USS John C. Calhoun

USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630)

USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630) in 1972
History
United States
Namesake	John Calhoun, South Carolinian politician
Ordered	20 July 1961
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia
Laid down	4 June 1962
Launched	22 June 1963
Sponsored by	Miss Rosalie J. Calhoun
Commissioned	15 September 1964
Decommissioned	28 March 1994
Stricken	28 March 1994
Motto	For Peace, Ready
Fate	Scrapping via Ship-Submarine Recycling Program completed 18 November 1994
General characteristics
Class and type	James Madison-class submarine
Displacement	7,300 long tons (7,417 t) surfaced 8,250 long tons (8,382 t) submerged
Length	425 ft (130 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	32 ft (9.8 m)
Installed power	S5W reactor
Propulsion	2 × geared steam turbines 15,000 shp (11,185 kW), one shaft
Speed	Over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Test depth	1,300 feet (400 m)
Complement	Two crews (Blue and Gold) of 13 officers and 130 enlisted men each
Armament	16 × ballistic missile tubes (originally for Polaris missiles, later for Trident C-4 missiles) 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (all forward) with Mark 48 torpedoes

USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630), a James Madison-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), the Democratic legislator and statesman.

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build John C. Calhoun was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, on 20 July 1961 and her keel was laid down there on 4 June 1962. She was launched on 22 June 1963 sponsored by Miss Rosalie J. Calhoun, great-great-granddaughter of John C. Calhoun, and commissioned on 15 September 1964, with Commander Deane L. Axene in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Frank A. Thurtell in command of the Gold Crew.

Operational history

After shakedown and training along the United States East Coast, John C. Calhoun began operational deterrent patrols on 22 March 1965, assigned to Submarine Squadron 18.

History from 1965 to 1994 needed.

From 1979 to 1982, John C. Calhoun received upgrades necessary to enable her to carry the new Trident I ballistic missiles.

Decommissioning and disposal

John C. Calhoun was decommissioned on 28 March 1994 at Bremerton, Washington, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. Her scrapping via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington, was completed on 18 November 1994.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
• Photo gallery of USS John C. Calhoun at NavSource Naval History
• "USS John C. Calhoun Veterans Association". Retrieved 24 September 2011.