The gold crew of the US Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) have scored a rarely-attained milestone.
Namely, on August 5, the crew completed their 100th strategic deterrent patrol after deploying earlier this year for their history-making patrol on the 108th anniversary of the birth of the ship’s namesake, Sen. Henry Martin Jackson.
“With the completion of the 100th patrol, these sailors, honored the traditions of those who went before them by achieving excellence in every aspect of our patrol orders,” said Commanding Officer Cmdr. Matthew T. Freniere, from Fairborn, Ohio.
Few other SSBNs have achieved so many patrols. In 1988, the ninth strategic deterrent patrol of USS Alabama (SSBN 731) was simultaneously recognized as the 100th strategic deterrent patrol by a Trident submarine. In 2017, USS Alaska (SSBN 732) celebrated the completion of their 100 strategic deterrent patrol.
“We are still reliable and credible,” said Freniere. “The fact that Jackson sailors are able to meet the same number of days underway this year as were expected when the ship was commissioned, is a testament to these Sailors’ superior maintenance skills, ingenuity and grit.”
Leading up to the 100th deployment, Henry M. Jackson’s crew completed all maintenance periods, ensuring the ship deployed on time, and overcame additional health protocols, including a requirement to be tested and sequestered as a mitigation measure to COVID-19.
Henry M. Jackson is unique within the US Navy’s submarine fleet, including its status as one of only four US Navy ballistic-missile submarines to be converted from using Trident I (C4) missiles to Trident II (D5) missiles. In late 2016, Henry M. Jackson also became the first SSBN to undergo a 32-year extended refit period, ensuring the life-extension of the ship.
Henry M. Jackson is the only US Navy submarine not named for a state, but instead named for a United States senator, whose advocacy of the US Navy’s Submarine Force led to the development of the Navy’s first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN 571), as well as the Ohio-class submarine and Trident ballistic-missile programs.
Originally intended to be named USS Rhode Island, Henry M. Jackson’s keel was laid Jan. 19, 1981. Following Jackson’s death on Sept. 1, 1983, president Ronald Reagan renamed the submarine in Jackson’s honor, and the name Rhode Island was transferred to a later Ohio-class submarine. Henry M. Jackson was sponsored by Jackson’s daughter, Anna Marie Jackson, and launched Oct. 15, 1983, and commissioned Oct. 6, 1984.
“I feel it is special any time someone has an opportunity to be part of history,” said Missile Technician 2nd Class Bret T. Orozco, from Gering, Nebraska. “I also think it goes to show the hard work all of us throughout Henry M. Jackson’s history have dedicated to this important part of national security – [strategic deterrence].”
