The attack center of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) on maneuvering watch off the coast of Maine - Spring 1977 - photograph courtesy of the University of Nebraska film crew shooting for 'A Day Undersea'
Official U.S. Navy photograph of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) early in her career. Built in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the location of this photograph is unknown - date unknown (U.S. Navy Archives)
The USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) returns from Westpac 82-83 to tie up outboard the USS Sam Houston (SSBN 609) Subase San Diego, California. CO Uplinger, Subgroup Five, and LCDR Johnson XO, supervise the mooring activity. - 1983
While the crew of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) was never alone while underway, shore leave allowed time to see the sights, and even moments of solitary reflection. Bangkok, Thailand - 1982
ET1(SS) Neal Degner from RC division on the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) demonstrates the finer points of periscope manipulation. Neal has contributed a large number of photographs to ssn-680.org, and his work can be seen around the site. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. - 1976 (Neal Degner)
Hundreds of days a year, (sometimes more than 300 days a year!) onboard the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) made most crew-members appreciate sunshine when we could get it, like on the golden sands of Pattaya Beach, Thailand. -1982
An official U.S. Navy photo of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) probably taken during the early days of her 30 year service. Location unknown - Date unknown (U.S. Navy Archives)
Many of the ship's officers and crew stand for a group photograph in the drydock below the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) during overhaul in Bremerton, Washington. (CO Brandes second from the right) - 1988-91 (Brad Allen)
The eighties were interesting years for the USS William H. Bates. By 1980 she was in refueling overhaul in Bremerton, Washington, where she gained the distinctive 'hood-scoop' that marked her as a special project boat and was her unique identifier during the first half of the decade.
Returning to her home port of San Diego by late 1981, after a brief stop in Nanaimo, British Columbia, she embarked on a year of weekly ops and special testing of her pronounced protuberance and associated 'special' features.
Her first WestPac of the 80's would start in September 1982, taking her to the western Pacific, and ports-of-call including Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Yokusuka, Japan. After a few months in the Sea of None of Your Business, she would anchor out in Sasebo, Japan, then on to Subic Bay, Phillipines, and Sattahip, Thailand. Back to Subic Bay, then onto Guam for a brief stay in a floating drydock, another trip to places unmentionable, and she stopped at Adak, Alaska before returning to San Diego in March. Only home for a few weeks, she moved to the drydock at Mare Island Naval Shipyard for some extensive rework by the local body and fender experts.
Back to San Diego, we'd head back out in September for WestPac 83-84. Straight to Subic Bay and this time she was called to the Indian Ocean. A brief stop at Diego Garcia for some steam plant band-aids, and then she was off to patrol the western end of the Indian Ocean. Periscope liberty of Aden, Yemen, and Mombasa, Kenya, were the highlights of that tour, before she returned to Diego Garcia for a quick pit stop. Next port-of-call, Perth, Western Australia, then, despite promises of Hobart, Tasmania, and Sydney, Australia, she made her way back to Guam, then home in February, 1984.
The rest of the year was spent in weekly ops, winding up with preparations to sail early January for WestPac 85. For January it was Yokosuka, Japan, then off the Sea of None of Your Business, Chin Hae, Korea, back to Yokosuka, Japan, and then down to Subic Bay. Next stop, Sattahip, Thailand, then back to Guam then home for ORSE preps.
The next WestPac of the eighties would be WestPac 87-88. The decade would wind down with a trip back to Vallejo, California, and on to Bremerton, Washington for another refueling.
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