USS ''Henry L. Stimson'' (SSBN-655), a fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for

Henry L. Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and D ...

(1867–1950), who served as U.S. Secretary of State (1929–1933) and

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

(1911–1913, 1940–1945).

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the construction of ''Henry L. Stimson'' was awarded on 29 July 1963, and her keel was laid down on 4 April 1964 by the

Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail pow ...

Division of

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...

Corporation in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 13 November 1965, sponsored by Grace Murphy Dodd, wife of Connecticutt

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Thomas J. Dodd Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907 – May 24, 1971) was an American attorney and diplomat who served as a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. He is the father of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Thomas J. Dodd Jr., ...

, and was commissioned on 20 August 1966 with

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Richard E. Jortberg commanding the Blue Crew and

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. ...

Robert H. Weeks Robert Hart Weeks (April 1, 1930 – October 5, 2008) was an American politician, U.S. Navy Captain, and businessman who served in the Vermont House of Representatives representing the town of Wallingford. A Republican, Weeks was originally e ...

commanding the Gold Crew.

Service history

Following

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, ...

, ''Henry L. Stimson'' was assigned to

Submarine Squadron 10 Submarine Squadron 10 (SUBRON 10) was a unit of the United States Navy during World War II in the Pacific and in the Atlantic Fleet after the war from 1951–1991. The number and type of submarines assigned to SUBRON 10 varied throughout its histo ...

at New London, Connecticut. On 23 February 1967 she put to sea from Charleston with the Blue crew on her first strategic deterrent patrol, armed with Polaris A3 ballistic missiles. By August 1967, her Blue and Gold crews had each completed one deterrent patrol. Ballistic Missile Submarines were manned by two separate crews, designated Blue and Gold. While one crew was physically aboard the ship, the other crew had one month of R&R and then almost 2 months of training. At the end of a patrol, usually lasting approximately 75 days and usually spent entirely submerged, the ship returned to port and was met by the opposite crew. A week was spent in turnover and then the crews would trade places. After another 3 weeks of refitting and repairs, the ship would go on patrol and the cycle would continue. From 1973 until the Trident Missile conversion in 1980, she continued to operate out of Rota, Spain with one visit back to Charleston in 1978(?) to replace the battery bank. After 1980 until decommissioning, she operated out of Kings Bay Georgia, with the crew based in Charleston, SC.

Decommissioning and disposal

''Henry L. Stimson'' was both decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 5 May 1993. Her scrapping via the U.S. Navys Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington, was completed on 12 August 1994.

References

* * * * Benjamin Franklin-class submarines Cold War submarines of the United States Ships built in Groton, Connecticut 1965 ships {{US-submarine-stub