View source for USS Ohio (SSGN-726)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Other ships|USS Ohio}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+USS ''Ohio'' (SSGN-726)
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=OHIOSSGNCONVERSION.JPG
|Ship caption=USS ''Ohio'' SSGN conversion (2004)
}}
{{Infobox ship career|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship ordered=1 July 1974
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|Ship laid down=10 April 1976
|Ship launched=7 April 1979
|Ship purchased=
|Ship commissioned=11 November 1981
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship captured=
|Ship status={{Ship in active service}}
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=[[Naval Base Kitsap|Bangor]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
|Ship namesake=[[Ohio|State of Ohio]]
|Ship motto=''Always first''
|Ship nickname=First and Finest!
|Ship badge=[[File:USS Ohio SSBN-726 Crest.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Ohio|submarine|4}} [[SSGN]]
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|16764|MT|LT}} surfaced<ref Name=FAS2>{{Citation|url=https://fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssgn726_ohio.html|title=Ohio-class SSGN-726|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=27 September 2011|archive-date=6 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006071710/http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssgn726_ohio.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref Name=Frost>{{Citation |url = http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_subs_0424apr24,0,5810806.story|title = Newport News contract awarded|publisher = Daily Press|last = Frost|first = Peter|access-date = 27 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090426041620/http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_subs_0424apr24,0,5810806.story|archive-date = 26 April 2009}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2011}}
*{{convert|18750|MT|LT}} submerged<ref Name=FAS2/>
|Ship length={{convert|560|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS2/>
|Ship beam={{convert|42|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref Name=FAS2/>
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion={{Ohio-class guided missile submarine propulsion}}
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed=*{{convert|12|kn|mph km/h}} surfaced<ref Name=FAS2/>
*+{{convert|20|kn|mph km/h}} submerged (official)<ref Name=FAS2/>
*{{convert|25|kn|mph km/h}} submerged (reported)<ref Name=FAS2/>
|Ship range=unlimited
|Ship endurance=approximately 60 days with food supplies
|Ship test depth=+{{convert|800|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=
|Ship crew=*15 officers<ref Name=FAS2/><ref Name=Frost/>
*140 enlisted<ref Name=FAS2/><ref Name=Frost/>
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=*[[BQQ-6]] Bow mounted sonar<ref Name=FAS2/>
*[[BQR-19]] Navigation<ref Name=FAS2/>
*[[BQS-13]] Active sonar<ref Name=FAS2/>
*[[TB-16]] towed array<ref Name=FAS2/>
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] bow [[torpedo tube]]s.
* as [[SSBN]]:
* 24 × [[Trident II]] C4 [[SLBM]], each with up to 8 [[MIRV]]ed [[W76]] nuclear warheads
*'''[[SSGN]] conversion:'''
*22 tubes, each with 7 [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk]] cruise missiles
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=<!---•--->
}}<!---
{{Infobox ship characteristics|Ship displacement={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine displacement}}
|Ship length={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine length}}
|Ship beam={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine beam}}
|Ship draft={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine draft}}
|Ship propulsion={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine propulsion}}
|Ship speed={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine speed}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine complement}}
|Ship troops=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Ohio class ballistic missile submarine ssgn armament}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=
}}--->
|}

'''USS ''Ohio'' (SSBN-726/SSGN-726)''', the [[lead ship|lead boat]] of [[Ohio-class submarine|her class]] of [[nuclear-powered]] [[ballistic missile submarine|fleet ballistic missile submarine]]s (SSBN), is the fourth vessel of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the [[U.S. state]] of [[Ohio]]. She was commissioned with the [[Hull number|hull designation]] of SSBN-726, and with her conversion to a [[guided missile submarine]] she was re-designated SSGN-726.

