James Madison-class submarine

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The James Madison class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the of fleet ballistic missile submarine. They were identical to the Lafayettes except for being initially designed to carry the Polaris A-3 missile instead of the earlier A-2. This class, together with the , , Lafayette, and classes, composed the "41 for Freedom" that was the Navy's primary contribution to the nuclear deterrent force through the late 1980s. This class and the Benjamin Franklin class are combined with the Lafayettes in some references.

Design

In the early 1970s all were modified for the Poseidon C-3 missile. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, six boats were further modified to carry the Trident I C-4 missile, along with six Benjamin Franklin-class boats. These were James Madison, Daniel Boone, John C. Calhoun, Von Steuben, Casimir Pulaski, and Stonewall Jackson.

Fate

The James Madisons were decommissioned between 1986 and 1995 due to a combination of SALT II treaty limitations as the SSBNs entered service, age, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Boats in class

Submarines of the James Madison class: (Submarines marked with * indicate Trident I C-4 ballistic missile conversions.)

Name	Hull number	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
*	SSBN-627	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.	5 March 1962	15 March 1963	28 July 1964	20 November 1992	Disposed,Template:Efn 1997
	SSBN-628	General Dynamics Electric Boat	1 June 1962	22 June 1963	29 May 1964	23 July 1993	Disposed,Template:Efn 1994
*	SSBN-629	Mare Island Naval Shipyard	6 February 1962	22 June 1963	23 April 1964	18 February 1994	Disposed,Template:Efn 1994
*	SSBN-630	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.	4 June 1962	22 June 1963	15 September 1964	28 March 1994	Disposed,Template:Efn 1994
	SSBN-631	General Dynamics Electric Boat	18 August 1962	2 November 1963	17 July 1964	12 June 1992	Disposed,Template:Efn 1992
*	SSBN-632	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.	4 September 1962	18 October 1963	30 September 1964	26 February 1994	Disposed,Template:Efn 2001
*	SSBN-633	General Dynamics Electric Boat	12 January 1963	1 February 1964	14 August 1964	7 March 1994	Disposed,Template:Efn 1994
*	SSBN-634	Mare Island Naval Shipyard	4 July 1962	30 November 1963	26 August 1964	9 February 1995	Disposed,Template:Efn 1995
	SSBN-635	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.	3 December 1962	20 December 1963	2 December 1964	31 July 1989	Left Norfolk on April 2, 2025, bound for Bremerton, Washington for storage and eventual recycling.
	SSBN-636	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard	21 May 1962	12 May 1964	19 December 1964	15 December 1986	Disposed,Template:Efn 2000
Template:Notelist

See also

• List of submarines of the United States Navy
• List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

References

• Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen (editors). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, US: Naval Institute Press, 1995. Template:ISBN.
• Polmar, Norman. The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet: Twelfth Edition. London:Arms and Armour Press, 1981. Template:ISBN.
• US Naval Vessel Register – List of SSBN BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE (NUCLEAR-POWERED) Class vessels
• Public Domain This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

• NavSource SSBN photo gallery index