. Following defueling of Pargo, Captain Thomas assumed the duties of Executive Officer until completion of the ship's inactivation. In June 1995, Captain Thomas reported to Defense Special Weapons Agency where he managed programs for advanced air defense architectures and theater missile defense systems focusing on defense of the Korean Peninsula, and NATO's southern flank. After completing the Executive Officer training program, he reported to Kamehameha (SSN-642) in June 1997. During his tour as Executive Officer, he made three western pacific deployments in support of Naval Special Warfare, and the ship received the BATTLE EFFICIENCY award. Following Prospective Commanding Officer training, Captain Thomas reported for assignment as Deputy for Operations for Submarine Squadron One in March 2000. In August 2000, Captain Thomas assumed command of Los Angeles (SSN-688) and completed two western pacific deployments, one in support of Naval Special Warfare, conducted five missions vital to national security, and was awarded the BATTLE EFFICIENCY award for 2003 and Meritorious Unit Commendation. In October 2003, he reported to Commander, Carrier Strike Group TEN as the Assistant Chief of Staff for C4I where he completed a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. From 2005 to 2008 he served on Commander Submarine Force staff as the Submarine Operations Officer for CTG 20.3 and CTF 46, and Special Operations Officer. From August, 2008 to September 2010 Captain Thomas was assigned as Commodore, Submarine Squadron SIX in Norfolk, Virginia. In October, 2010 he assumed duty as Chief of Staff, Carrier Strike Group TEN. Captain Thomas is entitled to wear the Legion of Merit Medal with one gold star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, the Navy Commendation Medal with two gold stars. | Official U.S. Navy portrait courtesy of Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 61k | Los Angeles (SSN-688), is pier-side at Changi Naval Base during the seventh annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Exercise (CARAT) on 3 July 2001. | USN photo # J-9271Z-002, by PH2 Erin A Zocco USN. Courtesy of the US Navy Chinfo Ship Images | |
 | 902k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) enters Apra Harbor in preparation for a port visit in Guam, 27 July 2001. | USN photo by Photographer'sMate 2nd Class Alan D. Monyelle, courtesy of USCINCPAC / news.navy.mil. | |
 | 171k | Visitors and the Crew of Los Angeles (SSN-688) depart the Change of Command ceremony in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 10 September 2003. Cmdr. Thomas P. Stanley relieves Cmdr. Christopher B. Thomas during the attack submarine's ceremony. | USN photo # N-8157C-087, by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Dennis Cantrell. Courtesy of the US Navy Chinfo Ship Images | |
 | 140k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) Chief of the Boat explains to the Druid Hills Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training (NJROTC) Corps how a submarine submerges. The NJROTC group toured Los Angeles on 8 April 2004. | USN photo and caption by JO3 Corwin Colbert, courtesy of csp.navy.mil., submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 519k | Sailors assigned to the attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688), and the San Francisco 49er's cheerleaders pose for a group photo prior to a tour aboard Los Angeles at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 22 October 2004. Four of the San Francisco 49er's cheerleaders visited the Los Angeles and the guided missile destroyer Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) to promote Pro Bowl football ticket sales. Hawaii is the host of the Pro Bowl, which takes place in early February. | USN photo # N-8157C-011, by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Dennis C. Cantrell, courtesy of the US Navy Chinfo Ship Images | |
 | 275k | The attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) prepares to depart Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 9 November 2004 for a Western Pacific deployment. Los Angeles the fourth Naval ship to be named after the city of Los Angeles, is the lead ship of the 688 attack submarine class. | USN photo # N-5539C-001, by Journalist 3rd Class Corwin Colbert. Courtesy of the US Navy Chinfo Ship Images | |
 | 294k | Journey bassist Ross Valory (right) and his brother Lance, examine the control panel aboard Los Angeles (SSN-688). The two visited the nuclear-attack submarine on 22 October 2004. | USN photo by Journalist 3rd Class Corwin Colbert, courtesy of news.navy.mil. | |
 | 282k | A Culinary Specialist 3rd Class from Los Angeles (SSN-688) (left) gets assistance loading food into the new convection oven from Culinary Specialist 1st Class Charles Polen aboard Los Angeles. Homeported in Pearl Harbor, the attack submarine is the first in the Pacific Fleet to install and use the new oven. | USN photo by JOC(SW/AW) David Rush, courtesy of news.navy.mil. | |
 | 1.10k | Buoyancy Assistance Modules (BAMS) were used to float 637 & 688 class submarines into dry dock #4 at the yard. Dock 4 is the smallest dry dock at Mare Island. These BAMS are now used at Pearl Harbor for the same purpose. Photo of the Los Angeles (SSN-688) at Pearl Harbor in 2005. One BAM is visible aft of her sail. She is in Dry Dock #3 at Pearl Harbor. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 | 275k | The Los Angeles (SSN-688) is moored at the Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility Static Site in Ketchikan, Ak., Thursday, 3 November as part of Escape Exercise 2006. "First and Finest," Los Angeles was the first nuclear powered U.S. submarine to conduct an open ocean escape.
