1960s After preliminary testing and fitting out,
Shark sailed to the
Caribbean Sea in May 1961 for her
shakedown cruise. The
submarine returned to her building yard for post-shakedown repairs and final acceptance by the Navy.
Shark sailed for the
Mediterranean Sea and duty with the
Sixth Fleet on 12 August 1961. This was the first deployment in the area for a nuclear submarine, and
Shark was deployed there until 14 November 1961. In the September–October phase of the tour,
Shark visited Athens, Greece (Piraeus) and hosted the entire Greek Royal family aboard for a cruise both above and underwater. On 29 January 1962, the submarine steamed to
Bermuda in the
British West Indies, for two weeks of type training. She was next deployed to the North Atlantic from 15 March to 23 May. During this period,
Shark paid a one-week visit to
Portsmouth,
England. On 25 August, she departed for another two months in the North Atlantic. On her return trip to
Norfolk, Virginia, she underwent an availability period that lasted until 7 January 1963.
Shark participated in SUBFALLEX in the North Atlantic from 7 August to 24 October, with a week spent in
Faslane,
Scotland. The remainder of 1963 was either spent in port, in local operations, or conducting antisubmarine warfare exercises in the Caribbean. On 22 March 1964,
Shark departed Norfolk to participate in SUBSPRINGEX and returned on 21 May. On 25 June 1964, she sailed to
Charleston, South Carolina, for her first shipyard overhaul which lasted until 7 June 1965. On 7 April 1965, at the shipyard,
Shark was presented the
Navy Unit Commendation for meritorious service from 5 April to 9 May 1964, a period in which she "achieved results of great value and importance to the United States Navy in the field of antisubmarine warfare capabilities." The submarine put to sea for sea trials on 7 June. One month later, she suffered damage to the forward oxygen system which necessitated additional repairs at
Charleston, South Carolina. On 9 October, she passed her sea trials and sailed to
Key West, Florida, for two weeks of torpedo tube tests and a wire-guided torpedo development project.
Shark returned to Norfolk on 25 October 1965 and conducted type training, individual ship exercises, and antisubmarine warfare exercises until 8 January 1966. The boat then operated in the Caribbean until 7 February. She was there again for further trials in July and October.
Shark stood out of Norfolk on 7 January 1967 for the North Atlantic and conducted special operations until 24 March. Two weeks of this period were spent at
Holy Loch,
Scotland. On 12 April, she was presented her second
Navy Unit Commendation for operations in 1966 in which "
Shark contributed significantly to the knowledge of the
United States Navy in the field of antisubmarine warfare."
Shark departed Norfolk on 16 May for
Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was the first visit of a nuclear ship to a
Canadian port. The submarine operated with
Royal Canadian Navy ASW units before returning to her home port. In 1967
Shark was used in a Naval Department educational film for training and public relations. On 11 June 1967,
Shark prepared for her first refueling period at the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard and did not put to sea again until March 1968. The remainder of 1968 and 1969 was spent performing local or special operations.
1970s Shark was in drydock at Norfolk from 1 January 1970 to 9 August 1971. The remainder of the year and 1972 was spent in refresher training and undergoing various trials along the East Coast, with the exception of a deployment to the
Sixth Fleet from 31 May to 19 November 1972. :
Mare Island Naval Shipyard for overhaul September 1981 to May 1983. Returned to New London Connecticut. :
History from 1972 to 1986 needed. She would take part in another deployment with the Atlantic Fleet in 1974 before returning to Pascagoula for a reactor refueling in August. This refueling and overhaul would take more than two years. When
Shark returned to the ocean, her home port was changed to New London, Connecticut. In 1978,
Shark had a busy schedule, taking part in UNITAS exercises with a number of South American navies and deploying to Mediterranean as part of the Sixth Fleet. In 1980,
Shark took part in exercises with the Atlantic Fleet and the Royal Canadian Navy. ==Decommissioning==