View source for USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

{{short description|George Washington class submarine}}
{{other ships|USS George Washington}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{No footnotes|date=December 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS George Washington (SSBN-598) underway at sea, circa in the 1970s.jpg|300px|USS George Washington (SSBN-598)]]
|Ship caption=USS ''George Washington'' (SSBN-598)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1985}}
|Ship name=''George Washington''
|Ship namesake=President [[George Washington]] (1732–1799)
|Ship owner=[[United States Navy]]
|Ship ordered=31 December 1957<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=1 November 1958
|Ship launched=9 June 1959
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Robert B. Anderson
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=30 December 1959
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=24 January 1985
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=30 April 1986
|Ship homeport=[[Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship identification=
|Ship radio call sign=November – Hotel – Alpha – Papa
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname="The Georgefish"<ref>{{cite web |first=Kennedy |last=Hickman |title=Cold War: USS George Washington (SSBN-598) |url=http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/shipprofiles/p/Cold-War-Uss-George-Washington-Ssbn-598.htm |work=[[About.com]] |year=2012 |access-date=22 December 2012 |archive-date=16 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116005321/http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/shipprofiles/p/Cold-War-Uss-George-Washington-Ssbn-598.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Recycling via the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] completed 30 September 1998
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:USS George Washington SSBN-598 COA.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass|George Washington|submarine}}
|Ship type=[[SSBN]] (hull design SCB-180A)<ref>Adcock, Al. ''U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarines'' (Carrolltown, Texas: Squadron Signal, 1993), p. 12. Adcock, p. 4, also credits mythical interwar ''Albacore'' and ''Trout'' classes, however.</ref>
|Ship displacement=*5400 tons light<ref Name=FAS/>
*5959–6019 tons surfaced<ref Name=FAS/>
*6709–6888 Approx. tons submerged<ref Name=FAS>[http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-598.htm "SSBN-598 George Washington-Class FBM Submarines" from the FAS]</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|381|ft|7.2|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship decks=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*1 × [[S5W]] [[Pressurized water reactor|PWR]]<ref Name=FAS/>
*2 × geared [[turbine]]s rated at {{convert|15000|shp|kW|lk=on|abbr=on}}<!-- Total or each? --><ref Name=FAS/>
*1 × 7-bladed screw<ref name="Adcock, p.12">Adcock, p. 12.</ref>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20|kn|km/h|lk=on|abbr=on}} surfaced<ref Name=FAS/>
*+{{convert|25|kn|km/h|abbr=on}} submerged<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship range=unlimited except by food supplies
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|700|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS/> (maximum over {{convert|900|ft|m|abbr=on}})<ref name="Adcock, p.12"/>
|Ship capacity=120<ref Name=FAS/>
|Ship complement=Two crews (Blue/Gold) each consisting of 12 officers and 100 men.
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*16 [[Polaris missile|Polaris A1/A3 missiles]]<ref Name=FAS/>
*6 × {{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s<ref Name=FAS/> ([[Mark 16 torpedo|Mark 16]], [[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37]], or [[Mark 48 torpedo|Mark 48]] [[torpedo]]es)<ref name="Adcock, p.12"/>
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''George Washington'' (SSBN-598)''' was the United States's first operational [[ballistic missile submarine]].  She was the [[lead ship]] of [[George Washington class submarine|her class]] of nuclear ballistic missile submarines, was the third<ref>Several other U.S. Navy ships have been named {{USS|Washington}} in his honor.</ref> [[United States Navy]] ship of the name, in honor of [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] [[George Washington]] (1732–1799), the first president of the United States, and was the first of that name to be purpose-built as a warship.

== Construction and launching ==
[[File:USS George Washington (SSBN 589).jpg|thumb|left|''George Washington'' during her launching ceremony in Groton.]]

''George Washington'''s keel was laid down at [[Electric Boat]] Division of [[General Dynamics]], [[Groton, Connecticut]] on 1 November 1958. The first of [[George Washington class submarine|her class]],<ref>{{cite AV media|year=1959|title=Connecticut, 1959/06/11 (1959)|url=https://archive.org/details/1959-06-11_Connecticut|publisher=[[Universal Newsreel]]|access-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> she was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 9 June 1959 sponsored by Mrs. Ollie Mae Anderson (née Rawlins), wife of [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|US Treasury Secretary]] and former [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[Robert B. Anderson (Texas politician)|Robert B. Anderson]], and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 30 December 1959 as SSBN-598<ref name="Adcock, p.12"/> with [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] James B. Osborn in command of the Blue crew and Commander John L. From, Jr. in command of the Gold crew.

