The USS Jack (SSN-605) was a Permit-class nuclear-powered submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned in 1967 and in service until 1990. Named after the fish known as the jack, she was the second naval vessel to bear this name. The vessel was constructed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, with her keel laid on September 16, 1960, following a contract awarded in March 1959. She was launched on April 24, 1963, with Mrs. Grace Groves as her sponsor, and officially commissioned on March 31, 1967. Her commissioning was marked by a speech from Rear Admiral James F. Calvert, a notable WWII veteran who served with distinction on the USS Jack (SS-259). The USS Jack featured a distinctive variation from the standard Permit-class design. She was 20 feet longer than her sister ships and employed an experimental direct-drive plant with two contra-rotating propellers mounted on concentric shafts. This innovative propulsion system aimed to reduce noise—referred to as blade rate—by allowing smaller propellers to operate more quietly, thereby enhancing her stealth capabilities. The design choice was a departure from the larger, skew-shaped propellers used on other Permit-class submarines, which interacted with the wake more slowly and were considered less effective in noise reduction. Throughout her service, USS Jack played a significant role during the Cold War, contributing to the United States' underwater strategic deterrence and reconnaissance efforts. In September 1982, she underwent a 27-month overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. During this period, in April 1983, she suffered a casualty while in dry dock—an incident during hydrostatic testing involving Freon (R-12) used as a testing fluid led to the tragic death of a shipyard worker due to oxygen deprivation. Decommissioned on July 11, 1990, USS Jack was subsequently disposed of through the Nuclear Recycling Program at Washington state, where she was officially struck from the naval register on June 30, 1992. Her unique silencing features and service record highlight her importance in the Cold War naval fleet and advancements in submarine technology.

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