USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36) was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders, in service to the United States Navy from 1970 through 1996.

USS L. Y. Spear (AS-36)
USS L. Y. Spear in 1983
History
United States
NameUSS L. Y. Spear (AS-36)
NamesakeLawrence York Spear
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division
Laid down5 May 1966
Launched7 September 1967
Acquired11 February 1970
Commissioned28 February 1970
Decommissioned6 September 1996
Stricken3 May 1999
FateSold to ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas, on 9 July 2010 for scrapping
General characteristics
Displacement22,640 tons
Length644 ft (196 m)
Beam29 ft (8.8 m)
Draft57 ft (17 m)
Propulsionsteam turbine engine, 1 propeller
Speed20 knots
Complement1,338
Armamentfour 0.5 in (12.7 mm) mg, 4 20mm Cannon

Etymology

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She was named for Lawrence York Spear, a former Navy lieutenant who played an integral role in submarine design at Electric Boat Company before and during World War II.

History

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L. Y. Spear was laid down by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division at Quincy, Massachusetts, on 5 May 1966; launched on 7 September 1967; sponsored by the wife of Vice Admiral Schade, Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet; and commissioned on 28 February 1970.

Designed primarily to service nuclear attack submarines, L. Y. Spear was assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 with Norfolk, Virginia, as her home port. She had the capability to provide logistic and technical support for as many as 12 submarines and service four of them alongside simultaneously.

L. Y. Spear was decommissioned on 6 September 1996 and struck from the Navy Register on 3 May 1999. She was berthed at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, from 1999 till 2010. On 9 July 2010, a contract to dismantle L. Y. Spear was issued to ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas. She departed the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at the end of August 2010[1] and was completely dismantled by 14 July 2011.[2]

The mess deck scene from the movie The Death of Ocean View Park (1979) was filmed aboard the L. Y. Spear.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Ships Being Scrapped". Naval Sea Systems Command. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Ship Disposal Program: Dismantling Listing" (PDF). Naval Sea Systems Command. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
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