''George Washington'' was originally laid down as the [[attack submarine]] {{USS|Scorpion|SSN-589}}. During construction, she was lengthened by the insertion of a {{convert|130|ft|m|abbr=on}}-long ballistic missile section and renamed '''''George Washington'''''; another submarine under construction at the time received the original name and [[Hull number#United States military|hull number]]. Inside ''George Washington'''s forward escape hatch, a plaque remained bearing her original name. Because the ballistic missile compartment design of ''George Washington'' was intended to be reused in later ship classes, the section inserted into ''George Washington'' was designed with a deeper [[test depth]] rating than the rest of the submarine.

==Initial operations==
[[File:1960-07-21 First Polaris Firing By Submerged U-Boat.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=57|left|Universal International Newsreel of first submerged Polaris firing on 20 July 1960]]

''George Washington'' left Groton on 28 June 1960 for [[Cape Canaveral, Florida]], where she loaded two [[Polaris missile]]s. Standing out into the [[Eastern Range|Atlantic Missile Test Range]] with [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[William Raborn]], head of the Polaris submarine development program, on board as an observer, she successfully conducted the first Polaris missile launch from a submerged submarine on 20 July 1960. At 12:39, ''George Washington'''s commanding officer sent President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] the message:
{{mono|POLARIS - FROM OUT OF THE DEEP TO TARGET. PERFECT.}}
Less than two hours later a second missile from the submarine also struck the impact area {{convert|1100|nmi|mi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} downrange.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/chrono.html |work=[[Chief of Naval Operations]] |publisher=Submarine Warfare Division |title=Submarine Chronology |date=3 March 2001 |access-date=22 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006174141/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/chrono.html |archive-date=6 October 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

''George Washington'' then embarked her Gold crew, and on 30 July 1960 she launched two more missiles while submerged. Shakedown for the Gold crew ended at Groton on 30 August and the boat got underway from that port on 28 October for [[Naval_Support_Activity_Charleston|Naval Weapons Station Charleston]], to load her full complement of 16&nbsp;Polaris missiles. There she was awarded the [[Navy Unit Commendation]], after which her Blue crew took over and embarked on her first deterrent patrol.

The submarine completed her first patrol after 66&nbsp;days of submerged running on 21 January 1961, and put in at [[Naval Submarine Base New London]] at [[New London, Connecticut]]. The Gold crew took over and departed on her next patrol on 14 February 1961. After the patrol, she entered [[Holy Loch]], [[Scotland]], on 25 April 1961.

In 1970 ten years after her initial departure from Groton, ''George Washington'' put in to refuel in Charleston SC, having cruised some {{convert|100000|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}}.

''George Washington'' shifted to the [[United States Pacific Fleet]] and a new [[home port]] at [[Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii after the refueling.

==Collision with ''Nissho Maru''==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2015}}
On 9 April 1981, ''George Washington'' was at periscope depth and was broadsided by the {{convert|2350|LT|t|lk=on|abbr=on}} Japanese commercial [[cargo ship]] ''Nissho Maru'' in the [[East China Sea]] about {{convert|110|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} south-southwest of [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]], Japan. ''George Washington'' immediately surfaced and searched for the other vessel. Owing to the heavy fog conditions at the time, they did see the Nissho Maru heading off into the fog, but it appeared undamaged. It headed into port for repairs; the crew was later flown back to Pearl Harbor from Guam. Unbeknownst to the crew of the George Washington, ''Nissho Maru'' sank in about 15&nbsp;minutes. Two Japanese crewmen were lost; 13 were rescued by [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] destroyers [[JDS Akigumo (DD-120)|JDS ''Akigumo'' (DD-120)]] and ''Aogumo'' [[:ja:あおぐも|(ja)]]. The submarine suffered minor damage to her [[Sail (submarine)|sail]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=O'Connell|first=John F.|title=For Want of a Timely Call ...|journal=Naval Warfare College Review|date=Winter 2013|volume=66|issue=1|pages=101–109|url=http://www.usnwc.edu/getattachment/9a2f8642-a752-4a2a-906f-58c8f5f5fe3c/For-Want-of-a-Timely-Call--Commentary-essay-.aspx|access-date=14 November 2013|publisher=Naval Warfare College|location=Newport, RI|format=PDF|issn=0028-1484|archive-date=14 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514013324/https://www.usnwc.edu/getattachment/9a2f8642-a752-4a2a-906f-58c8f5f5fe3c/For-Want-of-a-Timely-Call--Commentary-essay-.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The accident strained U.S.–Japanese relations a month before a meeting between [[Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Zenko Suzuki]] and President of the United States [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=John F. O'Connell|title=For Want of a Timely Call..
|journal=[[Naval War College Review]]|volume=66|number=1|pages=101–109|date=Winter 2013}}</ref> Japan criticized the U.S. for taking more than 24&nbsp;hours to notify Japanese authorities, and demanded to know what the boat was doing surfacing only about {{convert|20|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} outside Japan's territorial waters.

