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USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608)
Encyclopedia
USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), lead ship of her class
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for American Revolutionary War
hero Ethan Allen
.
Ethan Allens keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Corporation
of Groton, Connecticut
. She was launched
on 22 November 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Hopkins, great-great-great-granddaughter of Ethan Allen. The ship was commissioned
on 8 August 1961, with Captain Paul L. Lacy, Jr., commanding Blue Crew and Commander W. W. Behrens, Jr.
, commanding the Gold Crew.
Ethan Allen (Navy hull design SCB-180) was the first submarine designed as a ballistic missile launch platform. (The earlier were converted attack submarines.) She was constructed from HY80 steel (high yield, 80000 psi (551,580,583.4 Pa) yield strength
), and was fitted with the Mark 2 Mod 3 Ships Inertial Navigation System
(SINS). At launch, she was outfitted with Polaris A-2
(UGM-27B) submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and Mark 16 Mod 6
torpedo
es; the torpedo firecontrol system was the Mark 112 Mod 2. The A-2s would be retrofitted with Polaris A-3s and their gas/steam ejection launch gear and Mark 80 firecontrol systems during 1965, while in the 1970s these would be replaced with A-3Ts. In addition, Ethan Allen was updated with Mark 37
and (later) Mark 48
torpedoes during her operational lifetime.
On 6 May 1962, Ethan Allen, under Captain Lacy and with Admiral
Levering Smith aboard, launched a nuclear-armed Polaris missile that detonated at 11000 feet (3.4 km) over the South Pacific. That test (Frigate Bird), part of Operation Dominic I
, was the only complete operational test of an American strategic missile. The warhead hit "right in the pickle barrel."
To make room for the new ballistic missile submarines within the limitations of SALT II
, Ethan Allens missile tubes (and those of other earlier ballistic missile submarines) were disabled, and she was redesignated an attack submarine (hull number
SSN-608) on 1 September 1980.
Ethan Allen was decommissioned
on 31 March 1983 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 2 April 1983. Her hulk was tied up in Bremerton, Washington
, until entering the Nuclear Powered Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
. Recycling was completed on 30 July 1999.
Ethan Allen class submarine
The Ethan Allen class of fleet ballistic missile submarine was an evolutionary development from the George Washington class. The Ethan Allen, together with the , , , and classes comprise the "41 for Freedom."...
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
.
Ethan Allens keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Corporation
Electric Boat Corporation
The General Dynamics Electric Boat is a division of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for over 100 years....
of Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 22 November 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Hopkins, great-great-great-granddaughter of Ethan Allen. The ship was commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 8 August 1961, with Captain Paul L. Lacy, Jr., commanding Blue Crew and Commander W. W. Behrens, Jr.
W. W. Behrens, Jr.
Vice Admiral William Wohlsen Behrens, Jr. was an American naval officer and oceanographer who was instrumental in establishing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.-Biography:...
, commanding the Gold Crew.
Ethan Allen (Navy hull design SCB-180) was the first submarine designed as a ballistic missile launch platform. (The earlier were converted attack submarines.) She was constructed from HY80 steel (high yield, 80000 psi (551,580,583.4 Pa) yield strength
Yield (engineering)
The yield strength or yield point of a material is defined in engineering and materials science as the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically. Prior to the yield point the material will deform elastically and will return to its original shape when the applied stress is removed...
), and was fitted with the Mark 2 Mod 3 Ships Inertial Navigation System
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references...
(SINS). At launch, she was outfitted with Polaris A-2
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
(UGM-27B) submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and Mark 16 Mod 6
Mark 16 torpedo
The Mark 16 torpedo was a redesign of the United States Navy standard Mark 14 torpedo to incorporate war-tested improvements for use in unmodified United States fleet submarines. The torpedo was considered the United States standard anti-shipping torpedo for twenty years; although significant...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es; the torpedo firecontrol system was the Mark 112 Mod 2. The A-2s would be retrofitted with Polaris A-3s and their gas/steam ejection launch gear and Mark 80 firecontrol systems during 1965, while in the 1970s these would be replaced with A-3Ts. In addition, Ethan Allen was updated with Mark 37
Mark 37 torpedo
The Mark 37 torpedo is a torpedo with electrical propulsion, developed for the US Navy after World War II. It entered service with the US Navy in the early 1950s, with over 3,300 produced. It was phased out of service with the US Navy during the 1970s, and the stockpiles were sold to foreign...
and (later) Mark 48
Mark 48 torpedo
The Mark 48 and its improved ADCAP variant are heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships.-History:...
torpedoes during her operational lifetime.
On 6 May 1962, Ethan Allen, under Captain Lacy and with Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Levering Smith aboard, launched a nuclear-armed Polaris missile that detonated at 11000 feet (3.4 km) over the South Pacific. That test (Frigate Bird), part of Operation Dominic I
Operation Dominic I and II
Operation Dominic was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 by the United States. Those conducted in the Pacific are sometimes called Dominic I. The blasts in Nevada are known as Dominic II. This test series was scheduled quickly, in order to respond in kind to the Soviet...
, was the only complete operational test of an American strategic missile. The warhead hit "right in the pickle barrel."
To make room for the new ballistic missile submarines within the limitations of SALT II
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty refers to two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union—the Cold War superpowers—on the issue of armament control. There were two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT...
, Ethan Allens missile tubes (and those of other earlier ballistic missile submarines) were disabled, and she was redesignated an attack submarine (hull number
Hull classification symbol
The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...
SSN-608) on 1 September 1980.
Ethan Allen was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 31 March 1983 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 2 April 1983. Her hulk was tied up in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, until entering the Nuclear Powered Ship-Submarine Recycling Program
Ship-Submarine recycling program
The Ship/Submarine Recycling Program is the process the United States Navy uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, but the preparations can begin elsewhere....
. Recycling was completed on 30 July 1999.
Ethan Allen in fiction
- In Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
's novel The Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
, the decommissioned Ethan Allen was destroyed with a fuel-air explosiveFuel-air explosiveA fuel-air explosive device consists of a container of fuel and two separate explosive charges. After the munition is dropped or fired, the first explosive charge bursts open the container at a predetermined height and disperses the fuel in a cloud that mixes with atmospheric oxygen...
to cover for the escape of the defecting Soviet Typhoon-classTyphoon class submarineThe Project 941 or Akula, Russian "Акула" class submarine is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s...
submarine Красный Октябрь (Red October). The destruction of Ethan Allen was intended to simulate the explosion and sinking of a nuclear missile submarine, although the Ethan Allen–class submarines were considerably smaller than Typhoons. - Ethan Allen also appears in the novel FootfallFootfallFootfall is a 1985 science fiction novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It was nominated for the both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1986, and was a No...
by Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
and Jerry PournelleJerry PournelleJerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
.