 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For RATING SHIRTS - Click on your Rating Abbreviation below: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Click on your Rating abbreviation above: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S.S. SIMON BOLIVAR
(SSBN-641)WITHOUT FEAR WITHOUT REPROACH
Click to view crew list
USS SIMON BOLIVAR (SSBN-641) - a Benjamin Franklin-class fleet ballistic missile submarine
In Commission 1965 to 1995SSBN-641 Deployments - Major Events
| Add a SSBN-641 Shellback Initiation | Add a SSBN-641 Deployment - Major Event | ||||
| Month | Year | to | Month | Year | Deployment / Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APR | 1963 | - | Keel Date: 17 APR 1963 at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Newport News VA | ||
| AUG | 1964 | - | Launch Date: 22 AUG 1964 | ||
| OCT | 1965 | - | Commissioned: 29 OCT 1965 | ||
| SEP | 1968 | - | JAN | 1969 | Blue Nose - Arctic Circle |
| JAN | 1976 | - | MAR | 1976 | North Atlantic |
| AUG | 1977 | - | OCT | 1977 | Blue Nose - Arctic Circle |
| OCT | 1978 | - | Shellback Initiation - 18 OCT 1978 - Atlantic Ocean | ||
| MAR | 1979 | - | MAY | 1981 | Regular Overhaul |
| JUN | 1986 | - | JUL | 1987 | Regular Overhaul |
| FEB | 1994 | - | APR | 1994 | Mediterranean |
| FEB | 1995 | - | Decommissioned: 8 FEB 1995 | ||
SSBN-641 General Specifications
Class: Benjamin Franklin-class fleet ballistic missile submarine
Named for: Simón Bolívar (1783–1830)
Complement: 14 Officers and 126 Enlisted
Displacement: 6494 tons
Length: 129.5 m
Beam: 33 feet
Flank Speed: 16 knots
Final Disposition: Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program begun 1 October 1994; completed 1 December 1995
USS SIMON BOLIVAR (SSBN-641)
Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641) was laid down on 17 April
1963 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, Va.;
launched on 22 August
1964; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas C. Mann; and commissioned
on 29 October 1965, Comdr. Charles H. Griffiths
commanding the Blue Crew and Comdr. Charles
A. Orem commanding the Gold.
In late December 1965 and most of January 1966, the
submarine underwent demonstration and shakedown operations. The normal routine
for fleet ballistic missile submarines is for the Gold Crew to make a patrol and then
alternate with the Blue Crew. The Gold Crew successfully fired an A-3 Polaris
missile off the coast of Cape Kennedy on 17 January, and the Blue Crew completed a
successful missile firing two weeks later. In February, the Gold Crew continued
shakedown operations in the Caribbean. The following month, her homeport
was changed to Charleston, S.C., and minor deficiencies were corrected
during a yard availability period. Beginning in April, the Blue Crew
prepared for and conducted the first and third regular Polaris patrols. The Gold
Crew meanwhile entered the training period and later conducted
the second patrol, finishing the year in a training status. Simon
Bolivar completed her third deterrent patrol in January 1967,
operating as a unit of Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 18.
This routine continued until 7 February 1971 when the
submarine returned to Newport News for overhaul and conversion of her
weapons system to Poseidon missiles.
Simon Bolivar departed Newport News on 12 May 1972 for
post-overhaul shakedown operations and refresher training for the two
crews which lasted until 16 September. The end of 1972 found the submarine back on patrol.
Into August 1974, the Blue and Gold Crews have alternated
in keeping the fleet ballistic missile submarine on deterrent patrols,
providing the United States with instant retaliatory capabilities in case of
attack.
[Note: The above USS SIMON BOLIVAR (SSBN-641) history may, or may not, contain text provided by crew members of the USS SIMON BOLIVAR (SSBN-641), or by other non-crew members, and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]