A total of seven personnel practiced locking out from the attack submarine Los Angeles and ascending to the surface wearing special suits that designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine. While several foreign navies practice the maneuver routinely, the U.S. Navy had not conducted it in more than three decades, and never from a nuclear-powered submarine. The Navy's renewed interest in submarine escape was brought on in part by the fact that U.S. submarines now operate more frequently in shallow coastal waters, said Submarine Development Squadron Five commander Capt. Butch Howard, who oversaw the exercise. 'Today submarines spend a greater amount of time in the littorals or shallow water, which supports the overall concept of escaping from a possible distressed submarine,'said Howard. 'It's imperative that our sub crews be familiar and comfortable with this operating procedure no matter how remote the potential for its use.' The MK10 Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment, or SEIE, allows survivors to escape a disabled submarine at depths down to 600 feet, at a rate of eight or more men per hour. It is designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine and provides protection for the submariner on reaching the surface until rescued. The assembly is comprised of a submarine escape and immersion suit, an inner thermal liner and a gas inflated single seat life raft, all contained in an outer protective stowage compartment. For the exercise, Los Angeles embarked six U.S. Navy divers, as well as a British diver from the Royal Navy. The submarine submerged to 130 feet, where each of the seven divers donned the SEIE suits, entered the escape trunk, and ascended. | USN photo # 6113001 by MC1(SW) Cynthia Clark, courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory) | |
 | 43k | Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the 30th year commissioning of the Los Angeles (SSN-688), 13 November 1976 - 13 November 2006. | Photo courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory). | |
 | 58k | Visitors in a tour group hold their ears during simulated torpedo operations aboard Los Angeles (SSN-688). | Courtesy of hudsonphotographicarts.com. by Brian Hudson & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 73k | Petty Officer Martinez receives his submarine warfare insignia ("dolphins") from Erik A. Burian, Commanding Officer of Los Angeles (SSN-688). | Courtesy of hudsonphotographicarts.com. by Brian Hudson & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 42k | Los Angeles (SSN-688) in dry dock, date and place unknown. | Courtesy of globalsecurity.org | |
 | 647k | Sailors aboard the fast-attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) watch from the bridge as ships from multiple nations gather in a 26-ship formation for a photo exercise during Rim of the Pacific 2008 on 29 July 2008. | USN photo # N-8061H-086, by Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Brian J. Hudson. | |
 | 103k | CDR Steven M. Harrison assumed command of the nuclear powered submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) on 22 August 2008. | Official U.S. Navy portrait courtesy of Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 295k | Retired Machinist Mate Senior Chief Henry Kanahele, a plank owner of the fast-attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688), pins the Submarine Warfare breast insignia on his son, Electronics Technician 3rd Class Nanikamaikaiamekaoluoluokanoho-Lokahipuanaonahoahanau Kanahele during a ceremony at the submarine piers on 5 September 2008. | USN photo # N-9486C-001 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cynthia Clark, courtesy of news.navy.mil. | |
 | 283k | The fast-attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) transits near Apra Harbor, Guam after returning from an underway period on 20th October 2009. Los Angeles, the 4th naval ship to be named after the city of Los Angeles and the lead ship of her class, is on her last deployment. Los Angeles has been operating at sea for 33 years and is scheduled for decommissioning later this year. | USN photo # N-1722W-210 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Welsh. | |