== Conversion to SSGN ==
{{Main|Ohio-class submarine}}
Original plans called for ''Ohio'' to be retired in 2002. Instead, ''Ohio'' and three sister boats were modified and remain in service as cruise missile submarines ([[SSGN]]s). In November 2002 ''Ohio'' entered drydock, beginning a 36-month [[Refueling and Overhaul|refueling and conversion overhaul]].  Electric Boat announced on 9 January 2006 that the conversion had been completed.<ref name=cbo2007>
{{citation
 | author=Congressional Budget Office
 | title=Crew Rotation in the Navy: The Long-Term Effect on Forward Presence
 | url=http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=8771
 | work=U.S. Government Publication
 | date=1 October 2007
 | access-date=27 September 2011
}}</ref>

==Service history==
===As SSBN===
The contract to build her was awarded to the [[Electric Boat]] Division of [[General Dynamics]] Corporation in [[Groton, Connecticut]] on 1 July 1974 and her keel was laid down on 10 April 1976 by Mrs. Robert A. Taft, JR., wife of Senator [[Robert Taft Jr.]] of Ohio.<ref>USS Ohio Commissioning book page 27/32 Picture Collage, Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation, 1976</ref> On 2 February 1978, the Precommissioning Unit was formed with Commander A. K. Thompson as its commanding officer.  ''Ohio'' was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 7 April 1979 sponsored by Mrs. Annie Glenn, wife of Senator [[John H. Glenn]] of Ohio.

In the summer of 1981, sea trials were held to test the equipment and systems, and the submarine was delivered to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] on 28 October 1981.  On 11 November 1981, ''Ohio'' was commissioned. The principal speaker, [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[George H. W. Bush]], remarked to the 8000 assembled guests that the boat introduced a "new dimension in our nation's strategic deterrence," and Admiral [[Hyman G. Rickover]] noted that ''Ohio'' should "strike fear in the hearts of our enemies." On that day, command of the two crews (designated Blue and Gold) of ''Ohio'' was assumed by Captain A. K. Thompson (Blue) and Captain A. F. Campbell (Gold).

Following Post Shakedown Availability at Electric Boat Division, ''Ohio'' left the Atlantic and transited to her new home port, [[Naval Base Kitsap|Bangor, Washington]], by way of [[Cape Canaveral]] – where she tested her missile launch systems – and the [[Panama Canal]], arriving on 12 August 1982.  During August and September 1982, the first loadout of [[Trident missile|Trident C-4 missiles]] and a predeployment refit were conducted. ''Ohio'' and her Blue Crew departed on the first Trident Submarine Strategic Deterrent Patrol in October 1982.

From June 1993 to June 1994 ''Ohio'' underwent overhaul at [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]], [[Bremerton, Washington]], receiving extensive upgrades to sonar, fire control, and navigation systems. ''Ohio'' resumed strategic deterrent patrols in January 1995 as part of Submarine Squadron Seventeen, Submarine Group Nine, Pacific Submarine Force.

===As SSGN===
Following her conversion to a SSGN, ''Ohio'' rejoined the fleet on 7 February 2006. On 21 January 2007, the Gold Crew departed [[Naval Base Kitsap]] for [[Hawaii]] to conduct a forward-deployed crew exchange, the first such forward-deployed swap in approximately 20 years.<ref>{{cite news |author= MCS2 (AW/NAC) Eric J. Rowley, Fleet Public Affairs Center Detachment Northwest |title= USS Ohio Sailors Depart NBK for Historic Forward Deployed Crew Swap |url = http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27392 |publisher = Navy News Service  |id = NNS070122-09 |date = 22 January 2007 |access-date = 27 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090418233148/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27392 |archive-date = 18 April 2009}}</ref> Ballistic submarines of ''Ohio''{{'}}s class employ two crews, ''Blue'' and ''Gold'', in order to facilitate continuous operation at sea, called "forward-presence" in USN parlance.<ref name=cbo2007/> ''Ohio'' left for her first mission as an SSGN on 15 October 2007. The Blue crew underwent several tests and inspections before completing a mission some time in December. ''Ohio'' was also the first one of the class to complete a mission.{{Clarify |reason=Still an Ohio-class boat – this statement implies that deterrent "missions" were never undertaken or completed |date=September 2011}}

