USSGeorge Washington(SSBN-598)

For other ships with the same name, seeUSS George Washington.

USSGeorge Washington(SSBN-598)was the United States's first operationalballistic missile submarine.She was thelead shipofher classof nuclear ballistic missile submarines, was the thirdUnited States Navyship of the name, in honor ofFounding FatherGeorge Washington(1732–1799), the first president of the United States, and was the first of that name to be purpose-built as a warship.

USSGeorge Washington(SSBN-598)
History
United States
Name	George Washington
Namesake	PresidentGeorge Washington(1732–1799)
Owner	United States Navy
Ordered	31 December 1957
Builder	General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down	1 November 1958
Launched	9 June 1959
Sponsored by	Mrs. Robert B. Anderson
Commissioned	30 December 1959
Decommissioned	24 January 1985
Stricken	30 April 1986
Homeport	Pearl Harbor,Hawaii
Nickname(s)	"The Georgefish"
Fate	Recycling via theShip-Submarine Recycling Programcompleted 30 September 1998
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	George Washington-classsubmarine
Type	SSBN(hull design SCB-180A)
Displacement	5400 tons light 5959–6019 tons surfaced 6709–6888 Approx. tons submerged
Length	381 ft 7.2 in (116.312 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	29 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion	1 ×S5WPWR 2 × gearedturbinesrated at 15,000shp(11,000kW) 1 × 7-bladed screw
Speed	20kn(37km/h) surfaced +25 kn (46 km/h) submerged
Range	unlimited except by food supplies
Test depth	700 ft (210 m)(maximum over 900 ft (270 m))
Capacity	120
Complement	Two crews (Blue/Gold) each consisting of 12 officers and 100 men.
Armament	16Polaris A1/A3 missiles 6 × 21 in (530 mm)torpedo tubes(Mark 16,Mark 37,orMark 48torpedoes)

Construction and launching

George Washingtonduring her launching ceremony in Groton.

George Washington's keel was laid down atElectric BoatDivision ofGeneral Dynamics,Groton, Connecticuton 1 November 1958. The first ofher class,she waslaunchedon 9 June 1959 sponsored by Mrs. Ollie Mae Anderson (née Rawlins), wife ofUS Treasury Secretaryand formerSecretary of the NavyRobert B. Anderson,andcommissionedon 30 December 1959 as SSBN-598withCommanderJames B. Osborn in command of the Blue crew and Commander John L. From, Jr. in command of the Gold crew.

George Washingtonwas originally laid down as theattack submarineUSSScorpion(SSN-589).During construction, she was lengthened by the insertion of a 130 ft (40 m)-long ballistic missile section and renamedGeorge Washington;another submarine under construction at the time received the original name andhull number.InsideGeorge Washington's forward escape hatch, a plaque remained bearing her original name. Because the ballistic missile compartment design ofGeorge Washingtonwas intended to be reused in later ship classes, the section inserted intoGeorge Washingtonwas designed with a deepertest depthrating than the rest of the submarine.

Initial operations

Universal International Newsreel of first submerged Polaris firing on 20 July 1960

George Washingtonleft Groton on 28 June 1960 forCape Canaveral, Florida,where she loaded twoPolaris missiles.Standing out into theAtlantic Missile Test RangewithRear AdmiralWilliam Raborn,head of the Polaris submarine development program, on board as an observer, she successfully conducted the first Polaris missile launch from a submerged submarine on 20 July 1960. At 12:39,George Washington's commanding officer sent PresidentDwight Eisenhowerthe message: POLARIS - FROM OUT OF THE DEEP TO TARGET. PERFECT. Less than two hours later a second missile from the submarine also struck the impact area 1,100nmi(1,300mi;2,000km) downrange.

George Washingtonthen embarked her Gold crew, and on 30 July 1960 she launched two more missiles while submerged. Shakedown for the Gold crew ended at Groton on 30 August and the boat got underway from that port on 28 October forNaval Weapons Station Charleston,to load her full complement of 16 Polaris missiles. There she was awarded theNavy Unit Commendation,after which her Blue crew took over and embarked on her first deterrent patrol.

The submarine completed her first patrol after 66 days of submerged running on 21 January 1961, and put in atNaval Submarine Base New LondonatNew London, Connecticut.The Gold crew took over and departed on her next patrol on 14 February 1961. After the patrol, she enteredHoly Loch,Scotland,on 25 April 1961.

