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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Accidents aboard the Ship About the Ship's Name History to end of page |  |
USS WILL ROGERS was the 12th and last BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - class nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarine. Generally similar to the LAFAYETTE - class, the twelve BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - class submarines had a quieter machinery design, and were thus considered a separate class.
Deactivated while still in commission on November 2, 1992, the WILL ROGERS entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington the same day. Formally decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on April 12, 1993, she finished the recycling program on August 12,1994. When she emerged, she no longer existed as a complete ship and was classed as scrapped.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: July 29, 1963 |
| Keel laid: March 20, 1965 | |
| Launched: July 21, 1966 | |
| Commissioned: April 1, 1967 | |
| Decommissioned: April 12, 1993 | |
| Builder: Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp., Groton, CT. | |
| Propulsion system: one S5W nuclear reactor | |
| Propellers: one | |
| Length: 425 feet (129.6 meters) | |
| Beam: 33 feet (10 meters) | |
| Draft: 31.5 feet (9.6 meters) | |
| Displacement: Surfaced: approx. 7,250 tons; Submerged: approx. 8,250 tons | |
| Speed: Surfaced: 16 - 20 knots;Submerged: 22 - 25 knots | |
| Armament: 16 vertical tubes for Polaris or Poseidon missiles, four 21" torpedo tubes for | |
| Crew: 13 Officers and 130 Enlisted (two crews) |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS WILL ROGERS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
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Accidents aboard USS WILL ROGERS:
| Date | Where | Events |
|---|---|---|
| January 3, 1989 | Firth of Clyde | The British fishing trawler NEW DAWN collides with the USS WILL ROGERS suffering major damage to her hull. No injuries are reported. According to Bill Koonts, former crewmember aboard the WILL ROGERS, "the trawler was following in close behind another one, except that they were running without lights. The skipper of the fishing boat tried to "split the difference" between the turtleshell, and our rudder, and rammed us!" |
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Name:
Will Rogers - born on 4 November 1879 near the present town of Claremore, Okla. - received sporadic formal education between 1887 and 1898, when he left home to become a cowboy on the Eking Ranch in Lipscomb County, Tex., near the town of Highness. After managing his father’s ranch from 1899 to 1902, he sailed for South America, where he spent five months with the gauche of the Argentine pampas. Later in 1902, the still-restless Rogers sailed for South Africa, where he took a job breaking in horses for the British Army. While in South Africa, he began his show business career, where he joined "Texas Jack's Wild West Show", to be billed as "The Cherokee Kid".
Joining the Writhe Brothers' circus in 1903, he toured Australia and New Zealand before returning to the United States the following year to appear at the St. Louis Exposition and receive his first vaudeville bookings in Chicago. He made his first appearance in New York in 1905 and, over the next 10 years, made three trips to Europe and traveled extensively in Canada and his native United States. During this time, he also made his first airplane flight in Atlantic City, NJ, as a passenger.
From 1916 to 1925, Rogers appeared occasionally with the famed Ziegfield Follies; he made his first motion picture in 1918 - "Laughing Bill Hide" - and moved to California in 1919 to work in the Golden studios. The year 1922 proved a landmark one for the cowboy-humorist, as he began a weekly syndicated column which eventually reached a large readership through some 350 newspapers. He maintained this regularly featured column until his death in 1935.
From 1925 to 1928, Rogers traveled the length and breadth of the United States in a "lecture tour". During this time, he became the first civilian to fly from coast to coast with pilots flying the mail in early air mail flights. The National Press Club, Washington, DC, dubbed him "Ambassador at Large of the United States"; and, in 1927, he visited Mexico City with the transatlantic aviation pioneer Charles A. Lindbergh as a guest of Ambassador Dwight Morrow. In subsequent years, Rogers gave numerous after-dinner speeches; became a popular convention speaker; gave benefits for victims of floods, droughts, or earthquakes. After the Great Depression hit the United States, Rogers gave radio talks on "unemployment", with ex-President Collage, President Hoover, and former Presidential candidate Al Smith.
