The USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) was a Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine laid down in 1964, launched in 1965, and commissioned a year later. The ship was part of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 16, based in Rota, Spain. Submarines in this class initially carried Polaris A-3 ballistic missiles, and when technology improved, they were exchanged for Poseidon C-3s. The vessel was eventually converted to be able to use Trident-I (C-4) missiles. She conducted the first submerged launch of a Trident missile in 1979. She also became the first submarine to conduct a deterrent patrol with a Trident I missile, as the U.S. Navy launched a Trident I C4 missile from the submarine in 1985, during Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 24. The vessel had two crews, the Gold and the Blue Crew, each composed of 120 men. However, it was the Gold crew that performed the submarine's last SSBN deterrent patrol in 1992. Following Patrol #72, the two crews were combined in late 1992. The USS Francis Scott Key was decommissioned after 27 years of service and stricken from the Navy list in 1993. Before the 1980s, many ships were constructed using asbestos materials, putting thousands of veterans and shipyard workers at risk of contamination and developing asbestos-related diseases years later.
760-621-6147
