Американская подводная лодка «Патрик Генри»

Submarine of the United States

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Patrick Henry conducted 17 deterrent patrols from Holy Loch until December 1964 when she returned to Electric Boat. For 18 months she received complete and extensive overhaul and repair operations, including refueling of the S5W reactor plant and modifications to permit the handling of the Polaris A 3 missiles. After shakedown in mid 1966 off Puerto Rico and Cape Canaveral, Florida, Patrick Henry departed Charleston, South Carolina, in December for her eighteenth patrol, equipped with A 3 Polaris missiles and assigned to Submarine Squadron 14. On 1 March 1968, Patrick Henry completed her 22nd patrol at Holy Loch. During the early 1970s, Patrick Henrys home port was Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 1976, Patrick Henry moved to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, California, for refueling.

In the spring of 1978, the Patrick Henry underwent Demonstration and Shakedown Operations (DASO). The purpose of the DASO was to ensure that the submarine's crew could safely meet the stringent requirements for handling, maintaining and operating her strategic weapons system. It also confirmed that the submarine's crew was able to target and launch her submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) correctly and certified that the crew and submarine were ready for operational patrol. Additionally, system performance data was collected about the weapons system and submarine while in an operational environment, which evaluates the readiness and performance of the weapon system. After transiting the Panama Canal, the Blue Crew successfully fired an A 3 Polaris missile off the coast of Cape Kennedy in July 1978, and the Gold Crew completed a successful missile firing several weeks later. The Gold Crew brought the Patrick Henry back through the Panama Canal and transited to Pearl Harbor. She remained with the Pacific Fleet into the 1980s.

In 1982 Patrick Henry and many of her sister ships had their ballistic missile tubes disabled and were reclassified as attack submarines (SSNs). Patrick Henry was redesignated SSN 599.

Patrick Henry was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 May 1984, and as of 21 August 1997, she was disposed of through the Ship Submarine recycling program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.