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USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644)
Encyclopedia
USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644), a ballistic missile
submarine
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the explorers Meriwether Lewis
(1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838), who carried out the Lewis and Clark Expedition
of 1804-1806.
was laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
at Newport News
, Virginia
, on 29 July 1963. She was launched
on 21 November 1964, sponsored by Mrs. M. F. Engman and Mrs. M. G. Sale, and commissioned
on 22 December 1965 with Commander
John F. Fagan, Jr., in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Kenneth A. Porter in command of the Gold Crew.
and missile firing off Cape Kennedy, Florida
, in 1966, Lewis and Clark began deterrent patrols, armed with Polaris A3 ballistic missiles.
On 21 July 1972, Lewis and Clark completed conversion of her ballistic missile
tubes to carry Poseidon C3 ballistic missiles. On 18 December 1972, the Gold Crew successfully launched one Poseidon C-3 missile in support of Lewis and Clarks Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO).
On 8 April 1973, Lewis and Clark deployed for an operational deterrent patrol.
On 19 June 1981, Lewis and Clark successfully fired four Poseidon C-3 missiles in a Follow-on Operational Test. On 23 July 1981, she began a Poseidon refueling overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding.
On 13 June 1985, Lewis and Clark successfully launched four Poseidon C-3 missiles in a Follow-on Operational Test.
on 27 June 1992 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 August 1992. Her scrapping via the U.S. Navy's Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton
, Washington began on 1 October 1995 and was completed on 23 September 1996.
and fairwater planes and the top of her rudder
are on display at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum
in Charleston, South Carolina
, part of a memorial to the officers and men of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service who served during the Cold War
.
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for the explorers Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
(1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838), who carried out the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
of 1804-1806.
Construction and commissioning
The contract to construct Lewis and Clark was awarded on 1 November 1962, and her keelKeel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
at Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on 29 July 1963. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 21 November 1964, sponsored by Mrs. M. F. Engman and Mrs. M. G. Sale, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 22 December 1965 with Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
John F. Fagan, Jr., in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Kenneth A. Porter in command of the Gold Crew.
Service history
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
and missile firing off Cape Kennedy, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in 1966, Lewis and Clark began deterrent patrols, armed with Polaris A3 ballistic missiles.
- History needed for 1969-1972.
On 21 July 1972, Lewis and Clark completed conversion of her ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
tubes to carry Poseidon C3 ballistic missiles. On 18 December 1972, the Gold Crew successfully launched one Poseidon C-3 missile in support of Lewis and Clarks Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO).
- History for 1972-1973 needed.
On 8 April 1973, Lewis and Clark deployed for an operational deterrent patrol.
- History needed for 1973-1981.
On 19 June 1981, Lewis and Clark successfully fired four Poseidon C-3 missiles in a Follow-on Operational Test. On 23 July 1981, she began a Poseidon refueling overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding.
- History needed for 1981-1985.
On 13 June 1985, Lewis and Clark successfully launched four Poseidon C-3 missiles in a Follow-on Operational Test.
- History needed for 1985-1991.
Deactivation, decommissioning, and disposal
Deactivated while still in commission on 1 October 1991, Lewis and Clark was decommissionedShip decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 27 June 1992 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 August 1992. Her scrapping via the U.S. Navy's Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, Washington began on 1 October 1995 and was completed on 23 September 1996.
Commemoration
Lewis and Clarks sailSail (submarine)
In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...
and fairwater planes and the top of her rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
are on display at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum
Patriot's Point
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston.-Museum ships and exhibits:...
in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, part of a memorial to the officers and men of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service who served during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.