USS ''Thomas Jefferson'' (SSBN-618), an nuclear-powered

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third President of the United States (1801–1809). She later was reclassified as an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-618.

Construction and commissioning

''Thomas Jefferson''s keel was laid down on 3 February 1961, at

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, by the

Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy ...

Ship history

Fleet ballistic missile submarine service, 1963-1981

After

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

training by both crews and a repair period, ''Thomas Jefferson'' was assigned to Submarine Squadron 14 in early October 1963. On 28 October 1963, the Blue Crew took the submarine on her first deterrent patrol which ended at

Holy Loch The Holy Loch ( gd, An Loch Sianta/Seunta) is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there afte ...

, Scotland, in December 1963. ''Thomas Jefferson'' continued patrols from Holy Loch for the next four years and also acted as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

for Submarine Squadron 14. In 1966, she returned to New London, Connecticut, for two training and rehabilitation periods. She began her 15th deterrent patrol on 12 January 1967 and, upon its completion, returned to

, for her first overhaul and refuelling. On 17 June 1968, ''Thomas Jefferson'' was ready for sea, and refresher training was held for both crews. Her 16th deterrent patrol began on 29 October and terminated at Rota, Spain, on 5 December 1968. ''Thomas Jefferson'' made four deterrent patrols in each of the following years: 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1972. She also conducted special operations in 1970 and 1971. On 20 October 1972, the Gold Crew was awarded a

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

for its special operations of the previous year. ''Thomas Jefferson'' completed two patrols in 1973 before returning to the United States to hold midshipman training from 18 June to 31 August. Her last patrol of the year terminated on 12 December 1973. Her 36th and final, patrol in the Atlantic lasted from 31 January to 22 March 1974. After calling at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, and

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, the submarine returned to New London 22 May. ''Thomas Jefferson'' was then reassigned to the Pacific Fleet with her new homeport at Vallejo, California. She stood out of New London on 7 June en route to the United States West Coast and arrived at Mare Island on 27 June. On 1 July 1974, ''Thomas Jefferson'' entered the

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 ...

for overhaul, refueling, and conversion to the

Polaris A-3 missile The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missil ...

system. She remained in the shipyard until 17 November 1975 when she got underway for Bremerton, Washington. The submarine remained in Puget Sound for a month and then moved to San Diego, California. During the period January to March 1976, ''Thomas Jefferson''s Blue Crew conducted post-overhaul shakedown operations and then transited the Panama Canal to conduct a

Polaris missile The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missile ...

firing at Cape Canaveral, Florida. While operating out of San Diego in 1976, with the Blue Crew aboard, the ship experienced a complete loss of electrical power and propulsion. The only lighting during this event were the battery powered lanterns located throughout the ship. There was fire and flooding which caused a reactor scram during ORSE(Operational Reactor Safety Exam). If not for the training the crew had, this event may have resulted in tragedy. After successful ascent, the boat proceeded under its own power back to San Diego where an investigation resulted in better training for the ORSE Board Examiners. The Gold Crew took over the ship on 4 April and conducted additional post-overhaul shakedown operations which included a missile firing at Cape Canaveral, a transit of the Panama Canal, and a missile loadout at Bangor, Washington, before resuming deterrent patrol operations with the Pacific Fleet on 8 August. ''Thomas Jefferson'' continued these operations as a unit of Submarine Squadron 15 from 1977 to 1980, at the end of which she completed her 51st deterrent patrol.

Attack submarine service, 1981-1985

In fiscal year 1981, in compliance with the

SALT I treaty The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ...

, the missile section of ''Thomas Jefferson'' was disabled. Concrete blocks were placed in the missile tubes, and the missile

fire-control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...

was removed. The ship was reclassified as an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-618 on 11 March 1981 and retained primarily for training,

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...

exercises, and other secondary duties. :''History needed for 1981-1985.''

Decommissioning and disposal

Decommissioned on 24 January 1985 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 April 1986, ex-''Thomas Jefferson'' started the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton on 1 October 1996 and ceased to exist upon completion of the recycling process on 6 March 1998. The

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 ...

is preserved in Gosport park adjacent to the

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

References

*
NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive: Thomas Jefferson (SSBN / SSN 618)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618) Ships built in Newport News, Virginia Ethan Allen-class submarines Cold War submarines of the United States Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy 1962 ships