He made a trip to the Orient in 1931 and to Central and South America the following year. In 1934, he made a globe-girdling tour and returned to play the lead in Eugene O'Neill's stage play, "Ha Wilderness". Also during the period 1930 to 1935, he made movies for Fox studios and radio broadcasts for the Gulf Oil Company.
Through Rogers' continuing series of columns between 1922 and 1935, as well as in his personal appearances and radio broadcasts, he won the loving admiration of the American people, poking jibes in witty ways at the issues of the day and prominent people - often politicians. He wrote from a non-partisan point of view and became a friend of presidents and a confidant of the great. Loved for his cool mind and warm heart, he was often considered the successor to such greets as Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and Artemus Ward.
An avid booster of aviation, Rogers undertook a polar flight with a fellow Oklahoman, Wiley Post, in the summer of 1935. It ended in tragedy. Post's plane crashed at Point Barrow, Alaska, on 15 August 1935, killing Post and his passenger - Will Rogers.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSS WILL ROGERS History:
USS WILL ROGERS was a BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-class nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine and the 41st and final submarine of the U.S. Navy's original "41 for Freedom" strategic deterrent force. The contract for her construction was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut, on July 29, 1963. Her keel was laid on March 20, 1965, and she was launched and christened on July 21, 1966, sponsored by Muriel Buck Humphrey, wife of Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. Following fitting-out and acceptance trials, WILL ROGERS was commissioned at Groton on April 1, 1967, with Captain Robert Y. Kaufman commanding the Blue Crew and Commander William J. Cowhill commanding the Gold Crew.
WILL ROGERS began her initial sea trials in the North Atlantic early in 1967, testing her nuclear propulsion plant, navigation and weapons systems. On February 13, 1967, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, director of the Naval Reactors program, reported the successful completion of her first sea trials in a letter written while aboard the submarine at sea. Following commissioning, WILL ROGERS continued shakedown operations and crew training off the U.S. East Coast. On July 31, 1967, she successfully launched a Polaris A-3 ballistic missile on the Atlantic Missile Range off Cape Kennedy, Florida, demonstrating the readiness of her strategic weapons system.
After completing her shakedown and final preparations for operational service, WILL ROGERS proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina, where she loaded her complement of 16 Polaris A-3 missiles. On October 3, 1967, she departed Charleston on her first strategic deterrent patrol. She subsequently entered the regular operating cycle of the Atlantic Fleet's ballistic missile submarine force, alternating between her Blue and Gold crews for deterrent patrols, refits and training periods.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, WILL ROGERS continued strategic deterrent patrols as part of the Atlantic Fleet. Her two crews alternated responsibility for operating the submarine, allowing maintenance and personnel training to take place between patrols. Based at Groton, Connecticut, during this period, she remained equipped with the Polaris A-3 missile system while the Navy began converting selected ballistic missile submarines to the more capable Poseidon C-3 missile.
In the latter part of 1972, WILL ROGERS entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, for an extensive overhaul and conversion to the Poseidon C-3 ballistic missile system. The 16-month availability included modifications to the missile compartment, fire-control and navigation systems, and associated equipment required to operate the new missiles. Her nuclear propulsion plant also received modifications, including the installation of an S3G Core 3 reactor core. The conversion was completed on February 8, 1974, making WILL ROGERS the 22nd U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine converted to carry Poseidon missiles.
Following the overhaul, WILL ROGERS conducted sea trials and weapons-system testing in preparation for her return to operational service. On May 15, 1974, her Gold Crew successfully launched two Poseidon C-3 missiles during a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) on the Atlantic Missile Range off Florida. The tests verified the readiness of the submarine's newly installed strategic missile system. On September 22, 1974, WILL ROGERS began her first operational deterrent patrol following the Poseidon conversion. On October 22, her Blue Crew successfully launched four additional Poseidon C-3 missiles during an operational test.
