USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
Immersed 6800 ts
116.3 m
10.1 m
8.8 meters
12 officers, 128 sailors
S5W pressurized water reactor, 15,000 SHP
20 knots
16 ballistic missiles of the type Polaris, 6 torpedo tubes
The USS George Washington ( SSBN-598/SSN-598 ) was the first submarine ballistic missile ( SSBN ) of the United States Navy and the world's first rocket -powered submarine with nuclear propulsion. She was the lead ship of the George Washington - class missile submarines.
History
Planning and construction
The George Washington was appointed in late 1957 at Electric Boat and placed at the shipyard in Groton, Connecticut on Kiel. The launch took place in 1959, the boat was christened by Mrs. Robert B. Anderson to George Washington. On December 30, 1959, George Washington was put into service with the U.S. Navy.
Originally, the hull should be no rocket, but a hunting submarine. It was only during the construction of the 130 foot ( 40 meters) long missile section was integrated into the fuselage. For this reason, this section also had a greater diving depth share as the rest of the boat. Prior to the reclassification to SSBN the boat should get the name and hull number of the later shipwrecked USS Scorpion (SSN -589 ).
Trips
On June 28, 1960, the George Washington left her home base, the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, and drove to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where she took two submarine - launched ballistic missile ( SLBM ) of type Polaris A1 on board. With this she went into the Atlantic Missile Test Range. On July 20, they missed there the two rockets successfully in a rocket test area about 1,100 miles away. After the first firing the submarine sent a message to the then U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This was: GEORGE WASHINGTON FROM POLARIS SENDS OUT OF THE DEEP TO TARGET. PERFECT. ( Eng.: George Washington sends Polaris from the depths to the target perfectly. . ). Two hours later, the second launch. After a change to the second occupation took place ten days later two more test launches.
On October 28, 1960, Washington received in the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, South Carolina, their sharp 16 SLBM, with whom she went on patrol. This lasted 66 days and ended on 21 January 1961. The second crew went on board and started on February 14, their first patrol, which lasted until April 25 and ended at the base in Holy Loch, Scotland. After four years of routine patrols and some 100,000 driven miles was the first replenishment of the nuclear fuel in the reactor.
Later, the George Washington moved its home port from the Atlantic to the Pacific and was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, stationed. There was on April 9, 1981 a major accident when the boat in the East China Sea about 110 miles south-southwest of Sasebo, Japan was on the way. During bad weather, the Washington plunged about 20 miles outside of Japanese 12-mile zone directly under the Japanese freighter Nissho Maru. The hull of the cargo ship pulled up and the ship sank, two of the 15 crew members perished. The Washington suffered only slight damage to the tower.
The incident strained relations between Japan and the USA, as both the submarine and an over the crash site exploiting dividend Lockheed P3 -C Orion the Navy did not participate in the rescue of the crew and Japanese authorities until 24 hours after the accident were notified. The U.S. Navy announced a few days after the incident that Washington had performed Notauftauchsübungen and have the Nissho Maru due to the bad weather can not see. On 11 April, U.S. President Ronald Reagan officially apologized in Japan and offered compensation. The final report of August 31 stated that the crew of the submarine had indeed located a ship, but neither this nor did the crew of the Orion noticed that this was in distress. The commander and the first mate were relieved and reprimanded by her command.
1982 ended the George Washington its 55th and final patrol, the following year, their missiles in the Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington, removed from the aircraft and the launch tubes were disqualified. Then drove the U- boat through the Panama Canal back to their first home base to New London, where she became the USS George Washington ( SSN -598 ), ie as a hunter-killer reclassified. This was part of the arms limitation talks Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, as the Navy wanted to use the allowable tonnage for modern SSBN Ohio class. In the following years the Washington led the majority of exercises in her new role by.
On January 24, 1985, the submarine was decommissioned and officially canceled on 30 April 1986 the ship register. Currently the ship in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard waiting in Bremerton, Washington, on the dissection within the Ship - Submarine Recycling Program. The tower of the submarine has already been removed from his body and exhibited at the entrance of the Submarine Force Library and Museum in New London.