 | 125k | Invitation for the Decommissioning ceremony of the Los Angeles (SSN-688). The nuclear-powered attack submarine had been in the fleet for a dozen years, mostly patrolling the Pacific to keep a close watch on Russian subs, when Caleb Schrum was born. On Saturday, Schrum, now 21 and a Navy petty officer second class, gently lowered the American flag on the aft of the Los Angeles at the conclusion of a tradition-rich ceremony in San Pedro in which the submarine was decommissioned from the active fleet. The vessel that entered service in 1976 as the Navy's most innovative underwater warship is headed for retirement as its oldest submarine. Soon the Los Angeles will head for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington, where its nuclear reactor will be removed. Under a clear sky at the Port of Los Angeles, several hundred former submariners and invited guests gathered to hear the Los Angeles described as "the first and the finest" and praised for a career that included 18 long-range deployments. The Los Angeles was the first of a new class of submarines, the Los Angeles class. "I'm going to miss her," said Chuck Wells, 54, who was the submarine's first helmsman, guiding it to depths that, because of the need for secrecy, he can only say were "beyond 400 feet." John Christensen, 74, who served as the first captain of the Los Angeles remembered the sub's speed and agility. "We had an order: 'Rig the ship for high speed,' " he said. "What that meant was 'hang on.' " True to the submariners' nickname, "the silent service," members were not allowed to talk about their Cold War adventures. "We did things you couldn't tell the civilians about," said Frank Lister, 72, the sub's first top enlisted man. Retired Rear Adm. John F. "Dugan" Shipway, the Los Angeles skipper from 1981 to 1985, said that within minutes of setting sail the first time, he ordered a 30-degree dive as a test. Quickly a report came that a fire had broken out and a forward area was filling with smoke. Shipway, 67, said he immediately figured that he would be removed as captain for having ordered a reckless maneuver. Then came a follow-up report: The smoke was from chicken baking in the galley. "Dugan's career was saved," he said. "Forever after that, we had sliders [sandwiches] for lunch on the first day we set sail." The Los Angeles home port was Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The vessel had been given its name after L.A. officials convinced the Navy of the city's support for the Navy and particularly for the submarine service. Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose late father, longtime L.A. County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, was at the submarine's 1976 commissioning, said she hopes the Los Angeles, in retirement, can return to the port as an attraction. As part of the ceremony, the Los Angeles relinquished a cribbage board used by Medal of Honor recipient Richard O'Kane during World War II. Legend holds that O'Kane did particularly well during a game and that the next day his submarine sank two freighters. By tradition, his cribbage board stays with the oldest submarine in the Pacific fleet for good luck. A rite of passage calls for young officers to play a game with the sub's captain. Lt. Jack Shis, 26, who spent the last three years on the Los Angeles, remembers his first cribbage game. His next assignment is a shore billet in Naples, Italy, but he said he will miss the Los Angeles. "This is a sad day for all of us," he said. "It's been a good experience, but all good things have to come to an end." | Text by Tony Perry courtesy of latimes.com & submitted by Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). Photo submitted by Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). |
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 | 286k | Sailors assigned to the fast-attack submarine Los Angeles (SSN-688) man the rails one last time during the boat's decommissioning ceremony at the Port of Los Angeles on 23 January 2010. Los Angeles will transit to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. to begin the inactivation process. | USN photo # N-4540W-071, by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jeffrey Wells. Courtesy of the US Navy Chinfo Ship Images. | |
 | 429k | The end of an era. The IRR teams finishes off the Los Angeles (SSN-688) on 8 March 2012. | USN photo submitted by Gary Priolo & Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). Cover by Tom Armstrong. | |
