Ordered 7 January 1982 Sponsored by Mrs. Landess Kelso Homeport Kings Bay, Georgia Launched 13 December 1986 | Laid down 9 June 1986 Commissioned 17 December 1988 Construction started 9 June 1986 | |
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Namesake The U.S. state of Tennessee Builder General Dynamics Electric Boat | ||
Uss tennessee ssbn 734
USS Tennessee (SSBN-734) is a United States Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine that has been in commission since 1988. She is the fourth ship and first submarine of the U.S. Navy to be named for Tennessee, the 16th state.
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Uss tennessee ssbn 734
Construction and commissioning
Tennessee's construction was authorized in fiscal year 1980, and the contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 7 January 1982. Her keel was laid down there on 9 June 1986. She was launched on 13 December 1986, sponsored by Mrs. Landess Kelso, and commissioned on 17 December 1988, with Captain D. Witzenburg in command of the Blue Crew and Captain Kenneth D. Barker in command of the Gold Crew.
The Tennessee was the first Ohio-class submarine commissioned capable of launching the Trident II ballistic missile (D5) and thus the first submarine to have first strike capability. On 21 March 1989, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Tennessee attempted the first submerged launch of the D5 which failed four seconds into the flight. Once the problem was understood, relatively simple changes were made and the first successful submerged test launch of a D5 missile was completed on 2 August 1989 by the Tennessee's Blue Crew.
