USS Daniel Boone (SSBN-629): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Daniel Boone was a member of the James Madison class of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. She is the only ship in the history of the U.S. Navy named in honor of the famous frontiersman.

The order to build the Daniel Boone was awarded to the Mare Island (Calif.) Naval Shipyard on July 21, 1961. Her keel was laid down on Feb. 6, 1962; she was launched on June 22, 1963. She was commissioned on April 23, 1964, with Commander George P. Steele III commanding the Blue Crew and Lt. Commander Alan B. Crabtree in command of the Gold Crew.

Underway

Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, the Daniel Boone arrived at her home port of Guam in late 1964, where the submarine tender USS Proteus armed her with her contingent of Polaris nuclear missiles. It was the first complete Polaris missile loadout ever completed by a tender.

The Daniel Boone would complete 19 deterrence patrols in five years before being ordered to Newport News, Va., for an overhaul in May 1969. For her outstanding performance in the Pacific, she would receive both the Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

When the Daniel Boone returned to active duty, she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet with a new homeport of Charleston, S.C. She would spend much of her time operating from her forward base at Holy Loch, Scotland, with other members of Submarine Squadron 14. After completing 37 patrols, the Daniel Boone headed to Portsmouth, N.H. for her second overhaul in March 1976. The overhaul would take two years.

Returning to Charleston in 1978 and armed with the newer Poseidon missile system, the Daniel Boone went back to work conducting deterrence patrols in the North Atlantic. In January 1980, she was transferred to Kings Bay, Ga., where she was outfitted with Trident I missiles. She would remain at Kings Bay and complete 13 missions before heading to Newport News for another overhaul. This overhaul would last two-and-a-half years, beginning in January 1985 and ending in June 1987. The process was slowed when the submarine ran aground on April 25, 1987 during sea trials, which required additional repairs.

In March 1989, the Daniel Boone test-fired four Trident C-4 missiles in rapid succession during an exercise. She would win the Meritorious Unit Commendation once again in late 1992. She would complete a total of 75 patrols during her career.

Decommissioning

The Daniel Boone was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Feb. 18, 1994. She entered the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., and was declared scrapped on Nov. 4, 1994.

Characteristics of the USS Daniel Boone

Class and type: Daniel Boone-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 Daniel Boone
Ordered: 21 July 1961
Builder: Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 6 February 1962
Launched: 22 June 1963
Commissioned: 23 April 1964
Decommissioned: 18 February 1994
Struck: 18 February 1994
Motto: New Trails to Blaze
Fate: Ship-Submarine Recycling Program

Timeline:

July 1961; USS Daniel Boone ordered
February 1962: Keel of USS Daniel Boone laid down
June 1963: USS Daniel Boone launched
April 1964: USS Daniel Boone commissioned
1968: USS Daniel Boone wins Navy Unit Commendation
1969: USS Daniel Boone transferred to Atlantic Fleet
January 1980: USS Daniel Boone armed with Trident ballistic missiles
February 1994: USS Daniel Boone decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Daniel Boone:

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Daniel Boone 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/ssbn629.htm

Kirk Meins (served March 1977-June 1978): "The Daniel Boone was my first assignment. Also served on the Henry Clay."
Kelly Smith (served August 1977-March 1982): "had too much fun and too much trouble, XO didn't like me much and the CO did."
David Rongey (served January 1978-August 1981):"Way back when she was tended by the USS Holland at Holy Loch, Scotland."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Daniel_ Boone_(SSBN-629)
http://www.hullnumber.com/SSBN-629

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