USS ''Mariano G. Vallejo'' (SSBN-658), was a fleet ballistic missile submarine, was named for Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1807–1890), a key proponent of California statehood. The boat's service extended from 1966 until 1995.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build ''Mariano G. Vallejo'' was awarded to

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...

at Vallejo, California, on 8 August 1963 and her keel was laid down there on 7 July 1964. She was launched on 23 October 1965, sponsored by Miss Patricia Oliver Vallejo McGettigan, great-great- granddaughter of Mariano Vallejo, and commissioned on 16 December 1966, with

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Douglas B. Guthe commanding the Blue Crew and Commander John K. Nunneley commanding the Gold Crew.

Service history

''Mariano G. Vallejo'' conducted shakedown and training exercises along the United States West Coast, in the Caribbean Sea, and off the coast of Florida. Transiting the Panama Canal for the second time on 21 March 1967, she headed for her assigned home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Arriving there on 10 April 1967, she continued training exercises and sound trials, then returned briefly to Mare Island Naval Shipyard. From there she sailed back to Pearl Harbor, becoming, as of 1 August 1967, a fully operational unit of

Submarine Squadron 15 Submarine Squadron 15 (also known as SUBRON 15) is a squadron of submarines of the United States Navy based at Naval Base Guam. Fleet Ballistic Missile squadron 1963–1981 Submarine Squadron Fifteen was established on 1 September 1963 at Pear ...

, ready to conduct strategic deterrent patrols. ''Mariano G. Vallejo'' was the last to patrol, last to off-load her missiles and the last to arrive in Washington making her the last of the "Forty-one for Freedom." On 2 August 1994, the submarine left Charleston for the last time. She arrived at the Panama Canal on 10 August and during the voyage to San Diego transited from the epicenter of a 7.2 earthquake. In port at the Mare Island shipyard the crew hosted over three thousand tours of the boat in eleven days.

Decommissioning and disposal

''Mariano G. Vallejo'' was both decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 9 March 1995. Her scrapping via the U.S. Navys Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington, began on 1 October 1994 and was completed on 22 December 1995.

Commemoration

''Mariano G. Vallejo''s

sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...

was preserved, and has been on the waterfront at Mare Island since 1995. Much of this time, the sail sat at the docks, exposed to the elements and mostly neglected. As of 2019, it was moved to a permanent memorial located within the Mare Island Museum as part of the Save-Our-Sail Project. In addition to the preservation of the sail, the control room of ''Mariano G. Vallejo'' was reconstructed including a fully operational periscope from ''Mariano G. Vallejo''. A Google Street View of the boat's sail prior to its installation at the museum is locate
here
Sail of the USS Mariano G

References

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External links

* * Benjamin Franklin-class submarines Cold War submarines of the United States Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy Ships built in Vallejo, California 1965 ships {{US-submarine-stub