Commissioning
The USS Casimir Pulaski was a member of the James Madison class of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. She was named in honor of General Casimir Pulaski, an officer in the Polish Army who served with the Continental Army and was killed during the Battle of Savannah during the Revolutionary War.
The contract to build the Casimir Pulaski was awarded to General Dynamics Corp.’s Electric Boat Division at Groton, Conn., on July 20, 1961. Her keel was laid down on Jan. 12, 1963; she was launched on Feb. 1, 1964. She was commissioned on Aug. 14, 1964, with Capt. R.L.J. Long commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Thomas B. Brittain Jr. in command of the Gold Crew.
Underway
Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, the Casimir Pulaski began her first nuclear deterrence patrol in March 1965. Operating out of Rota, Spain, she patrolled the waters of the Mediterranean Sea for the next five years.
After 20 patrols, the Pulaski returned to Groton in 1970 for a major overhaul and conversion to the Poseidon missile system, which replaced her original contingent of 16 Polaris missiles. She was the fifth U.S. ballistic missile submarine to be armed with the Poseidon.
After completing the overhaul, she returned to deterrence patrol duty in October 1971. Her forward operating base became Holy Loch, Scotland, as she patrolled the waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
In July 1974, she received Submarine Squadron 14′s Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness. It was the first time in U.S. Navy history that a Battle “E” had been awarded to a nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine.
After completing her 52nd patrol, the Pulaski went into dry dock at Newport News (Va.) in early 1980 for an overhaul and her second weapons system conversion. This time, her Poseidon missiles were removed in favor of the new Trident ballistic missile system. The overhaul and weapons system conversion would take three years, with the Pulaski arriving at her new homeport of King’s Bay, Ga., in June 1983.
In June 1985, the Casimir Pulaski successfully test-fired four Trident missiles in rapid succession in the Atlantic test range. In October, the Pulaski’s Gold Crew was awarded the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for the greatest improvement in battle efficiency over the previous fiscal year.
In October 1986, both the Blue and Gold Crews we awarded with a Battle “E” and the Atlantic Fleet’s Outstanding FBM Performance Award. In October 1987, she received the Meritorious Unit Commendation. In May 1989, the Pulaski took part in the first Concept of Operation Exercise held away from a ballistic missile submarine refit port. A complete crew change and resupply of the Pulaski was done by boat at Port Canaveral in 54 hours.
In 1989, the Pulaski won another Battle “E”, as well as the Atlantic FBM Submarine Outstanding Performance Award.
Decommissioning
The Casimir Pulaski was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on March 7, 1994. She entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., and was later scrapped.
Characteristics of the USS Casimir Pulaski
Class and type: James Madison-class submarine
Displacement: 8,250 tons submerged
Length: 425 feet (129.5 m)
Beam: 33 feet (10.1 m)
Propulsion: One S5W reactor, two geared steam turbines, one shaft
Speed: 20+ knots
Complement: 13 officers, 107 men
Armament: 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes forward, 16 vertical launch missile tubes amidships, various small arms
Career:
Name: USS Casimir Pulaski
Ordered: 20 July 1961
Builder: Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down: 12 January 1963
Launched: 1 February 1964
Commissioned: 14 August 1964
Decommissioned: 7 March 1994
Struck: 7 March 1994
Motto: Per Tridentem Libertas (“Freedom through Seapower”)
Fate: Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
Timeline:
July 1961: USS Casimir Pulaski ordered
January 1963: Keel of USS Casimir Pulaski laid down
February 1964: USS Casimir Pulaski launched
August 1964: USS Casimir Pulaski commissioned
1971: USS Casimir Pulaski armed with Poseidon missile system
July 1974: USS Casimir Pulaski first ballistic missile submarine to win Battle Efficiency “E”
1980-83: USS Casimir Pulaski undergoes overhaul and rearmed with Trident missiles
March 1994: USS Casimir Pulaski decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Casimir Pulaski:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Casimir Pulaski can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://navysite.de/ssbn/ssbn633.htm
David Williams (served December 1987-January 1989): “I was a Corpsman striker (19 years old). Worked for Dave Dunaway. COB was Master Chief Bauer. Being a part of that crew has benefited me greatly. I appreciate all you for helping me become what I am today. Thank you all and Godspeed.”
John James (served 1988-92): “I spent 7 patrols on the Pulaski. Would love to hear from others onboard during this time.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Casimir_Pulaski_(SSBN-633)
http://www.usscasimirpulaski.com/history.htm
