A press release from Lockheed-Martin celebrating a historic event.
Fleet Ballistic Missile force completes 3,500th deterrent patrol.
BANGOR, Wash., May 25, 2001 -- With the successful return to Bangor, Wash. of the USS Florida,
SSBN 728, from operational patrol, the
U.S. Navy strategic submarine force has completed 3,500 deterrent patrols, carrying Fleet Ballistic Missiles (FBM) built by
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Missiles & Space Operations, in
Sunnyvale, Calif.
"For more than 40 years, FBM submarines have
silently patrolled the waters of the world
hidden from
potential adversaries by an oceanic
curtain," said Tom Morton, vice president, strategic
missile programs for Lockheed Martin
Space Systems Co., Missiles & Space Operations. "Lockheed Martin is extremely proud of the role its missiles and support services have played in carrying out the
critical mission of the strategic submarine
force. No strategic deterrent patrol has ever been
aborted for a
deficiency in
weapon system operational
readiness."
The
first of the 3,500 FBM patrols dates back to November 15, 1960 when the
USS George Washington, SSBN 598,
deployed on her first operational mission carrying 16 Polaris A1 missiles. In more than four
decades of
continuous deterrent operations since that
milestone, there have been 1,245
Polaris patrols, 1,182
Poseidon patrols, 826
Trident I patrols, and 247
Trident II patrols. If you added up all the time on
patrol by these strategic submarines, it would amount to a total of some 245,000-mission days or some
671 years of
combined service.
The Fleet Ballistic Missile force is the
preeminent deterrent in our nation's
triad of land and sea-based strategic
nuclear forces. With almost
unlimited cruising
range and
endurance only
limited by the
crew, FBM submarines are capable of
extended submerged operations. Free from the
need to surface, FBM submarines remain hidden, their
exact locations unknown to anyone but the crew and its
commander.
Mobile, hidden and always
ready, the
FBM force provides the U.S. and its
allies with a
credible, survivable and
enduring deterrent against
aggression.
The Navy selected Lockheed Martin Space Systems operations in Sunnyvale, Calif. as its
prime missile
contractor and missile system
manager in 1955. Since then, the Lockheed Martin team has
designed,
developed,
produced and
supported six
successive generations of FBM- Polaris (A1), Polaris (A2), Polaris (A3), Poseidon (C3), Trident I (C4) and Trident II (D5).
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company,
headquartered in
Denver,
Colo., is one of the
major operating units of the world's largest
defense contractor, Lockheed Martin
Corporation (
NYSE: LMT). Space Systems is a
global leader
in the design, development,
test and production of space launch systems, ground systems,
scientific spacecraft,
satellites for
commercial and
government customers, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.
Forty plus years of service, and never being used, which of course is their mission. By staying hidden they make the enemy think twice about attacking the United States with weapons of mass destruction. I made four of those Trident I patrols, and am proud of that to this day. It's hard for some to believe, but we would have considered the need to launch as a failure to convince an enemy of our purpose and conviction.I give my brethren of the USS Florida the toast we long used and well believe, "Here's to our birds, may they rust in peace".