USS John Adams SSBN 620: History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS John Adams, (SSBN-620: submarine, ballistic missile firing, nuclear-powered), was named after America’s second President, John Adams (1735-1826), and its sixth president, John Quincy Adams (1767-1848). In order to honor both men, the ship would be referred to as the “John Adams” when members of the Gold Crew were aboard, while the Blue Crew called the her the “John Quincy Adams.”
It was a member of the Lafayette class of ballistic missile submarines (commonly referred to as “Boomers”). The Adams was designed to fire the second generation of the Polaris nuclear missile, though it would be upgraded in later life to fire the newer Poseidon ballistic missile. The submarine was the second vessel in the navy named in honor of the elder Adams; the first was a frigate, launched in 1799.
The contract to build the John Adams was awarded to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, on July 23, 1960. Her keel was laid on May 19, 1961. She was launched 20 months later, on Jan. 12, 1963. The ship was sponsored by Abigail Adams Manny, the great-great-great granddaughter of John Quincy Adams. The ship’s motto was “Libertatem Amicitiam Retinebis Et Fidem.”
Underway
After 17 months of testing, the John Adams was officially commissioned and joined the ranks of the U.S. Navy on May 12, 1964. Commander. Paul Lando W. Zech, Jr. commanded the submarine’s first Blue Crew, with Commander Paul J. Early in charge of the Gold Crew. The ship was stationed at Charleston, S.C. It was assigned to Submarine Squadron 14 of the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.
After a shakedown cruise on the Atlantic Missile Range, the John Adams set off on its first deterrent cruise on Nov. 3, 1964. It would continue to serve in the Atlantic Fleet for 16 patrols, until it entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., for a complete overhaul in August 1968. When it left the shipyard on Aug. 10, 1969, it became part of the Pacific Fleet.
The Adams would serve 16 patrols as part of the Pacific Fleet before returning to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for a second refurbishment in 1978. As part of that refurbishment, the John Adams was fitted with the newer Poseidon ballistic missile.
After the second refurbishment was complete, the John Adams returned to the rolls of the Atlantic Fleet. Operating from Charleston and its advance base at Holy Loch, Scotland, the Adams would complete 43 more deterrence patrols, but would never fire a shot in anger.
Decommissioning
On March 24, 1989, the John Adams was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. It entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Wash., where it ceased to exist on Feb. 26, 1996.
Characteristics of the USS John Adams (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Type: Ballistic missile submarine
Displacement: 7,250 long tons (7,370 t) surfaced; 8,250 long tons (8,380 t) submerged Length: 425 ft (130 m)
Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
Draft: 31 ft 6 in (9.6 m)
Propulsion: 1 × S5W reactor
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h) surfaced; -25 knots (46 km/h) submerged
Complement: Two crews (Blue/Gold) of 13 officers and 130 enlisted
Armament: • 4 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes for Mark 48 torpedoes
• 16 × vertical tubes for Polaris or Poseidon nuclear missiles
Timeline:
- July 1960: Contract for construction of USS John Adams awarded
- May 1961: Keel laying of USS John Adams
- January 1963: USS John Adams launched
- May 1964: USS John Adams begins shakedown cruise
- November 1964: USS John Adams begins first patrol
- August 1968-August 1969: Submarine is refurbished at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash.
- Late 1969: USS John Adams test fires two Polaris ballistic missiles as part of its second shakedown cruise.
- 1978: USS John Adams undergoes second refurbishment and is upgraded to firing the Poseidon ballistic missile.
- March 1989: USS John Adams is decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register after completing 75 patrols.
- February 1996: The submarine ceases to exist.
Crewmembers of the USS John Adams:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS John Adams 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://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ssbn_620.
Joseph Rosas (Served on board USS John Adams April 1963-July 1970;, July 1974-77): “Served as Chief of the Boat until 1977.”
Mick Crawford (Served from July 1969-January 1973) “Made six patrols out of Guam.”
Lee Skinner (Served from September 1971-October 1976): “Did the first startup on the new (reactor) core in the 74-76 overhaul. Also saw the first non-planned scram (same watch)!”
Heinz Kruse (Served April 1971-December 1973): “Great times with great people on a great boat.”
