SSBN 617 Timeline
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SSBN 617 History

Date Event Category
25 SEP 1957 USS SEAWOLF (SSN 575) is the first nuclear submarine
to take a president of the United States
(Dwight D. Eisenhower) for a cruise		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
04 MAR 1958 USS SKATE (SSN 578) makes the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing
from the United States to England. Traveled 3,161 miles
in 203 hours (2,828 under water).		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
29 MAR 1958 USS SKATE (SSN 578) returns to the United States after setting speed
record across the Atlantic; broke first record by returning in 173 hours		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
05 AUG 1958 USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571) made first submerged polar transit from
Point Barrow, Alaska to Greenland Sea, traveling 1,830 miles under ice.
Crossed the Geographical North Pole on 03 AUG 1958 at 1915		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
12 AUG 1958 USS SKATE (SSN 578) crossed "under" the North Pole. Submerged
under ice pack in Greenland Sea on August 9th; surfaced through
the ice 9 times; returned to Greenland Sea on 19 AUG 1958		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
06 OCT 1958 USS SEAWOLF (SSN 575) surfaced after 60 days without contact
with earth's atmosphere logging over 13,700 miles submerged		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
21 OCT 1958 USS SARGO (SSN 583) was first nuclear submarine to sink a ship.
On maneuvers off Hawaii she sank the former USS CHITTENDEN
COUNTY (LST 561)		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
17 MAR 1959 USS SKATE (SSN 578) was first ship to surface at the North Pole.
Conducted memorial services for the late polar explorer
Sir Hubert Wilkins. (In 1931, Wilkins attempted the North Pole
submerged in the former USS O-12.)		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
14 AUG 1959 USS SKIPJACK (SSN 585) went deepest and fastest in sea trials
off the East Coast		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
24 AUG 1959 USS SKIPJACK (SSN 585) became the first nuclear submarine to
transit through the Strait of Gibraltar.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
09 FEB 1960 USS SARGO (SSN 583) surfaced at the North Pole and planted
the Hawaiian State Flag		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
08 MAR 1960 USS HALIBUT (SSN 587) is the first nuclear submarine to
launch the Regulus missile		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
10 MAY 1960 USS TRITON (SSN 586) completes the first submerged
circumnavigation of the world, following route
of Ferdinand Magellan - 41,500 miles in 84 days.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
20 JUL 1960 USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (SSBN 598) successfully launches
two Polaris missiles while submerged off Cape Canaveral, Florida.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
22 JUL 1960 Alexander Hamilton Contract Awarded SSBN-617 Events
25 AUG 1960 USS SEADRAGON (SSN 584) charts the Northwest Passage.
Surfaced at the North Pole where the crew played baseball.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
15 NOV 1960 USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (SSBN 598) embarks on the first
armed Polaris missile patrol, ahead of schedule.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
08 MAR 1961 USS PATRICK HENRY (SSBN 599) becomes the first Polaris
submarine to arrive in Holy Loch, Scotland, set a new
underwater duration record of 66 days and 22 hours on patrol		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
18 APR 1961 USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (SSBN 600) becomes the first
ballistic missile submarine to transit the Panama Canal		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
26 JUN 1961 Alexander Hamilton Keel Laid SSBN-617 Events
08 NOV 1961 USS ETHAN ALLEN (SSBN 608) sets a missile firing record by
successfully launching six out of six Polaris A-2 IRBMS, off Cape
Canaveral, Florida		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
06 MAY 1962 USS ETHAN ALLEN (SSBN 608) launches first Polaris missile
with a nuclear warhead at 1845		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
02 AUG 1962 USS SKATE (SSN 578) and USS SEADRAGON (SSN 584),
after effecting an historic rendezvous under the ice, surface
together through an opening at the geographic North Pole.		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
18 AUG 1962 Alexander Hamilton Launching SSBN-617 Events
22 JUN 1963 USS FLASHER (SSN 613), USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628),
USS DANIEL BOONE (SSBN 629), and
USS JOHN C. CALHOUN (SSBN 630) are launched,
marking the first, and only, time that four nuclear
submarines were christened on the same day		 Nuclear Historic Firsts
27 JUN 1963 USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON (SSBN 617) Commissioning SSBN-617 Events
22 NOV 1963 Assassination of President John F.Kennedy World Events
20 JUL 1969 US Lands Men on the Moon World Events
09 AUG 1974 President Richard M. Nixon Resigns World Events
17 JUL 1975 Apollo-Soyuz: US-Soviet Handshake in Space World Events
16 AUG 1977 Death of Elvis Presley World Events
28 MAR 1979 Three Mile Island Accident World Events
04 NOV 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis World Events
08 DEC 1980 John Lennon Murdered World Events
20 JAN 1981 Iranian Hostage Crisis Ends World Events
29 MAR 1983 FLEETEX '83 - US NAVY PACFLEET U.S. Naval Exercises
01 SEP 1983 Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Shootdown World Events
25 OCT 1983 Invasion of Grenada World Events
26 APR 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Accident World Events
03 JUL 1988 Iran Air Flight 655 Shootdown World Events
26 DEC 1991 **************** !! COLD WAR ENDS !! **************** World Events
23 FEB 1993 USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON (SSBN 617) Decommissioning SSBN-617 Events
28 FEB 1994 Alexander Hamilton Recycling Complete SSBN-617 Events
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