James Madison-class submarine

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Angled view of gray submarine in river steaming towards camera. Personnel wearing high-visibility apparel are standing atop the submarine, while a tugboat spraying water is visible at the submarine's starboard side.
USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630) entering Holy Loch, Scotland on completion of the thousandth Polaris nuclear deterrent patrol, 18 May 1972.
Class overview
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byLafayette-class submarine
Succeeded byBenjamin Franklin-class submarine
Built1962–1964
In commission1964–1995
Completed10
Retired10
Preserved1 (As Training Vessel – SSBN-635)
General characteristics
TypeNuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
DisplacementSurfaced: 7,325 long tons (7,443 t) Submerged: 8,251 long tons (8,383 t)[2]
Length425 ft (130 m)
Beam33 ft (10 m)
Draft28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced
  • 21 knots (39 km/h) submerged[2]
Test depth1,300 feet (400 m)[2]
ComplementTwo crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted[2]
Armament16 Polaris A3 or Poseidon C3 or Trident I C4 missiles, 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes[2]

The James Madison class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the Lafayette class 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 George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin 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[edit]

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.[3]

Fate[edit]

The James Madisons were decommissioned between 1986 and 1995 due to a combination of SALT II treaty limitations as the Ohio class 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, VA for inactivation.[3]

Boats in class[edit]

Submarines of the James Madison class:[3][4] (Submarines marked with * indicate Trident I C-4 ballistic missile conversions.)

Name Hull number Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Period of service Fate
James Madison* SSBN-627 Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. 5 March 1962 15 March 1963 28 July 1964 20 November 1992 28.3 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1997
Tecumseh SSBN-628 General Dynamics Electric Boat 1 June 1962 22 June 1963 29 May 1964 23 July 1993 29.2 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
Daniel Boone* SSBN-629 Mare Island Naval Shipyard 6 February 1962 22 June 1963 23 April 1964 18 February 1994 29.8 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
John C. Calhoun* SSBN-630 Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. 4 June 1962 22 June 1963 15 September 1964 28 March 1994 29.5 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
Ulysses S. Grant SSBN-631 General Dynamics Electric Boat 18 August 1962 2 November 1963 17 July 1964 12 June 1992 27.9 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1992
Von Steuben* SSBN-632 Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. 4 September 1962 18 October 1963 30 September 1964 26 February 1994 29.4 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 2001
Casimir Pulaski* SSBN-633 General Dynamics Electric Boat 12 January 1963 1 February 1964 14 August 1964 7 March 1994 29.6 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1994
Stonewall Jackson* SSBN-634 Mare Island Naval Shipyard 4 July 1962 30 November 1963 26 August 1964 9 February 1995 30.4 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 1995
Sam Rayburn SSBN-635 Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. 3 December 1962 20 December 1963 2 December 1964 31 July 1989 24.7 Converted to Moored Training Ship (MTS-635) with missile compartment removed.
Nathanael Greene SSBN-636 Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 21 May 1962 12 May 1964 19 December 1964 15 December 1986 22.0 Disposed of through Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, 2000

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines" from the FAS Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d e f Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 199–203, 244. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
  3. ^ a b c Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p.612.
  4. ^ "FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines". Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012. California Center for Military History (dead link 2015-05-09)

External links[edit]