- USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602)
USS "Abraham Lincoln" (SSBN-602), a "George Washington"-class submarine, was the first ship of the
United States Navy to be named for the 16thPresident of the United States .Her keel was laid down by the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard ofKittery, Maine , on 1 November 1958. She was launched on 14 May 1960 sponsored by Mrs. Mary L. Beckwith, and commissioned on 8 March 1961 with Commander Leonard Erb commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Donald M. Miller commanding the Gold Crew."Abraham Lincoln" got underway on 20 March 1961 for shakedown and weapons testing at
Cape Canaveral, Florida , and returned to Portsmouth on 1 June for post-shakedown availability. She left Portsmouth on 17 July to return briefly to the Cape for further testing and then proceeded toCharleston, South Carolina , for a final loadout. "Abraham Lincoln" subsequently got underway on 28 August as a unit of SubRon 14. She arrived atHoly Loch ,Scotland , in October. The submarine underwent a refit alongside USS "Proteus" (AS-19) during November and, upon its completion, commenced her first deterrent patrol."Abraham Lincoln" operated out of Holy Loch for the next four years. She alternated periods of upkeep at Holy Loch alongside "Proteus" or USS "Hunley" (AS-31) with deterrent patrols from that port. A highlight of this period occurred during the
Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The submarine was in the middle of a scheduled four-week upkeep period when she received orders to deploy. "Abraham Lincoln" departed in short order and successfully carried out a 65-day patrol. On 13 October 1965, "Abraham Lincoln" arrived atGroton, Connecticut and entered theElectric Boat yard located there on 25 October to begin an overhaul and refueling.This work was completed on 3 June 1967 and the submarine returned to her base at Holy Loch and resumed her schedule of deterrent patrols. She continued the pattern of alternating patrols with periods of upkeep alongside either USS "Simon Lake" (AS-33) or USS "Canopus" (AS-34) through 1972. In early March of that year, "Abraham Lincoln" sailed for the
United States and arrived at Naval Sub Base New London, Connecticut, on 25 April. she held two dependents' cruises before getting underway on 19 May for the West Coast to join the Pacific Fleet. "Abraham Lincoln" made a brief visit toFort Lauderdale, Florida , transited thePanama Canal on 1 June, sailed to Bangor, Washington, to offload her missiles, then pushed on toSan Francisco, California . On 25 June, "Abraham Lincoln" entered theMare Island Naval Shipyard atVallejo, California to commence overhaul and refueling.The extensive overhaul was completed in December 1973. After shakedown in the areas around
Puget Sound andSan Diego, California "Abraham Lincoln" transited thePanama Canal on 1 June 1974. She held tests and local operations at Cape Canaveral andCharleston, South Carolina . The submarine retransmitted the Canal on 26 July and sailed for her new home port,Pearl Harbor ,Hawaii , where she arrived on 10 September. The submarine continued on to her advanced base atGuam , arriving on 18 October. She then began deterrent patrols from that island in theMariana Islands . During the next four years, the warship carried out deterrent patrols from Guam. She also participated in numerous tests and exercises. In 1977, "Abraham Lincoln" became the first ballistic missile submarine to have conducted 50 strategic deterrent patrols."Abraham Lincoln" completed her last patrol in October 1979 and arrived at
Bangor, Washington , on 30 October to commence offloading her missiles before beginning inactivation overhaul. Preparations for her retirement continued through 1980 and into 1981. "Abraham Lincoln" was decommissioned on 28 February 1981 and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 December 1982. She was disposed of through theShip and Submarine Recycling Program on 10 May 1994 at thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard .References
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