USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636)

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USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636)

USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), probably during her sea trials off New England in the mid-1960s.
History
United States
Namesake	Nathanael Greene (1746-1782), a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
Ordered	21 July 1961
Builder	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down	21 May 1962
Launched	12 May 1964
Sponsored by	Mrs. Neander W. Wade
Commissioned	19 December 1964
Decommissioned	15 December 1986
Stricken	31 January 1987
Fate	Scrapped via Ship-Submarine Recycling Program began 1 September 1998 and completed 20 October 2000
General characteristics
Class and type	James Madison-class submarine
Displacement	7,250 long tons (7,366 t) surfaced 8,250 long tons (8,382 t) submerged 6,700 long tons (6,808 t) light
Length	425 ft (130 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	31 ft 5 in (9.58 m)
Installed power	S5W reactor
Propulsion	2 × geared steam turbines, one shaft 15,000 shp (11,185 kW)
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) surfaced 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) submerged
Test depth	1,300 ft (400 m)
Complement	Two crews (Blue and Gold) of 13 officers and 130 men each
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes forward 16 × ballistic missile tubes

USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), a James Madison-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Major General Nathanael Greene (1746–1786), who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.^a

Construction and commissioning[]

Nathanael Greene's keel was laid down on 21 May 1962 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The construction of the ship was supervised by Commander Lawrence Dennis Ballou. She was launched on 12 May 1964, sponsored by Mrs. Neander W. Wade, a descendant of Nathanael Greene, and commissioned on 19 December 1964 with Commander Robert E. Crispin in command of the Blue Crew and Commander William M. Cossaboom in command of the Gold Crew.

Service history[]

Nathanael Greene departed Portsmouth for shakedown on 30 December 1964, with her Gold Crew embarked; it was relieved on 1 February 1965 by the Blue Crew. Her shakedown period was followed by repairs and alterations at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, after which the submarine, with her Blue Crew embarked, departed the shipyard for ballistic missile loading and her initial Polaris missile deterrent patrol.

In 1970-1971 Nathanael Greene was refueled and received its conversion to launch Poseidon missiles at Newport News Shipbuilding. Following Yard period and Shakedown, the Greene proceeded to Cape Canaveral for a test missile launch. In March 1972 the Greene departed for her first deterrent patrol following conversion ending up in Holy Loch, Scotland.

In 3 November 1974 Nathanael Greene during departure from Holy Loch was collided with soviet K-306 submarine of Victor-I class.^[1] CIA sources claimed that it was James Madison,^[2] not Greene.

History needed for 1965-1986.

Grounding and deactivation[]

On 13 March 1986 Nathanael Greene ran aground in the Irish Sea, suffering severe damage to her rudder and ballast tanks. Her grounding was the first serious accident involving a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. She was deactivated while still in commission in May 1987. Her early deactivation was decided both as a result of the damage sustained in the accident as well as in accordance with the limitations set by the SALT II treaty.

Decommissioning and disposal[]

Nathanael Green (bottom) during her decommissioning ceremony. Attack submarine USS Baltimore (SSN-704) (top) is across the pier.

Nathanael Greene was decommissioned on 15 December 1986 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 January 1987. Her removal from service allowed the United States to comply easily with the ballistic missile limits of the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty.^{[citation needed]}

Nathanael Greene entered the U.S. Navy's Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington, on 1 September 1998. Her scrapping was completed on 20 October 2000.

Commemoration[]

The sail of USS Nathanael Greene on display in Port Canaveral, Florida.

Nathanael Greene's sail has been restored and is now on display in Port Canaveral, Florida as a memorial to the original 41 for Freedom fleet ballistic missile submarines.

Notes[]

^a The other two ships are named USS General Greene.

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636).

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
• Photo gallery of USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) at NavSource Naval History
• "SSBN636.org". Archived from the original on 12 February 2007.
• "United States Submarine Veterans, Inc". Archived from the original on 31 December 2006.