Commissioning
The USS James Madison was the lead member and namesake of her class of ballistic missile submarines. She was the second vessel in U.S. Navy history named in honor of the fourth President of the United States.
The contract to build the James Madison was awarded to the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. on July 20, 1961. Her keel was laid down on March 5, 1962; she was launched on March 15, 1963. She was commissioned on July 28, 1964, with Commander Joseph L. Skoog Jr. commanding the Blue Crew and Commander James D. Kearny in command of the Gold Crew.
Underway
After completing a shakedown cruise and each crew test-firing a Polaris nuclear missile, the James Madison joined the Atlantic Fleet. Popularly known as the “Dolly” in honor of President Madison’s wife, she began her first deterrence patrol on Jan. 17, 1965, leaving Charleston, S.C. She would split time between Charleston and her forward operating base at Rota, Spain, as she made 17 deterrence patrols in just over four years.
On Feb. 3, 1965, the James Madison arrived at the Groton (Conn.) shipyard of General Dynamics Corp.’s Electric Boat Division for a major overhaul. During this overhaul, she would become the first U.S. ballistic missile submarine to have her Polaris A-3 missiles replace with the new Poseidon missile system. The overhaul was completed on June 28, 1970, and she test-fired the first Poseidon on Aug. 4.
Returning to deterrence patrol duty, the James Madison began to operate largely in the North Atlantic, with a forward base at Holy Loch, Scotland. There were newspaper reports that the Madison collided with a Soviet nuclear submarine on Nov. 3, 1974, causing serious damage to both vessels, but the U.S. Navy has declined to confirm or deny that the incident occurred. Official records indicate that the James Madison did not complete her first Extended Refit Period until two days after the alleged incident.
After another extended refit in 1977, the Madison continued to operate in the North Atlantic for another 32 patrols until August 1979, when she returned to Newport News for an overhaul. She was in drydock until February 1982, during which time she was armed with her third ballistic missile system, the Trident-I. With the Trident, the James Madison would continue conducting deterrence patrols in the Atlantic for another decade.
The James Madison would win two Meritorious Unit Commendations during her career, in 1970 and 1974.
Decommissioning
The James Madison was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Nov. 20, 1992. She entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., and was declared scrapped on Oct. 24, 1997.
Characteristics of the USS James Madison
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 James Madison
Ordered: 20 July 1961
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down: 5 March 1962
Launched: 15 March 1963
Commissioned: 28 July 1964
Decommissioned: 20 November 1992
Struck: 20 November 1992
Fate: Submarine recycling
Timeline:
July 1961: USS James Madison ordered
March 1962: Keel of USS James Madison laid down
March 1963 USS James Madison launched
July 1964: USS James Madison commissioned
January 1965: USS James Madison makes first deterrence patrol
June 1970: USS James Madison becomes first submarine armed with the Poseidon nuclear missile
February 1982: USS James Madison equipped with the Trident missile
November 1992: USS James Madison decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS James Madison:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS James Madison 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/ssbn627.htm
Chris Terry (served March 1975-May 1976): “On the Gold crew, I Made 2 patrols aboard the Madison out of Holy Loch. I was Sonar Technician and remember my Chief was Chief Glenny.”
Michael Hartman (served April 1975-April 1979):”7 patrols out of Holy Loch. Lots of good memories. Served with a great bunch of guys including Chief Lemons, Kevin McKeon, Kenny Loar, Doug Jordan, Gary Hout, John Lomax, “Moe” Davis III, and many others.”
Michael Chavis (served May 1975-May 1979):”Eight patrols from ’75 to ’79. Last patrol just before scheduled refit in 1979
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_James_Madison_(SSBN-627)
http://www.ussjamesmadison627.com/history.htm
