USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)

USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) is a United States Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine which has been in commission since 1991. She is the third U.S. Navy ship to be named for Kentucky, the 15th state.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Kentucky.

USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)
USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)
USS Kentucky (SSBN-737)
History
United States
NamesakeU.S. state of Kentucky
Ordered13 August 1985
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down18 December 1987
Launched11 August 1990
Sponsored byCarolyn Pennebaker Hopkins
Commissioned13 July 1991
HomeportBangor, Washington
MottoThoroughbred of the Fleet
Honors and
awards
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeOhio-class ballistic missile submarine
Displacement
  • 16,764 long tons (17,033 t) surfaced[1][2]
  • 18,750 long tons (19,050 t) submerged[1]
Length560 ft (170 m)
Beam42 ft (13 m)[1]
Draft38 ft (12 m)
Propulsion
SpeedGreater than 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)[5]
Test depthGreater than 800 feet (240 m)[5]
Complement
Armament

Construction and commissioning

The contract to build Kentucky was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 13 August 1985 and her keel was laid down there on 18 December 1987. She was launched on 11 August 1990, sponsored by Carolyn Pennebaker Hopkins, who used a custom blend of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, mixed for the occasion, rather than the traditional bottle of champagne to christen Kentucky. She was commissioned on 13 July 1991, with Captain Michael G. Riegel commanding the Blue Crew and Captain Joseph Henry commanding the Gold Crew.

Service history
Kentucky firing an SLBM in 2015 as part of a test.

On 19 March 1998 south of Long Island, New York, Kentucky collided with the attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN-751). No personnel suffered any injuries.[6] The two submarines were conducting a joint training drill prior to deployment. One of Kentucky's stern planes was slightly damaged; San Juan's forward ballast tank was breached, but San Juan was able to surface and return to port. Kentucky returned to patrol the next day.

In both 2001 and 2002, Kentucky's Gold Crew won first place in the United States Atlantic Fleet in the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award Submarine Afloat Galley competition for outstanding food service.[7]

Kentucky's Blue and Gold Crews were awarded the Omaha Trophy for service as the best ballistic missile submarine in 2009.[8]

On 12 October 2011, Kentucky had only her periscope above water, when she turned onto a new course that was blocked by the Totem Ocean ship Midnight Sun. The submarine came into close contact of about 800 meters with the freighter near British Columbia in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.[9]

In January 2012 USS Kentucky entered her Engineering Refueling Overhaul (ERO) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.[10]

On 7 November 2015, an unarmed missile launched from Kentucky during a test caused buzz on social media as it was mistaken for a UFO or meteor. The launch was also widely reported by the Southern California broadcast media.[11][12]

On 13 March 2016, following completion of her ERO, Kentucky deployed for the boat's first strategic deterrent mission since 2011.[13]

References
  1. "SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines". Federation of American Scientists. 9 February 2000. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  2. Frost, Peter. "Newport News contract awarded". Daily Press. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". Fissile Materials. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. Brendan Patrick Hanlon (July 2015). Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors (PDF) (Master thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  5. "Submarine Frequently Asked Questions". Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  6. "2 U.S. submarines collide off Long Island". CNN. 19 March 1998. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  7. "ALNAV 006/01". Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  8. "USS Kentucky Awarded Omaha Trophy". U.S. Strategic Command. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  9. Fellman, Sam (21 December 2011). "Near-miss cited in firing of sub CO". Navy Times.
  10. "Submarine Squadron 19". Commander, Submarine Group 9. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  11. "Naval missile test off California creates streaking light". Yahoo News. 8 November 2015.
  12. "Everybody lost it when a Navy missile lit up the night sky over the West Coast". Yahoo Finance. 8 November 2015.
  13. "USS Kentucky ballistic-missile submarine returns to active duty after 40-month overhaul". Northern Kentucky Tribune. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  • This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
  • Photo gallery of USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) at NavSource Naval History
  • "Welcome Aboard" pamphlet provided to USS Kentucky tour visitors.
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