The efforts of the San Diego reunion committee in coordinating the event were excellent and everyone in attendance had only good things to say about the reunion. The local team did a great job in organization things such as the hospitality room, breakfast brunch, etc and coordinating items such as the cribbage tournaments, travel to & from the airport, etc. There are too many deeds accomplished in making a successful reunion happen to list them all. Also the local committee received much needed and I am sure appreciated help from the out of area committee members, such as treasure, money management, internet communications, postal mailings, tracking attendees and the many telephone calls made to ensure that our shipmates had all the necessary information to attend the reunion. The most IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTING FACTOR to making the reunion a success was the large number of Grayback shipmates, family and friends who were in attendance. There was well over 125 Grayback individuals (some attending other boat reunions) who passed through the Grayback hospitality room at some time during the five days of the reunion.

I hope to see more of you at the next Grayback reunion. And YES there will be another reunion. The next reunion is tentatively scheduled for 2012. The location has not been determined. We will start getting organized for the 2012 reunion about a year prior. Start putting a little money away now for the 2012 Grayback Reunion.
 

A Brief History of the 
USS Grayback

Construction of the USS Grayback (SS - 574) was authorized in 1953.  The keel was laid 1 July 1954 Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California and launched 2 July 1954 (Sponsored by Mrs. John J. Moore, widow of the last CO of the first Grayback) and commissioned 7 March 1958. The Grayback was initially designated as attack diesel submarine but conversion to guided missile submarine (SSG - 574) capable of firing the Regulus II sea to surface missiles began in 1958.  The Grayback successfully launched it's first Regulus missile in September 1958. On 9 February 1959 Grayback departed Mare Island, CA for her permanent home base and arrived in Pearl Harbor, HI on 7 March 1959.  The Regulus missile program ended in 1964 and the USS Grayback was withdrawn from active service. A second conversion was authorized in 1967 and the conversion began at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard November 1967. The conversion was originally estimated at $15.2 million but actually was $30 million.  She was re-classified from a SSG to LPSS 30 August 1968 (never officially designated APSS). During conversion her sail was extended 10 feet, auxiliary tanks #3 and #4 were added to the forward position of the engine room, the missile chambers were converted to carry 67 embarked troops and SEAL swimmer delivery vehicles (SDV), also a diver's decompression chamber was constructed in the starboard hanger. By adding the auxiliary tanks to the engine room her length was extended 12 feet to an overall length of 334 feet.  The Grayback was decommissioned for the second time on 15 January 1984 at Subic Bay Naval Station in the Republic of the Philippines. After decommissioning, the USS Grayback was given the honor to make it's last and final dive in the South China Sea on 13 April 1986 where the USS Grayback remains today on eternal patrol.