Commissioning
The USS Woodrow Wilson, (SSBN-624: submarine, ballistic missile firing, nuclear-powered), was named in honor of the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924). It was the seventh completed member of the Lafayette class of ballistic missile submarines (commonly referred to as “Boomers”). Later in its career, the Woodrow Wilson – commonly known by its nickname, the “Woody Woo” – was refurbished and made into an attack submarine. At that time, its designation changed to SSN-624.
The contract to build her was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on Feb. 9, 1961. Her keel was laid down just over seven months later, on Sept. 13, 1961. She was launched on Feb.22, 1963 by Eleanor Axson Sayre, the granddaughter of the late president.
Underway
The “Woody Woo” was officially commissioned on Dec. 27, 1963, with Commander Cleo N. Mitchell in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Walter N. Dietzen in command of the Gold Crew. The submarine was assigned to Submarine Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet, which meant the ship would have to transit the Panama Canal to get to its new homeport of Charleston, S.C. Due to high tensions around the canal after recent anti-American demonstrations, the Woodrow Wilson transited the canal in a record seven hours, 10 minutes on Jan. 19, 1964 while U.S. soldiers and marines stood watch.
The Woodrow Wilson started her first deterrent patrol in June 1964 and continued to operate from Charleston and advance bases in Rota, Spain and Holy Loch, Scotland until late 1968, when it docked at Newport News, Va., for a 13-month overhaul and refurbishment. After the overhaul, which included upgrading the Woodrow Wilson to fire the Polaris A-3 missile, the submarine was transferred to the Pacific fleet and based at Guam. It remained part of the Pacific Fleet until 1972, when a second overhaul at Newport News upgraded the Woodrow Wilson to carry the new Poseidon ballistic missile. When that upgrade was complete, the Woodrow Wilson returned home to Charleston and service with the Atlantic Fleet.
After 71 deterrent patrols, the life of the SSBN-624 ended in 1990. Instead of heading to the scrap heap, the submarine was overhauled and was made into an attack submarine, with the designation SSN-624 (though the name Woodrow Wilson remained). For the next three years, the Woodrow Wilson completed Special Operations patrols before deactivation in September 1993.
Decommissioning
The Woodrow Wilson was formally decommissioned on Sept. 1, 1994 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. The submarine entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Wash., Sept. 26, 1997 and on Oct. 27, 1998 ceased to exist.
Characteristics of the USS Woodrow Wilson
(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:
February 1961: Contract for construction of USS Woodrow Wilson awarded
September 1961: Keel laying of USS Woodrow Wilson
February 1963: USS Woodrow Wilson launched
December 1963: USS Woodrow Wilson is commissioned
January 1964: USS Woodrow Wilson transits the Panama Canal in record time
June 1964: USS Woodrow Wilson begins first deterrent patrol
1968-1969: USS Woodrow Wilson undergoes refurbishment at Newport News, Va.; joins Pacific Fleet upon conclusion of overhaul
1972: Second overhaul at Newport News; submarine upgraded to fire Poseidon missile
1990: SSBN-624 becomes SSN-624 as Woodrow Wilson becomes an attack submarine
September 1993: USS Woodrow Wilson deactivated
September 1994: USS Woodrow Wilson decommissioned
October 1998: USS Woodrow Wilson is scrapped
Crewmembers of the USS Woodrow Wilson:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Woodrow Wilson 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_624.
Keith Ertell (Served from March 1991-March 1994): “Anyone remember the bucket brigade from the fan room?”
Bull Simms (1992-94): “Proud to serve.”
Don Moody: (1993-94): “Was on the decommissioning crew at Charleston.”
