USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

History of USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

The Cold War largely turned into a rebellion between the Soviet Union and the United States. For every development that gives one force the upper hand over the other, the other in turn reveals a new development to regain the advantage. With nuclear weapons appearing in every stockpile, this pound-for-pound matchup with an adversary proved to be commonplace and, to some extent, simply a matter of survival. When the Soviet Navy began transforming its fleet of nuclear-tipped missile submarines to form mobile delivery platforms for these unique weapons, the United States had to follow suit.

Initially, the Jupiter missile was the focus of the new 10,000-ton submarine design, but the safety concerns and operational complexity of the weapon on underwater vessels prompted a switch to the Polaris A-1 series of missiles.

The first ship of the new fast attack class known as the Bonito class was the USS Scorpion (SSN-589), which was already under construction when a new 130-foot section was added to its length. Ordered 31 December 1957, her keel was laid 1 November 1958. The new length of the hull makes it possible to install launch tubes for new nuclear ballistic missiles. Given this significant change, it was deemed appropriate to rename the ship USS George Washington (SSBN-598).

The original name and flag were both assigned to another submarine under construction - this one, which joined the aforementioned group of bonito.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington was launched on June 9, 1959 and officially commissioned on December 30, 1959. While at sea, she earned the nickname "George Fish" and served as head of the five-person ballistics team for the George Washington-class missile submarine.

All of these are nuclear-powered ships designed to fight the Soviet Union alongside Western allies as a nuclear deterrent. The sisters joining USS George Washington (SSBN-598) were USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), USS Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600), USS Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601) and USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN) -602).

When George Washington was in service, it was the world's first operational nuclear ballistic missile submarine. She displaces 6,055 tons on the surface and 6,815 tons underwater. Her dimensions include a length of 381.5 feet, a beam of 33 feet, and a draft of 29 feet.

Her crew of 112 consisted of 12 officers and 100 sailors, divided into blue and gold combat groups. Washington's primary armament is her 16 x Polaris A-1 missile group, while she also carries 6 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes and 12 reloaded torpedoes.

Her profile is as traditional as subs. A sleek tubular hull shape was used, with the sails set clearly amidships. The missile bay is located behind the sail, identifiable by its flat surface, which serves as a platform when the boat comes to the surface.

The empennage is traditionally arranged in a cross shape, and the propeller unit is mounted on the tail of this structure.

As a nuclear powered ship, the George Washington is equipped with a Westinghouse S5W (submarine, 5th generation, Westinghouse) pressurized water reactor (PWR) with 2 geared turbines rated at 15,000 hp, powered by 1 seven-blade propeller unit tail. Top speed along the water is 20 knots, but it's underwater, where the boat shines - capable of going over 25 knots. The nuclear nature of the power supply allows the ship's range to be largely unrestricted - limited only by crew fatigue and the food supply available on board.

She can also dive to depths of more than 900 feeta far cry from the diesel-powered assault boats used by the U.S. Navy during World War II, which dived hundreds of feet.

In July 1960, George Washington successfully tested the Polaris missile underwater. In October, she loaded up with Polaris missiles, and in November, she embarked on her first patrol, lasting until January of the following year. She completed the 100,000-nautical-mile voyage in 1964 and from there transferred operations from Atlantic waters to the Pacific when she joined the Pacific Fleet from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Since then, she has continued to conduct deterrence patrols. In April 1981, it collided with the Japanese merchant ship Nissho Maru in the East China Sea. The merchant ship entered the water and sank with the loss of two crew members, while George Washington's voyage suffered only minor damage. Thirteen Japanese sailors were rescued, but the U.S.

Navy has been criticized for not responding to a coordinated rescue operation and not informing Japanese authorities that the U.S. ship happened to be in Japanese territorial waters where the collision occurred.

After conducting some 55 patrols over a quarter-century, the USS George Washington made its final deployment in 1982 and was stripped of its dangerous missile equipment the following year. Although she had no missiles, George Washington briefly served in the U.S. Navy as a Basic Attack Submarine (SSN number) before being sailed back to the U.S.

East Coast, and was officially decommissioned on January 24, 1985. The ship's name was removed from the Naval Register on April 30, 1986, and its hull was scrapped in September 1998 (after her hazardous reactor had been properly dismantled and disposed of).

Her sails have been preserved and are on permanent display at the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut.

During her time at sea, the USS George Washington was a vital part of the U.S. Navy's nuclear deterrent, leading a group of equally powerful ships. At the same time, she demonstrated a revolutionary attack submarine design capable of delivering a lethal payload anywhere in the world.

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