USS John Adams (SSBN-620) - Operational History

Operational History

Following her commissioning, John Adams completed sixteen deterrent patrols while assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet After her sixteenth patrol, she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington for overhaul and modernization in August 1968. She completed overhaul on 10 August 1969 and returned to sea as a unit of the United States Pacific Fleet. Her Gold Crew shot two Polaris ballistic missiles during a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) following the overhaul, and then transited the Panama Canal to deliver John Adams to her Blue Crew waiting at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. She conducted sixteen more deterrent patrols as a unit of the Pacific Fleet.

Upon completion of her thirty-second deterrent patrol, John Adams entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery for her second overhaul and conversion to the Poseidon missile system. She completed the overhaul and returned to sea once again as a unit of the Atlantic Fleet.

After completing an additional forty-three deterrent patrols from both her home port at Charleston, South Carolina, and from Holy Loch, Scotland, John Adams transited the Panama Canal to again enter the Puget Sound Navy Shipyard, this time in preparation for decommissioning after a long and distinguished career. At the time of her decommissioning she was the second oldest fleet ballistic missile submarine still in active U.S Navy service, having completed 75 strategic deterrent patrols.