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SIMON
BOLIVAR (SSBN-641) was laid down on 17 April 1963 by the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News,
Va.; launched on 22 August 1964; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas C.
Mann; and commissioned on 29 October 1965, Comdr. Charles H.
Griffiths commanding the Blue Crew and Comdr. Charles A.
Orem commanding the Gold. In
late December 1965 and most of January 1966, the submarine
underwent demonstration and shakedown operations. The normal
routine for fleet ballistic missile submarines is for the
Gold Crew to make a patrol and then alternate with the Blue
Crew. The Gold Crew successfully fired an A-3 Polaris
missile off the coast of Cape Kennedy on 17 January, and the
Blue Crew completed a successful missile firing two weeks
later. In February, the Gold Crew continued shakedown
operations in the Caribbean. The following month, her home
port was changed to Charleston, S.C., and minor deficiencies
were corrected during a yard availability period. Beginning
in April, the Blue Crew prepared for and conducted the first
and third regular Polaris patrols. The
Gold Crew meanwhile entered the training period and later
conducted the second patrol, finishing the year in a
training status. SIMON BOLIVAR completed her third deterrent
patrol in January 1967, operating as a unit of Submarine
Squadron (SubRon) 18. This routine continued until 7
February 1971 when the submarine returned to Newport News
for overhaul and conversion of her weapons system to
Poseidon missiles. SIMON BOLIVAR departed Newport News on 12
May 1972 for post-overhaul shakedown operations and
refresher training for the two crews which lasted until 16
September. The end of 1972 found the submarine back on
patrol. Into August 1974, the Blue and Gold Crews have
alternated in keeping the fleet ballistic missile submarine
on deterrent patrols, providing the United States with
instant retaliatory capabilities in case of attack. Deactivated
while still in commission in September 1994, SIMON BOLIVAR
was both decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel
Register on 8 February 1995. She entered the Navy’s
Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in
Bremerton, Washington on 1 October 1994 and finished in on 1
December 1995. When she emerged from the program, the former
ballistic missile submarine ceased to exist as a complete
ship and was classed as scrapped.
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