James Madison-class submarine explained

The James Madison class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the of fleet ballistic missile submarine. They were identical to the Lafayettes except for being initially designed to carry the Polaris A-3 missile instead of the earlier A-2. This class, together with the,, Lafayette, and classes, composed the "41 for Freedom" that was the Navy's primary contribution to the nuclear deterrent force through the late 1980s. This class and the Benjamin Franklin class are combined with the Lafayettes in some references.

Design

In the early 1970s all were modified for the Poseidon C-3 missile. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, six boats were further modified to carry the Trident I C-4 missile, along with six Benjamin Franklin-class boats. These were James Madison, Daniel Boone, John C. Calhoun, Von Steuben, Casimir Pulaski, and Stonewall Jackson.

Fate

The James Madisons were decommissioned between 1986 and 1995 due to a combination of SALT II treaty limitations as the SSBNs entered service, age, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. One (Sam Rayburn) remains out of commission but converted to a Moored Training Ship (MTS-635) with the missile compartment removed. She is stationed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia for inactivation.[1]

Boats in class

Submarines of the James Madison class:[1] [2] (Submarines marked with * indicate Trident I C-4 ballistic missile conversions.)

Name Hull numberBuilderLaid downLaunched CommissionedDecommissionedFate
SSBN-627Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.5 March 196215 March 196328 July 196420 November 1992Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1997
SSBN-628General Dynamics Electric Boat1 June 196222 June 196329 May 196423 July 1993Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
SSBN-629Mare Island Naval Shipyard6 February 196222 June 196323 April 196418 February 1994Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
SSBN-630Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.4 June 196222 June 196315 September 196428 March 1994Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
SSBN-631General Dynamics Electric Boat18 August 19622 November 196317 July 196412 June 1992Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1992
SSBN-632Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.4 September 196218 October 196330 September 196426 February 1994Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 2001
SSBN-633General Dynamics Electric Boat12 January 19631 February 196414 August 19647 March 1994Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
SSBN-634Mare Island Naval Shipyard4 July 196230 November 196326 August 19649 February 1995Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1995
SSBN-635Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.3 December 196220 December 19632 December 196431 July 1989Converted to Moored Training Ship (MTS-635) with missile compartment removed.
SSBN-636Portsmouth Naval Shipyard21 May 196212 May 196419 December 196415 December 1986Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 2000

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p.612.
  2. Web site: FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines . 2012-10-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120728105611/http://www.submarinehistory.com/FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines.html . 28 July 2012 . California Center for Military History (dead link 2015-05-09)