USS ''Ohio'' (SSBN-726/SSGN-726), the

lead boat The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex ...

of her class of

nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

fleet ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capabi ...

s (SSBN), is the fourth vessel of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

to be named for the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. She was commissioned with the hull designation of SSBN-726, and with her conversion to a

guided missile submarine A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles ( SLCMs consisting of land-attack cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a warship's ability to attack surfa ...

she was re-designated SSGN-726.

Conversion to SSGN

Original plans called for ''Ohio'' to be retired in 2002. Instead, ''Ohio'' and three sister boats were modified and remain in service as cruise missile submarines (

SSGN A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles ( SLCMs consisting of land-attack cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a warship's ability to attack surfac ...

s). In November 2002 ''Ohio'' entered drydock, beginning a 36-month refueling and conversion overhaul. Electric Boat announced on 9 January 2006 that the conversion had been completed.

Service history

As SSBN

The contract to build her was awarded to the

Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...

Division of

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...

Corporation in

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

on 1 July 1974 and her keel was laid down on 10 April 1976 by Mrs. Robert A. Taft, JR., wife of Senator

Robert Taft Jr. Robert Alphonso Taft Jr. (February 26, 1917 – December 7, 1993) was an American politician. He was a member of the Taft family who served as a Republican Representative from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. Taf ...

of Ohio. On 2 February 1978, the Precommissioning Unit was formed with Commander A. K. Thompson as its commanding officer. ''Ohio'' was launched on 7 April 1979 sponsored by Mrs. Annie Glenn, wife of Senator

John H. Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in ...

of Ohio. In the summer of 1981, sea trials were held to test the equipment and systems, and the submarine was delivered to the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

on 28 October 1981. On 11 November 1981, ''Ohio'' was commissioned. The principal speaker,

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, remarked to the 8000 assembled guests that the boat introduced a "new dimension in our nation's strategic deterrence," and Admiral

Hyman G. Rickover Hyman G. Rickover (27 January 1900 – 8 July 1986) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reacto ...

noted that ''Ohio'' should "strike fear in the hearts of our enemies." On that day, command of the two crews (designated Blue and Gold) of ''Ohio'' was assumed by Captain A. K. Thompson (Blue) and Captain A. F. Campbell (Gold). Following Post Shakedown Availability at Electric Boat Division, ''Ohio'' left the Atlantic and transited to her new home port,

Bangor, Washington Bangor Base is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, within U.S. Naval Base Kitsap on the Kitsap Peninsula. Its population was 5,482 at the 2020 census. Geography Bangor is located north of the center of Kitsap County ...

, by way of

Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral () is a cape (geography), cape in Brevard County, Florida, in the United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. Officially Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated ...

– where she tested her missile launch systems – and the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, arriving on 12 August 1982. During August and September 1982, the first loadout of Trident C-4 missiles and a predeployment refit were conducted. ''Ohio'' and her Blue Crew departed on the first Trident Submarine Strategic Deterrent Patrol in October 1982. From June 1993 to June 1994 ''Ohio'' underwent overhaul at

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

, receiving extensive upgrades to sonar, fire control, and navigation systems. ''Ohio'' resumed strategic deterrent patrols in January 1995 as part of Submarine Squadron Seventeen, Submarine Group Nine, Pacific Submarine Force.

As SSGN

Following her conversion to a SSGN, ''Ohio'' rejoined the fleet on 7 February 2006. On 21 January 2007, the Gold Crew departed

Naval Base Kitsap Naval Base Kitsap is a United States Navy, U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington (state), Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home ba ...

for

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to conduct a forward-deployed crew exchange, the first such forward-deployed swap in approximately 20 years. Ballistic submarines of ''Ohio''s class employ two crews, ''Blue'' and ''Gold'', in order to facilitate continuous operation at sea, called "forward-presence" in USN parlance. ''Ohio'' left for her first mission as an SSGN on 15 October 2007. The Blue crew underwent several tests and inspections before completing a mission some time in December. ''Ohio'' was also the first one of the class to complete a mission. On 28 June 2010, ''Ohio'' was one of three ''Ohio''-class submarines involved in a US response to Chinese missile testing in the contested East China Sea. ''Ohio'', , and all surfaced simultaneously in the waters of the Philippines, South Korea, and the British Indian Ocean Territory respectively. In November 2011, Lt. Britta Christianson became the first U.S. female officer, and first female overall, to complete submarine warfare qualification, while she was assigned to ''Ohio''s Gold Crew. CSC Dominique Saavedra became the first enlisted female to earn her submarine qualification aboard ''Ohio'' in August 2016. She would go on to deploy with ''Michigan'', the first sub specially modified with separate accommodations for enlisted female crew. In December 2020, it was announced that ''Ohio'' would be decommissioned and enter the

Ship-Submarine Recycling Program The Ship-Submarine Recycling Program (SRP) is the process that the United States Navy uses to dispose of Nuclear decommissioning, decommissioned nuclear navy, nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremer ...

by 2026.

Awards

* Former Navy Secretary Robert B. Pirie, Jr. announced the 2001 winners of the Navy Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards and the Marine Corps Major General W. P. T. Hill Memorial Awards for outstanding food service in the Navy and Marine Corps. The formal presentation of the awards was made during the International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA) conference on Saturday, 3 March 2001, in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

. The afloat galley first-place winner in the Pacific fleet was ''Ohio'' (Blue). This award was before her conversion from SSBN to SSGN. * In 2022, the commander of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), Rear Adm. Jeff Jablon, announced the 2021 Battle "E" award to the ''Ohio.''

References

External links

* Keel Laying – Commissioning * Life as a SSBN / 1982–2002 * Conversion to SSGN * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio (SSGN-726) Ships built in Groton, Connecticut Ohio-class submarines Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy Symbols of Ohio 1979 ships Cold War submarines of the United States Submarines of the United States

726 __NOTOC__ Year 726 (DCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 726th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 726th year of the 1st millennium, the 26th year of the 8th century, and the ...