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{{Infobox Ship Image
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{{Infobox Ship Career
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|Ship name= USS ''Skate''
|Ship ordered=18 July 1955
|Ship awarded=  
|Ship builder= Electric Boat 
|Ship original cost=
|Ship laid down= 21 July 1955
|Ship launched= 16 May 1957
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|Ship commissioned= 23 December 1957
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|Ship decommissioned= 12 September 1986
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|Ship struck= 30 October 1986
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|Ship fate= Submarine recycling program
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{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
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|Ship type= 
|Ship displacement=  surfaced<br />  submerged
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|Ship speed=  surfaced<br /> submerged
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|Ship complement=8 officers and 76 men 
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|Ship armament=• 8 ×  torpedo tubes (6 forward, 2 aft)
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'''USS ''Skate'' (SSN-578)''', the second ray, was the ''Skate'' class of nuclear attack submarines. She was the third nuclear submarine commissioned, the first to make a completely submerged trans-Atlantic crossing, and the second submarine to reach the North Pole and the first to surface there. 

The contract to build her was awarded to the launched on commissioned on 23 December 1957 with Commander James F. Calvert in command.

==Operational history==
thumb|left|220px|''Skate'' surfaced in Arctic (1959)
''Skate'' conducted shakedown training out of New London, Connecticut until 29 January 1958, when she cruised to the Bermuda operating area, then returned to her home port on February 8.  Sixteen days later, the nuclear powered submarine set a course for the Isle of Portland, England. Before returning home, she had also visited ports in France and the Netherlands.

On July 30, ''Skate'' steamed to the Arctic where she operated under the ice for 10 days. During this time, she surfaced nine times through the ice, navigated over 2,400 miles under it, and became the second ship to reach the North Pole, earning the Navy Unit Commendation award for "... braving the hazards of the polar ice pack...." On August 23, she steamed into Bergen, Norway. The submarine made port calls in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France before returning to New London on 25 September 1958.

In the following months, ''Skate'', as the first ship of her class, conducted various tests in the vicinity of her home port. In early March 1959 , she again headed for the Arctic to pioneer operations during the period of extreme cold and maximum ice thickness. The submarine steamed 3900 miles under pack ice while surfacing through it ten times. On March 17, she surfaced at the North Pole to commit the ashes of the famed explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins to the Arctic waste. When the submarine returned to port, she was awarded a bronze star in lieu of a second Navy Unit Commendation for demonstrating "... for the first time the ability of submarines to operate in and under the Arctic ice in the dead of winter...." In the fall of 1959  and in 1960, ''Skate'' participated in exercises designed to strengthen American antisubmarine defenses.

''Skate'' returned to General Dynamics in January 1961  for a regular overhaul and to have her reactor refueled for the first time. She put to sea in August and, for the next 11 months, conducted exercises to increase the operational readiness of her crew.

On 7 July 1962, ''Skate'' again set course towards the North Pole.  Five days later, , did likewise from Pearl Harbor. The two submarines made their rendezvous on 31 July. After meeting, they operated together for over a week. Both submarines surfaced at the North Pole on August 2  and official greetings and insignia of Submarine Force Atlantic Fleet and Submarine Force Pacific Fleet were exchanged.

{| class="prettytable float-right"  border=1 align="right" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 width=300
|style="text-align: center" colspan="2"|300px|USS Skate (SSN-578)
|- style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"
!Dienstzeit || 50px|USN Jack
|-
|Geordert: || 18. Juli 1955
|-
|Kiellegung: || 21. Juli 1955
|-
|Stapellauf: || 16. Mai 1957
|-
|Indienststellung: || 23. Dezember 1957
|-
|Außerdienststellung: || 12. September 1986
|-
|Schicksal: || Abgebrochen
|- style="color: white; background: navy;"
! colspan="2" | Technische Daten
|-
|Verdrängung: || 2850 Tonnen getaucht
|-
|Länge: || 81,5 Meter
|-
|Breite: || 7,6 Meter
|-
|Tiefgang: || 6,5 Meter
|-
|Antrieb: || Ein S4W-Druckwasserreaktor, eine Welle
|-
|Besatzung: || 87
|}
Die '''USS Skate (SSN-578)''' war ein Echten Rochen, englisch ''skate''.

==Geschichte==
SSN-578 wurde am 18. Juli 1955 als erster Serienbau eines Atom-U-Bootes der US Navy in Auftrag gegeben. Nur drei Tage später wurde der Kiel des Bootes bei Electric Boat gelegt. Am 16. Mai 1957 lief das Boot vom Stapel und wurde getauft. Ende des Jahres wurde das Boot offiziell in Dienst gestellt.

Bereits im Februar 1958 begann die erste Einsatzfahrt für die ''Skate'', die während dieser Häfen in England, Frankreich und den Niederlanden anlief. Im Sommer des Jahres operierte das U-Boot unter der arktischen Eiskappe und tauchte neun Mal durch arktisches Eis auf. Nach der ''USS Nautilus (SSN-571)'' war die ''Skate'' das zweite Schiff, das den Nordpol erreichte. 1959 machte sie eine weitere Arktisfahrt, während der sie die Asche vom Hubert Wilkins am Nordpol verstreute. 1961 erfolgte die erste Auffüllung des Kernbrennstoffs und eine Überholung in der Bauwerft.

1962 operierte die ''Skate'' für eine Woche mit ihrem Schwesterschiff ''USS Seadragon (SSN-584)'' unter dem Eis und tauchte mit ihr am Nordpol auf. Bis 1965 standen lokale Operationen an, dann folgte in der Norfolk Naval Shipyard die Neubefüllung des Reaktors und die Durchführung von SUBSAFE. Die ''Skate'' war das erste U-Boot, das diese nach dem Verlust der ''USS Thresher (SSN-593)'' eingeführte Zertifizierung im September 1967 beendete.