 | 569k | Sealed reactor compartments are shipped by barge out of Puget Sound Naval Base down the coast and along the Columbia River to the port of Benton. There the radioactively-contaminated hull sections are transferred to special multiwheeled high-load trailers for transport to the Hanford Reservation in Washington State. Pictured below is the burial ground for spent fuel of the following 77 nuclear reactor submarines as of March 2003: Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), Snook (SSN-592), George Washington (SSBN-598), Scamp (SSN-588), Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601), Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618), Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600), Dace (SSN-607), John Adams (SSBN-620), Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), Barb (SSN-596), Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), Pollack (SSN-603), Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685), James Monroe (SSBN-622), Skipjack (SS-585), Nathan Hale (SSBN-623), Plunger (SSN-595), Shark (SSN-591), Lafayette (SSBN-616), Sam Houston (SSBN-609), Jack (SSN-605), Haddo (SSN-604), Tinosa (SSN-606), Guardfish (SSN-612), Permit (SSN-594), Queenfish (SSN-651), Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN-631), John Marshall (SSBN-611), George C. Marshall (SSBN-654), Flasher (SSN-613), Guitarro (SSN-665), Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617), George Washington Carver (SSBN-656), Tecumseh (SSBN-628), Halibut (SSGN-587), Will Rogers (SSBN-659), Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655), Daniel Boone (SSBN-629), Greenling (SSN-614), John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630), Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), Skate (SSN-578), Sargo (SSN-583), Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657), Sturgeon (SSN-637), Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640), Swordfish (SSN-579), Seadragon (SSN-584), Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634), Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641), Hammerhead (SSN-663), Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658) , Tullibee (SSN-597), Lewis & Clark (SSBN-644), Pargo (SSN-650), Seahorse (SSN-669), Gurnard (SSN-662), Flying Fish (SSN-673), Gato (SSN-615), Puffer (SSN-652), Seawolf (SSN-575), Baton Rouge (SSN-689), Bergall (SSN-667), Whale (SSN-638), Henry Clay (SSBN-625), James Madison (SSBN-627), Finback (SSN-670), Spadefish (SSN-668), Sunfish (SSN-649), George Bancroft (SSBN-643), Grayling (SSN-646), Pintado (SSN-672), Tunny (SSN-682), Archerfish (SSN-678), & Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624). As time passes & more boats are retired from service and their reactors are brought here, so the numbers rise. In this photo dated November 2009, 98 nuclear submarines and six nuclear cruisers have been recycled. For an up to date view, click here | USN photo submitted by Jack Treutle (of blessed memory). Insert link courtesy of wikimedia.org |
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| Commanding Officers | |||
| 01 | CDR. Christensen Jr., John Edward, USN (USNA 1957) | 13.11.1976 - 21.10.1977 First Date in Commission | |
| 02 | CDR. Beedle, Ralph Eugene, USN (USNA 1962) | 21.10.1977 - 18.02.1981 | |
| 03 | CAPT. Shipway, John Francis (Dugan), USN :RADM | 18.02.1981 - 13.04.1985 | |
| 04 | CDR. Stanley, David Ian, USN | 13.04.1985 - 11.12.1987 | |
| 05 | CDR. Eldridge, John Karson, USN (USNA 1971) | 11.12.1987 - 22.05.1990 | |
| 06 | CDR. Myers, Michael Stephen, USN (USNA 1973) | 22.05.1990 - 02.03.1993 | |
| 07 | CDR. Boulden III, John Searles, USN (USNA 1976) | 02.03.1993 - 19.04.1996 | |
| 08 | CDR. Rubenstein, Thomas Garie, USN (USNA 1978) | 19.04.1996 - 11.12.1998 | |
| 09 | CDR. Jenkins, Mark David, USN | 11.12.1998 - 30.08.2000 | |
| 10 | CDR. Thomas, Christopher Brent, USN | 30.08.2000 - 10.09.2003 | |
| 11 | CDR. Stanley, Thomas Patrick (Tom), USN | 10.09.2003 - 10.07.2006 | |
| 12 | CDR. Burian, Erik Alfred, USN (USNA 1989) | 10.07.2006 - 22.08.2008 | |
| 13 | CDR. Harrison, Steven Monroe, USN | 22.08.2008 - 04.02.2011 Last Date in Commission | |
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