USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641): History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS Simon Bolivar was a member of the Benjamin Franklin class of ballistic missile submarines (also known as “Boomers”). She was named in honor of Simon Bolivar, the leader of a revolutionary movement that freed most of South America from Spanish control in the 19th century.
The contract to build the Simon Bolivar was awarded to the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding Corp. on Nov. 1, 1962. Her keel was laid down on April 17, 1963; she was launched on Aug. 22, 1964. She was commissioned on Oct. 29, 1965, with Commander Charles H. Griffiths in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Charles A. Orem commanding the Gold Crew.
Underway
The Simon Bolivar spent December 1965 and January 1966 going through testing and a shakedown cruise, which culminated in the test firing of a pair of Polaris A-3 missiles on Jan. 17 and Jan. 31. The Simon Bolivar, which was homeported in Charleston, S.C., began her first patrol in April 1966. She would complete three deterrence patrols in her first nine months as a member of the Atlantic Fleet.
In February 1971, the Simon Bolivar returned to Newport News for an overhaul. One of the major changes was the installation of the new Poseidon missile system to replace the original Polaris system. The overhaul was completed in May 1972 and the Simon Bolivar returned to regular duty as part of the Atlantic Fleet by Mid-September.
The Simon Bolivar had a productive 1974, receiving the Submarine Squadron 18’s Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness. She also received the Providence Plantation Award as the most outstanding ballistic missile submarine in the Atlantic Fleet. She would also win Battle “E”s in 1975 and 1976.
In February 1979, the Simon Bolivar entered the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, for a second overhaul. Once again, her major offensive weapons system was replaced, as the Poseidon missiles were replaced with C-4 Trident missiles. This prolonged overhaul took nearly two years, as the Simon Bolivar would not return to Charleston until January 1981.
The Simon Bolivar would win her final Battle “E” in 1982. In 1983, she would successfully test fire one of her new Trident missiles. She would continue to conduct deterrence patrols for another decade, even as the Soviet Union declined and collapsed. She would never fire one of her ballistic missiles in a combat situation.
Decommissioning
The Simon Bolivar was deactivated in September 1994 and was both decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Feb. 8, 1995. She entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 1, 1994 and was declared scrapped on Dec. 1, 1995.
Characteristics of the USS Simon Bolivar (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Displacement: 6,494 tons
Length: 129.5 m (425 ft)
Beam: 10 m (33 ft)
Draft: 9.6 m (32 ft)
Propulsion: S5W reactor
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced, 21 knots (39 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 400 m (1,300 ft)
Complement: two crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted men each
Armament: 16 missile tubes, 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Career:
Name: USS Simon Bolivar
Ordered: 1 November 1962
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia
Laid down: 17 April 1963
Launched: 22 August 1964
Commissioned: 29 October 1965
Decommissioned: 8 February 1995
Struck: 8 February 1995
Fate: submarine recycling
Timeline:
November 1982: USS Simon Bolivar ordered
April 1963: Keel of USS Simon Bolivar laid down
August 1964: USS Simon Bolivar launched
October 1965: USS Simon Bolivar commissioned
February 1971: USS Simon Bolivar begins overhaul and transition to Poseidon missiles
1974: USS Simon Bolivar wins first Battle “E” and Providence Plantation Award
February 1979: USS Simon Bolivar undergoes overhaul and upgrades to Trident missiles
February 1995: USS Simon Bolivar decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Simon Bolivar:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Simon Bolivar 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/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=754
Glenn Brown (served 1980-84): “Great bunch of guys. We shook down the east coast, Portsmouth to Kings Bay and had a great time doing it all.”
Vince Giunta (served 1980-85): “LOVED IT . THINK ABOUT IT OFTEN. BEST A-GANG IN THE FLEET. WILL REMEMBER ALL THE GOOD TIMES FOREVER.GO GOLD!”
Mike Avery (served January 1980—October 1984): “Best boat in the Navy.”
Links:
http://www.navysite.de/ssbn/ssbn641.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Simon_Bolivar_(SSBN-641)
