USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656)

For other ships of the same name, see USS George Washington Carver.

History
USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656) ca. June 1966

Name:	USS George Washington Carver
Namesake:	George Washington Carver (1865–1943), an American researcher and inventor
Awarded:	29 July 1963
Builder:	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Laid down:	24 August 1964
Launched:	14 August 1965
Sponsored by:	Miss Marian Anderson (1897-1993)
Commissioned:	15 June 1966
Decommissioned:	18 March 1993
Struck:	18 March 1993
Motto:	Strength Through Knowledge
Fate:	Scrapping via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program completed 21 March 1994
General characteristics
Class & type:	Benjamin Franklin class fleet ballistic missile submarine
Displacement:	7,300 long tons (7,417 t) surfaced 8,250 long tons (8,382 t) submerged
Length:	425 ft (130 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10 m)
Draft:	33 ft (10 m)
Installed power:	15,000 shp (11,185 kW)
Propulsion:	One S5W pressurized-water nuclear reactor, two geared steam turbines, one shaft
Speed:	Over 20 knots
Test depth:	1,300 feet (400 m)
Complement:	Two crews (Blue Crew and Gold Crew) of 100 officers and enlisted men each
Armament:	16 ballistic missile tubes with one Polaris, later Poseidon, ballistic missile each 4 × 21 inches (530 mm) torpedo tubes

USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656), a Benjamin Franklin class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for George Washington Carver (1865–1943), an American researcher and inventor.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for George Washington Carver's construction was awarded on 29 July 1963, and her keel was laid down on 24 August 1964 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 14 August 1965, sponsored by Miss Marian Anderson (1897–1993), and commissioned on 15 June 1966 with Captain R. D. Donavan in command of the Blue Crew and Lieutenant Commander Carl J. Lidel in command of the Gold Crew.

Service history

Following shakedown, George Washington Carver's began her first strategic deterrent patrol on 12 December 1966. George Washington Carver was in dry dock at Naval Station Rota, Spain for overhaul beginning February 1977. A team from Electric Boat Div. Groton, CT was deployed to complete the overhaul/refit.

History needed for 1966-1991.

Conversion of missile tubes

In 1991, George Washington Carver's ballistic missile had missiles removed and tubes were filled with ballast at Naval Weapons Station, Charleston, SC. The submarine and crew then received a change of homeport to Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, WA and assisted on the west coast in various assignments before finally entering the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington.

History needed for 1991-1993.

Decommissioning and disposal

George Washington Carver was both decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 March 1993 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, where her scrapping via the U.S. Navy's Ship and Submarine Recycling Program was completed on 12 March 1994.

The insignia of USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656).

References

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 George Washington Carver (SSBN-656) at NavSource Naval History

Benjamin Franklin-class submarine (SSBN-640 – SSBN-645, SSBN-654 – SSBN-659)

Benjamin Franklin Simon Bolivar Kamehameha George Bancroft Lewis and Clark James K. Polk George C. Marshall Henry L. Stimson George Washington Carver Francis Scott Key Mariano G. Vallejo Will Rogers

List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

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