USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609)
USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609)
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Namesake: | Sam Houston (1793–1863), President (1836–1838, 1841–1844) of the Republic of Texas |
| Ordered: | 1 July 1959 |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company |
| Laid down: | 28 December 1959 |
| Launched: | 2 February 1961 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. John B. Connally |
| Commissioned: | 6 March 1962 |
| Decommissioned: | 6 September 1991 |
| Reclassified: | SSN-609 10 November 1980 |
| Struck: | 6 September 1991 |
| Fate: | Recycled via Ship and Submarine Recycling Program; completed 3 February 1992 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ethan Allen-class submarine |
| Type: | Ballistic Missile Submarine |
| Displacement: | approx. 7,900 tons submerged |
| Length: | 410 feet 4 inches (125.07 m) |
| Beam: | 33.1 feet (10.1 m) |
| Draft: | 27 feet 5 inches (8.36 m) |
| Propulsion: | S5W reactor – two geared steam turbines – one shaft |
| Speed: | 16 knots surfaced, 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 1,300 feet (400 m) |
| Complement: | 12 Officers and 128 Enlisted (two crews Blue and Gold) |
| Armament: | 16 fleet ballistic missiles, 4 x 21 inches (530 mm) torpedo tubes |
USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609/SSN-609), an Ethan Allen-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after Sam Houston (1793–1863), president (1836–1838, 1841–1844) of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston was the US Navy's seventh ballistic missile submarine.
Her keel was laid down on 28 December 1959 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 2 February 1961 sponsored by Mrs. John B. Connally, and commissioned on 6 March 1962 with Captain W. P. Willis, Jr. commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Jack H. Hawkins commanding the Gold Crew.
Following sea trials, Sam Houston's Blue Crew fired her first Polaris missile on 25 April 1962 off Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Gold Crew then took over, completed its first missile firing on 11 May 1962, and then departed from Cape Canaveral for its own shakedown training.
On her first patrol, Sam Houston, manned by the Blue Crew, operated continuously submerged for 48 days and two hours, then moored alongside the submarine tender USS Proteus (AS-19) in Holy Loch, Scotland. Following upkeep, the Gold Crew commenced its first patrol on 25 December 1962, returning to Holy Loch in February 1963. The crews were again alternated, and Sam Houston departed on her third patrol in March 1963. On this patrol, she was the first fleet ballistic missile submarine to enter the Mediterranean Sea, where she joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. On a short operational visit to İzmir, Turkey, she became the first ballistic missile submarine to make a port call during a patrol. With the two crews alternating every 90 days, Sam Houston completed six successful deterrent patrols by the end of 1963.
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