Turtle (DSV-3) was designed and built by the
Electric Boat division of
General Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut. Turtle and her sister
Sea Cliff (DSV-4) were launched on December 11, 1968. Turtle was named after Turtle Town, a small community in Polk County, Tennessee. Her name also pays tribute to the American submarine
Turtle which served in the
American Revolution.
Turtle was accepted by the US Navy on September 25, 1970 at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Turtle was designed to dive to 6500 feet. When DSV-2
Alvin installed a new titanium hull, the
Alvin steel hull was installed in the
Turtle. The original steel hull was acquired by the
Mariners' Museum and Park in 2000 and became a part of the exhibition. The
Turtle depth rating was then increased to 10,000 feet. The
Alvin-class DSV's were designed to replace older DSV, such as the less maneuverable
Trieste-class bathyscaphes.
Turtle spent her career as a unit of the U.S. Navy's
Submarine Development Group 1 in San Diego, California. The
Turtle was retired from active service on October 1, 1997. It was stricken from the US Navy Register on April 15, 1998. It has been on display at the
Mystic Aquarium in
Mystic, Connecticut since 1999. ==Awards==