The USS Finback (SSN-670) was a Sturgeon-class attack submarine of the United States Navy, named after the finback whale common along the Atlantic coast. Constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, the contract was awarded on 9 March 1965, with the keel laid on 26 June 1967. The vessel was launched on 7 December 1968, with Mrs. Charles F. Baird serving as sponsor, and commissioned into service on 4 February 1970. The Finback was a nuclear-powered attack submarine, designed for a variety of missions including surveillance, reconnaissance, and tactical operations. Her service history featured notable events, including a controversial incident in July 1975, when her commanding officer permitted a topless dancer to perform on the diving plane of the sail as the submarine departed Port Canaveral, Florida. This act was intended as a reward for the crew following a successful overhaul but led to the captain’s relief from command after Navy authorities learned of the incident. Admiral James L. Holloway III later found the captain guilty of permitting an action that could have distracted the submarine’s crew in restricted waters, marking this episode as one of the most notorious in the history of the Navy’s nuclear submarine force. In June 1978, Finback entered Newport News shipyard for a scheduled nuclear refueling overhaul, completed in January 1981. Following this, she conducted testing in the Bahamas and visited ports such as Port Canaveral, Frederiksted, St. Croix, and St. Maarten. In 1986, the submarine was recognized for her excellence by winning the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet. USS Finback was decommissioned on 28 March 1997 and was subsequently scrapped at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard under the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program, with her recycling completed by October 30, 1997. Her service exemplifies the Cold War-era capabilities and operational history of the U.S. Navy’s attack submarine fleet.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.