The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] initially stated that ''George Washington'' executed a crash dive during the collision, and then immediately surfaced, but could not see the Japanese ship due to fog and rain (according to a  U.S. Navy report). A preliminary report released a few days later stated the submarine and aircraft crews both had detected ''Nissho Maru'' nearby, but neither the submarine nor the aircraft realized ''Nissho Maru'' was in distress.

On 11 April, President Reagan and other U.S. officials formally expressed regret over the accident, made offers of compensation, and reassured the Japanese there was no cause for worry about radioactive contamination. As is its standard policy, the U.S. Government refused to reveal what the submarine was doing close to Japan, or whether she was armed with nuclear missiles. (It is government and navy policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons on board.) The Navy accepted responsibility for the incident, and relieved and reprimanded the ''George Washington''{{'}}s [[commanding officer]] and [[officer of the deck]].

On 31 August, the U.S. Navy released its final report, concluding the accident resulted from a set of coincidences, compounded by errors on the part of two members of the submarine crew.

After the collision with the Nissho Maru, the damaged sail was repaired with parts from the sail from the {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|SSBN-602|6}} which was waiting for disposal at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

==Final patrol as ballistic missile submarine==
In 1981, ''George Washington'' returned to [[Pearl Harbor]] from her last missile patrol. In 1981, her missiles were unloaded at [[Naval Base Kitsap|Bangor, Washington]] to comply with the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks#SALT I Treaty|SALT II]] treaty.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}

''George Washington'' made 55 deterrent patrols in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in her 25-year career.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}

==Service as an attack submarine==
''George Washington''  continued service as an attack submarine (SSN), returning briefly to Pearl Harbor. In 1983, she departed Pearl Harbor for the last time and made the second of four transits through the [[Panama Canal]] back to the Atlantic and to New London. While based at Submarine Base Groton, ''George Washington'' (SSN 598) participated in exercises including one teamed with a Coast Guard Cutter against the [[USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)|USS ''John F. Kennedy'' (CV-67)]] and Carrier Group 4. From Puerto Rico’s [[Roosevelt Roads Naval Station]], she provided support for Special Forces training. She participated in the 24th [[UNITAS]] exercise as the only US submarine. At the conclusion of exercises with Chile,  ''George Washington'' completed circumnavigation of South America, escorting ''John F. Kennedy'' as she transited open water between Argentina and the Falkland Islands in the early months of 1984.

==Decommissioning==
''George Washington'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 24 January 1985, stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Registry]] on 30 April 1986, and scheduled for disposal through the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] at [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]]. Recycling of the ship was completed on 30 September 1998.

==Commemoration==
''George Washington'''s [[Sail (submarine)|sail]] was removed prior to disposal and now rests at the [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] at [[Groton, Connecticut]].
[[File:USS George Washington Sail.JPG|thumb|center|''George Washington'' (SSBN-598) sail outside the Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, CT.]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/george-washington-iii.html}}

==External links==
*{{Internet Archive film clip|id=1960-11-17_Nuclear_Navy|description="Nuclear Navy. First Polaris A-Sub Sails on Ocean Patrol, 1960/11/17 (1960)"}}

{{George Washington class submarine}}
{{1981 shipwrecks}}
{{George Washington}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George Washington (Ssbn-598)}}
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:George Washington-class submarines]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:United States submarine accidents]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1981]]
[[Category:Japan–United States relations]]
[[Category:International maritime incidents]]
[[Category:1959 ships]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Submarine museums in the United States]]