USS Louisville (SSN-724)
USS Louisville (SSN-724)
USS Louisville was a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the United States Navy. It was named for Louisville, Kentucky, and built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. The keel was laid on September 24, 1984; it was launched on December 14, 1985; and it was commissioned on November 8, 1986. Louisville also served as a platform to test the BQQ-10 ARCI sonar system with modular upgrades.
Service history
Louisville began its active service by transiting the Panama Canal in January 1987 to make Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego its home, as part of Submarine Squadron 11. During its time in San Diego, Louisville completed several West Pacific deployments, including trips in 1988–1989 to Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Guam.
In January 1991, as Operation Desert Storm began, Louisville carried out the first U.S. submarine war patrol since World War II. It traveled submerged across the Pacific and Indian Oceans to the Red Sea and launched Tomahawk missiles against Iraq on January 19, becoming the first submarine to fire Tomahawks in combat. For this patrol, Louisville was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation.
In 2003, Louisville participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, launching 16 Tomahawks from the Red Sea against targets in Iraq. The deployment was extended to eight and a half months, and Louisville again received the Navy Unit Commendation.
Louisville underwent an extensive overhaul in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the end of 2008 and returned to its homeport in Pearl Harbor in spring 2009 as part of CSS-3. The submarine earned Meritorious Unit Commendations for its Western Pacific deployments in 2014–2015 and again in 2016–2017. In 2017, Louisville completed a surge deployment to support U.S. Southern Command and became the first nuclear-powered warship to call at Talcahuano, Chile.
Decommissioning and disposal
After a final deployment with U.S. Central Command from 2018 to 2019, Louisville changed its homeport in October 2019 to Bremerton, Washington for decommissioning. The submarine was placed out of service on August 6, 2020, and was formally decommissioned on March 9, 2021, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It will be recycled under the Navy’s Ship-Submarine Recycling Program.
Specifications and legacy
Louisville was a Los Angeles-class submarine, about 110 meters long (roughly 361 feet) and capable of speeds around 20 knots both surfaced and submerged. Its armament included torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. The ship’s motto was Best of the Breed. It was the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named after Louisville, Kentucky.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 15:05 (CET).