- USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609)
USS "Sam Houston" (SSBN-609), a "Ethan Allen"-class submarine, was the only ship of the
United States Navy to be named for the President of theRepublic of Texas . (Several ships have been named USS "Houston" for the city ofHouston, Texas — which was named in honor ofSam Houston — and during theAmerican Civil War a schooner was named "Sam" or "Samuel Houston", though not for the famous Texan.)hip History
Her keel was laid down on
28 December 1959 by theNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company ofNewport News, Virginia . She was launched on2 February 1961 sponsored by Mrs. John B. Connally, and commissioned on6 March 1962 with Captain W. P. Willis, Jr. commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Jack H. Hawkins commanding the Gold Crew.Following shakedown, the nation's seventh Polaris submarine fired her first missile on
25 April offCape Canaveral, Florida . The Gold Crew, commanded by Commander J. H. Hawkins, then took over, completed its missile firing on11 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 the submarine tender USS "Proteus" (AS-19) in
Holy Loch ,Scotland . Following upkeep, the Gold Crew commenced its first patrol on25 December , returning to Holy Loch in February 1963. The crews were again alternated, and "Sam Houston" departed on her third patrol in March. On this patrol, she was the first fleet ballistic missile submarine to enter theMediterranean Sea where she joined theNATO forces. On a short operational visit toİzmir ,Turkey , she became the first Polaris submarine to make a port-of-call during a patrol. With the two crews alternating every 90 days, "Sam Houston" completed six successful Polaris patrols by the end of the year.By the end of 1964, "Sam Houston" had completed ten patrols. During 1965, she completed four additional deterrent patrols. During 1966, "Sam Houston" completed three more patrols, including her longest which lasted 71 days. On
10 August 1966 , she returned to theUnited States for the first time since her deployment in 1962 and commenced a major overhaul at the United States Naval Shipyard atPortsmouth, New Hampshire . On30 October 1967 , she got underway for sea 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 on25 May . By the end of the year, she was on her 21st patrol. During 1969, "Sam Houston" completed her 22nd through 24th patrols. In 1970, she continued to operate with Submarine Squadron 14 until shifting to the Mediterranean on9 August to join Submarine Squadron 16.She operated out of her advanced base at
Rota, Spain , until October 1972. On27 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 .Maybe fill in the blanks, the ship operated out of Guam and Pearl Harbor. The offices were on Ford Island in Pearl. The ship had a special op to surface in Korea for 3 days to "rattle the saber" in 1976-1977.
In 1981, in compliance with the
SALT I treaty , the missile section of "Sam Houston" was decommissioned. Cement blocks were placed in the missile tubes and the missile fire control system was removed, as was one of the ship'sinertial navigation system s. The ship was reclassified as an attack submarine withhull classification symbol SSN-609 on10 November 1980 and retained primarily for training, ASW exercises and other secondary duties. From September 1982 to September 1985, "Sam Houston" was modified inBremerton, Washington , as an Amphibious Transport to carry frogmen or commandos. This included additional troop berthing, removal of some missile tube bases and the conversion of other missile tubes into air locks and stowage for equipment.On
29 April 1988 , "Sam Houston" ran aground [Naval Sea Systems Command DC Museum Online Resources in Damage Control, Fire Protection Engineering and CBR-D [http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/SHOUSTON/SHOUSTON.htm] ] onFox Island, Washington .Deactivated on
1 March 1991 while still in commission, "Sam Houston" began the Nuclear PoweredShip and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton the same day. She was formally decommissioned and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register on6 September and finished the recycling program on3 February 1992 . On the latter day, the ship was officially listed as scrapped.References
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