USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)

USS ''Kentucky'' (SSBN-737) is a United States Navy ballistic missile submarine which has been in commission since 1991. She is the third U.S. Navy ship to be named for Kentucky, the 15th state.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build ''Kentucky'' was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 13 August 1985 and her keel was laid down there on 18 December 1987. She was launched on 11 August 1990, sponsored by Carolyn Pennebaker Hopkins, who used a custom blend of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, mixed for the occasion, rather than the traditional bottle of champagne to christen ''Kentucky''. She was commissioned on 13 July 1991, with Captain Michael G. Riegel commanding the Blue Crew and Captain Joseph Henry commanding the Gold Crew.

Service history

On 19 March 1998 south of Long Island, New York, ''Kentucky'' collided with the attack submarine . No personnel suffered any injuries. The two submarines were conducting a joint training drill prior to deployment. One of ''Kentucky''s stern planes was slightly damaged; ''San Juan''s forward ballast tank was breached, but ''San Juan'' was able to surface and return to port. ''Kentucky'' returned to patrol the next day.

In both 2001 and 2002, ''Kentucky''s Gold Crew won first place in the United States Atlantic Fleet in the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award Submarine Afloat Galley competition for outstanding food service.

''Kentucky''s Blue and Gold Crews were awarded the Omaha Trophy for service as the best ballistic missile submarine in 2009.

On 12 October 2011, ''Kentucky'' had only her periscope above water, when she turned onto a new course that was blocked by the Totem Ocean ship ''Midnight Sun.'' The submarine came into close contact of about 800 meters with the freighter near British Columbia in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

In January 2012 USS ''Kentucky'' entered her Engineering Refueling Overhaul (ERO) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

On 7 November 2015, an unarmed missile launched from ''Kentucky'' during a test caused buzz on social media as it was mistaken for a UFO or meteor. The launch was also widely reported by the Southern California broadcast media.

On 13 March 2016, following completion of her ERO, ''Kentucky'' deployed for the boat's first strategic deterrent mission since 2011.

On July 18 2023, ''Kentucky'' made a port visit to the Busan Naval Base in South Korea, the first such visit in over forty years. Just days prior, USS ''Tennessee'' (SSBN-734) made a port visit to HMNB Clyde in Scotland. This was allegedly conducted as a show of force and to demonstrate the capabilities of the U.S. SSBN Fleet. During the visit, the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee toured the submarine. U.S. General Paul LaCamera, commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, called the USS ''Kentucky'' a strategic American asset for extended deterrence, adding that the first visit by an American SSBN to Korea in over 40 years shows the "ironclad U.S. commitment to defending the Republic of Korea."

References

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*"Welcome Aboard" pamphlet provided to USS ''Kentucky'' tour visitors.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky (Ssbn-737)
Ships built in Groton, Connecticut
Ohio-class submarines
Cold War submarines of the United States
Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy
United States submarine accidents
Maritime incidents in 1998
1990 ships
Submarines of the United States