Commissioning
The USS Sam Rayburn was a member of the James Madison class of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines and the 50th nuclear-powered to be completed. She was named in honor of U.S. Rep. Sam Rayburn of Texas, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives longer than anyone in American history.
The contract to build the Sam Rayburn was awarded to the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. on July 21, 1961. Her keel was laid down on Dec. 3, 1962; she was launched on Dec. 20, 1963. She was commissioned on Dec. 2, 1964, with Capt. Oliver H. Perry commanding the Blue Crew and Lt. Commander W.A. Williams II in command of the Gold Crew.
At the Sam Rayburn’s commissioning, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave a speech by telephone. Johnson had been Vice President when he attended the submarine’s keel laying and said, “Sam Rayburn gave his life to the cause of protecting our freedoms and because he and men like him did so, we are strong and at peace today.”
Underway
Assigned to Submarine Squadron 16 of the Atlantic Fleet, the Sam Rayburn was deployed to Rota, Spain, after completing her shakedown cruise. She began performing deterrence cruises in mid-1965 and completed seven patrols before being transferred to Submarine Squadron 18 at Charleston, S.C. in December 1966.
In June 1969, members of both of her crews became the first ballistic submarine crewmembers to receive the Polaris Patrol Pin. On Dec. 1, the Sam Rayburn entered drydock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, for a major overhaul. During the process, which would last nearly two years, the Sam Rayburn was refueled and re-armed with the new Poseidon ballistic missile system. The overhaul was completed on Sept. 3, 1971, and the Sam Rayburn returned to deterrence patrols while operating out of Holy Loch, Scotland.
She would complete 20 patrols operating out of Holy Loch, including one that included a port of call at Lisbon, Portugal. She received the Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness for both the 1976 and 1977 fiscal years. In January 1978, the Sam Rayburn returned to Kittery for an overhaul that lasted 22 months.
After completing her second overhaul, the Sam Rayburn became the first ballistic missile submarine to break through the ice cap above the Arctic Circle. The test didn’t go quite as planned, as she had to return to Holy Loch for repairs after the surfacing was completed.
The Sam Rayburn was involved in a mild controversy in February 1984 when a Scottish newspaper reported that she had returned home from a patrol with mildly radioactive paint. This led to speculation she had been involved in a collision in the fall of 1983 or had suffered a radiation leak. The Navy refused to comment on either claim.
After 60 patrols, the Sam Rayburn headed to New London, Conn., for another overhaul. But after the Reagan Administration decided to dismantle a ballistic missile submarine to meet the requirements of the SALT II treaty, she was deactivated on Sept. 16, 1985.
Decommissioning
The Sam Rayburn was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Aug. 28, 1989. She became a training ship at the Naval Nuclear Power School at Goose Creek, S.C., becoming one of very few decommissioned nuclear submarines to avoid recycling.
Characteristics of the USS Sam Rayburn
Class and type: Sam Rayburn-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 Sam Rayburn
Namesake: Sam Rayburn
Ordered: 20 July 1961
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company,Newport News, Virginia Laid down: 3 December 1962
Launched: 20 December 1963
Commissioned: 2 December 1964
Decommissioned: 31 July 1989
Reclassified: MTS-635, 31 July 1989
Struck: 31 July 1989
Fate: Moored training ship, Naval Nuclear Power School, Goose Creek, South Carolina
Timeline:
July 1961: USS Sam Rayburn ordered
December 1962: USS Sam Rayburn’s keel laid down
December 1963: USS Sam Rayburn launched
December 1964: USS Sam Rayburn commissioned
June 1969: USS Sam Rayburn’s Blue and Gold Crews first to receive the Polaris Pin
September 1971: USS Sam Rayburn begins operations with the Poseidon missile system
September 1985: USS Sam Rayburn deactivated
July 1989: USS Sam Rayburn decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Sam Rayburn:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Sam Rayburn 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/ssbn635.htm
Terry Derstine (served January 1971-August 1973): “I took the Rayburn thru the Posiden conversion at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and sea trials to follow.”
Dale Clark (served October 1971-October 1973): “I lived my dream serving on “Mr. Sam”. I grew up quick as a topside, torpedo room, & sonar watchstander. We had an outstanding crew and wardroom.”
Glynn Skjordal (served May 1972-September 1976): “Had some great times on the slammin sam. Hope everyone is doing good.”
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sam_Rayburn_(SSBN-635)
http://www.ssbn635.org/
