 USSSam Houston (SSBN-609) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Sam Houston (1793–1863), President (1836–1838, 1841–1844) of theRepublic of Texas |
| Ordered | 1 July 1959 |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company |
| Laid down | 28 December 1959 |
| Launched | 2 February 1961 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs.John B. Connally |
| Commissioned | 6 March 1962 |
| Decommissioned | 6 September 1991 |
| Reclassified | SSN-609 10 November 1980 |
| Stricken | 6 September 1991 |
| Fate | Recycled viaShip and Submarine Recycling Program; completed 3 February 1992 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Ethan Allen-classsubmarine |
| Type | Ballistic Missile Submarine |
| Displacement | approx. 7,900 tons submerged |
| Length | 410 feet 4 inches (125.07 m) |
| Beam | 33.1 feet (10.1 m) |
| Draft | 27 feet 5 inches (8.36 m) |
| Propulsion | S5W reactor – two geared steam turbines – one shaft |
| Speed | 16 knots surfaced, 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth | 1,300 feet (400 m) |
| Complement | 12 Officers and 128 Enlisted (two crews Blue and Gold) |
| Armament | 16 fleet ballistic missiles, 4 x 21 inches (530 mm) torpedo tubes |
USSSam Houston (SSBN-609/SSN-609), anEthan Allen-classsubmarine, was the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named afterSam Houston (1793–1863), president of theRepublic of Texas (1836–1838, 1841–1844).Sam Houston was the US Navy's seventhballistic missile submarine.
Her keel was laid down on 28 December 1959 by theNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company ofNewport News, Virginia. She waslaunched on 2 February 1961 sponsored by Texas First LadyIdanell Brill (Nellie ) Connally, wife of GovernorJohn Connally andcommissioned on 6 March 1962 withCaptain W. P. Willis, Jr. commanding the Blue Crew andCommander Jack H. Hawkins commanding the Gold Crew.
Followingsea trials,Sam Houston's Blue Crew fired her firstPolaris missile on 25 April 1962 offCape Canaveral, Florida. The Gold Crew then took over, completed its first missile firing on 11 May 1962, and then departed from Cape Canaveral for its own shakedown training.
On her first patrol,Sam Houston, manned by the Blue Crew, operated continuously submerged for 48 days and two hours, then moored alongside thesubmarine tenderUSS Proteus (AS-19) inHoly Loch, Scotland. Following upkeep, the Gold Crew commenced its first patrol on 25 December 1962, returning to Holy Loch in February 1963. The crews were again alternated, andSam Houston departed on her third patrol in March 1963. On this patrol, she was the first fleet ballistic missile submarine to enter theMediterranean Sea, where she joinedNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. With the two crews alternating every 90 days,Sam Houston completed six successful deterrent patrols by the end of 1963.
By the end of 1964,Sam Houston had completed ten patrols. During 1965, she completed four additional deterrent patrols. During 1966, she completed three more patrols, including her longest, which lasted 71 days. On 10 August 1966, she returned to the United States for the first time since her deployment to Holy Loch in 1962 and commenced a major overhaul at thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard atKittery, Maine. On 30 October 1967, she got underway forsea trials, and, a month later, her Blue Crew began shakedown training. In January 1968, the Gold Crew conducted shakedown operations. Following further tests, she got under way for her 18th deterrent patrol, and put into Holy Loch on 25 May 1968. By the end of 1968, she was on her 21st patrol. During 1969,Sam Houston completed her 22nd through 24th patrols. In 1970, she continued to operate withSubmarine Squadron 14 until shifting to the Mediterranean on 9 August 1970 to join Submarine Squadron 16.
She operated out of her advanced base atRota, Spain, until October 1972. On 27 November, she enteredCharleston Naval Shipyard and began an extended in-port period, which included regular overhaul and the updating of her weapons and propulsion systems. As of May 1974,Sam Houston was still in port atCharleston, South Carolina.
In February 1975 USS Sam Houston completed sea trials and overhaul at Charleston NSY. Change of Command ceremonies were held on the USS Hunley at Weapons Station Charleston SC and the blue crew assumed command of the ship. After both crews completed post overhaul inspections Sam Houston headed for her Pacific assignment in late July 1975. Gold crew under the command of J.P Wiekert transited the Panama Canal in August 1975 with stops in San Diego, Weapons Station Bremerton arriving at Pearl Harbor in early October 1975. Blue crew assumed command at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and performed Sam Houston's first Pacific deterrent patrol No. 37 transiting the boat to Guam. Sam Houston performed 14 patrols, No. 37 – No. 50, between 1975 and 1979 operating out of Guam. During these patrols Sam Houston made mid-patrol stops in South Korea and Hawaii.[1]
In 1981, in compliance with theSALT I treaty,Sam Houston's ballistic missile section was deactivated. Concrete blocks were placed in the missile tubes and the missilefire-control system was removed, as was one of herinertial navigation systems.Sam Houston was reclassified as anattack submarine withhull number SSN-609 on 10 November 1980 and retained primarily for training,antisubmarine warfare exercises, and other secondary duties.
From September 1982 to September 1985,Sam Houston, along with hersister shipUSS John Marshall (SSBN-611),[2]was modified atPuget Sound Naval Shipyard atBremerton, Washington, as an amphibious transport to carryfrogmen orcommandos. This included the installation of additional troop berthing, the removal of some ballistic missile tube bases, and the conversion of other ballistic missile tubes intoair locks and stowage for equipment. She was fitted with twodry deck shelters (DDSs) abaft her sail. These, which housedUnited States Navy SEAL teamSwimmer Delivery Vehicles, allowed her to act as a SEAL mother ship.[2]
On 29 April 1988,Sam Houston ran aground onFox Island, Washington.[3]
Deactivated on 1 March 1991 while still in commission,Sam Houston began the Nuclear PoweredShip and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard the same day. She was formallydecommissioned and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register on 6 September 1991 and finished the recycling program on 3 February 1992, when she was officially listed as scrapped.
This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in thepublic domain. The entry can be foundhere. This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1988 | |
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