In 1970 ten years after her initial departure from Groton,George Washingtonput in to refuel in Charleston SC, having cruised some 100,000 nmi (120,000 mi; 190,000 km).

George Washingtonshifted to theUnited States Pacific Fleetand a newhome portatPearl Harbor,Hawaii after the refueling.

Collision withNissho Maru

On 9 April 1981,George Washingtonwas at periscope depth and was broadsided by the 2,350long tons(2,390t) Japanese commercialcargo shipNissho Maruin theEast China Seaabout 110 nmi (130 mi; 200 km) south-southwest ofSasebo,Japan.George Washingtonimmediately surfaced and searched for the other vessel. Owing to the heavy fog conditions at the time, they did see the Nissho Maru heading off into the fog, but it appeared undamaged. It headed into port for repairs; the crew was later flown back to Pearl Harbor from Guam. Unbeknownst to the crew of the George Washington,Nissho Marusank in about 15 minutes. Two Japanese crewmen were lost; 13 were rescued byJapan Maritime Self-Defense ForcedestroyersJDSAkigumo(DD-120)andAogumo(ja).The submarine suffered minor damage to hersail.

The accident strained U.S.–Japanese relations a month before a meeting betweenJapanese Prime MinisterZenko Suzukiand President of the United StatesRonald Reagan.Japan criticized the U.S. for taking more than 24 hours to notify Japanese authorities, and demanded to know what the boat was doing surfacing only about 20 nmi (23 mi; 37 km) outside Japan's territorial waters.

TheU.S. Navyinitially stated thatGeorge Washingtonexecuted a crash dive during the collision, and then immediately surfaced, but could not see the Japanese ship due to fog and rain (according to a U.S. Navy report). A preliminary report released a few days later stated the submarine and aircraft crews both had detectedNissho Marunearby, but neither the submarine nor the aircraft realizedNissho Maruwas in distress.

On 11 April, President Reagan and other U.S. officials formally expressed regret over the accident, made offers of compensation, and reassured the Japanese there was no cause for worry about radioactive contamination. As is its standard policy, the U.S. Government refused to reveal what the submarine was doing close to Japan, or whether she was armed with nuclear missiles. (It is government and navy policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons on board.) The Navy accepted responsibility for the incident, and relieved and reprimanded theGeorge Washington'scommanding officerandofficer of the deck.

On 31 August, the U.S. Navy released its final report, concluding the accident resulted from a set of coincidences, compounded by errors on the part of two members of the submarine crew.

After the collision with the Nissho Maru, the damaged sail was repaired with parts from the sail from theUSSAbraham Lincolnwhich was waiting for disposal at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Final patrol as ballistic missile submarine

In 1981,George Washingtonreturned toPearl Harborfrom her last missile patrol. In 1981, her missiles were unloaded atBangor, Washingtonto comply with theSALT IItreaty.

George Washingtonmade 55 deterrent patrols in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in her 25-year career.

Service as an attack submarine

George Washingtoncontinued service as an attack submarine (SSN), returning briefly to Pearl Harbor. In 1983, she departed Pearl Harbor for the last time and made the second of four transits through thePanama Canalback to the Atlantic and to New London. While based at Submarine Base Groton,George Washington(SSN 598) participated in exercises including one teamed with a Coast Guard Cutter against theUSSJohn F. Kennedy(CV-67)and Carrier Group 4. From Puerto Rico’sRoosevelt Roads Naval Station,she provided support for Special Forces training. She participated in the 24thUNITASexercise as the only US submarine. At the conclusion of exercises with Chile,George Washingtoncompleted circumnavigation of South America, escortingJohn F. Kennedyas she transited open water between Argentina and the Falkland Islands in the early months of 1984.

Decommissioning

George Washingtonwasdecommissionedon 24 January 1985, stricken from theNaval Vessel Registryon 30 April 1986, and scheduled for disposal through theShip-Submarine Recycling ProgramatPuget Sound Naval Shipyard.Recycling of the ship was completed on 30 September 1998.

Commemoration

George Washington'ssailwas removed prior to disposal and now rests at theSubmarine Force Library and MuseumatGroton, Connecticut.

George Washington(SSBN-598) sail outside the Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, CT.

References

This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.The entry can be foundhere.

External links

• A film clip"Nuclear Navy. First Polaris A-Sub Sails on Ocean Patrol, 1960/11/17 (1960)"is available for viewing at theInternet Archive