On 28 June 2010, ''Ohio'' was one of three ''Ohio''-class submarines involved in a US response to Chinese missile testing in the contested East China Sea. ''Ohio'', {{USS|Michigan|SSGN-727|2}}, and {{USS|Florida|SSGN-728|2}} all surfaced simultaneously in the waters of the Philippines, South Korea, and the British Indian Ocean Territory respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=In 2010, the U.S. Navy Surfaced Three Missiles Subs as a Warning to China |website=War is Boring |date=14 April 2016 |publisher=Medium |access-date=11 November 2018 |url=https://medium.com/war-is-boring/in-2010-the-u-s-navy-surfaced-three-missiles-subs-as-a-warning-to-china-adb72141dfe7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Torode |first=Greg |title=US submarines emerge in show of military might |url=http://viet-studies.info/kinhte/US_submarines_SCMP.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611152741/http://viet-studies.info/kinhte/US_submarines_SCMP.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 June 2016 |website=Viet-Studies |access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref> 

In November 2011, Lt. Britta Christianson became the first U.S. female officer, and first female overall, to complete submarine warfare qualification, while she was assigned to ''Ohio''{{'}}s Gold Crew.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.sea-technology.com/news/archives/2012/navy_currents/navy_currents0812.php |title=USS ''Ohio'' Gold Crew Member Becomes First Female Supply Officer to Qualify in Submarines |date=August 2012 |department=Navy Currents |journal=Sea Technology |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923045804/http://www.sea-technology.com/news/archives/2012/navy_currents/navy_currents0812.php |archive-date=23 September 2013 }}</ref> [[Chief Petty Officer|CSC]] Dominique Saavedra became the first enlisted female to earn her submarine qualification aboard ''Ohio'' in August 2016. She would go on to deploy with ''Michigan'', the first sub specially modified with separate accommodations for enlisted female crew.<ref name="Saavedra">{{cite news |last1=Larter |first1=David B. |title=Navy chief becomes first woman to earn silver submarine pin |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2016/08/03/navy-chief-becomes-first-woman-to-earn-silver-submarine-pin/ |work=Navy Times |date=3 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="Chicago Tribune">{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-first-female-sailor-submarine-qualification-20160804-story.html |title=1st enlisted female sailor gets submarine qualification |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=2016-07-13 |access-date=2016-08-06}}</ref>

In December 2020, it was announced that ''Ohio'' would be decommissioned and enter the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] by 2026.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://seapowermagazine.org/navy-plans-to-retire-48-ships-during-2022-2026/ |title=Navy Plans to Retire 48 Ships During 2022-2026 |last=Burgess |first=Richard |date= 12 December 2020|website=SeaPower |access-date=27 January 2021 }}</ref>

==Awards==
* Former Navy Secretary Robert B. Pirie, Jr. announced the 2001 winners of the Navy Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards and the Marine Corps [[William P. T. Hill|Major General W. P. T. Hill Memorial Awards]] for outstanding food service in the Navy and Marine Corps. The formal presentation of the awards was made during the International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA) conference on Saturday, 3 March 2001, in [[Anaheim, California]]. The afloat galley first-place winner in the Pacific fleet was ''Ohio'' (Blue). This award was before her conversion from SSBN to SSGN.

== References ==
{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=SSBN726}}|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=SSGN726}}}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{navsource|08/08726a|USS Ohio (SSGN-726)}} Keel Laying – Commissioning
*{{navsource|08/08726c|USS Ohio (SSGN-726)}} Life as a SSBN / 1982–2002
*{{navsource|08/08726b|USS Ohio (SSGN-726)}} Conversion to SSGN
*{{cite web |title=Commissioning Book |url=http://navsource.org/archives/08/pdf/0872627.pdf |website=NavSource.Org |publisher=Electric Boat, General Dynamics Corp. |access-date=2021-09-26 |page=27|language=English |date=1981-11-11}}
*{{cite web|last = Cole1|first = William|date = 23 October 2007|url = http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071023/NEWS01/710230337/1001/NEWS01|title = Tricked-out sub stops at Pearl Harbor|work = [[Honolulu Advertiser]]|access-date = 2007-10-25|archive-date = 14 December 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071214230255/http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20071023%2FNEWS01%2F710230337%2F1001%2FNEWS01|url-status = dead}}{{failed verification|date=September 2011}}

{{Ohio class submarine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio (SSGN-726)}}
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Ohio-class submarines]]
[[Category:Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Symbols of Ohio]]
[[Category:1979 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:SSGN|726]]