During 1974, WILL ROGERS also transferred her forward operating base to Naval Station Rota, Spain, where she joined the ballistic missile submarines supported by Submarine Squadron 16. From Rota, she continued regular strategic deterrent patrols in the Atlantic and Mediterranean operating areas, returning to the Spanish base for maintenance, replenishment and crew exchanges. The forward-deployment arrangement reduced transit times between patrol areas and the submarine's refit facility.
In July 1977, Commander Larry R. Marsh assumed command of WILL ROGERS' Gold Crew. During his command, which continued until March 1981, Marsh completed seven strategic deterrent patrols. Captain Malcolm "Mal" Wright commanded the Blue Crew during the latter part of the 1970s. Wright and Marsh subsequently recalled conducting 13 exchanges of command between their two crews over approximately three and a half years. By 1978, WILL ROGERS had completed 35 strategic deterrent patrols since entering operational service.
During the latter half of 1978, WILL ROGERS transferred her forward operating base from Rota to Holy Loch, Scotland, becoming part of Submarine Squadron 14 at Fleet Ballistic Missile Refit Site One. At the time, the squadron was supported by the submarine tender USS HOLLAND (AS 32), which had been stationed at Holy Loch since November 1975. WILL ROGERS continued her Poseidon deterrent patrols from the Scottish base, returning between patrols for maintenance and crew exchanges. The facilities at Holy Loch included repair and logistical support provided by HOLLAND, a floating dry dock and associated shore installations.
On January 25, 1982, USS HUNLEY (AS 31) arrived at Holy Loch to begin her second assignment as tender to Submarine Squadron 14, relieving USS HOLLAND. During this period, WILL ROGERS continued operating from Holy Loch with her Blue and Gold crews alternating between strategic deterrent patrols and refit periods. HUNLEY provided maintenance and logistical support for the squadron's Poseidon-equipped submarines.
On October 24, 1983, WILL ROGERS entered Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Newport News, Virginia, for a major refueling overhaul. The availability included replacement of the submarine's nuclear reactor fuel, extensive maintenance of her propulsion machinery and auxiliary systems, and modernization of electronic and weapons-related equipment. The submarine remained at Newport News throughout 1984 and 1985 while shipyard personnel and her crew completed the work necessary to extend her operational service life. The refueling overhaul was completed on March 10, 1986.
Following the overhaul, WILL ROGERS underwent sea trials and a post-overhaul shakedown period. On May 20, 1986, her Blue Crew successfully launched a Poseidon C-3 ballistic missile during Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 56 (DASO-56) on the Atlantic Missile Range off Florida. The firing was identified in Navy missile-test records as the 81st Poseidon launch and the 61st from a submarine. The test demonstrated the readiness of the submarine's strategic weapons system following her extensive overhaul.
On August 12, 1986, WILL ROGERS resumed operational strategic deterrent patrols following the refueling overhaul. She returned to the Holy Loch-based force of Submarine Squadron 14, where her Blue and Gold crews continued alternating responsibility for patrols, maintenance and training. In June 1987, USS SIMON LAKE (AS 33) arrived at Holy Loch and relieved USS HUNLEY as the squadron's principal submarine tender. WILL ROGERS subsequently received refit and logistical support from SIMON LAKE during her remaining years of operations from Scotland.
On January 3, 1989, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, WILL ROGERS was involved in a collision with the British fishing trawler NEW DAWN in the Firth of Clyde, approximately five miles south of the Isle of Arran, Scotland. The submarine was operating on the surface and proceeding toward Holy Loch when the collision occurred. The approximately 50-ton trawler sustained superficial damage but was able to continue under her own power. An initial inspection of WILL ROGERS after her return to port revealed minor scraping of the hull and damage to paintwork. No injuries were reported, and the U.S. Navy initiated an investigation into the incident.
On March 17, 1989, WILL ROGERS' Blue Crew returned to Holy Loch after completing the submarine's 63rd strategic deterrent patrol. The patrol marked a significant milestone for the U.S. Navy's Poseidon program, bringing the cumulative number of successful Poseidon C-3 deterrent patrols conducted by the fleet to 1,100. WILL ROGERS continued her regular patrol schedule from Holy Loch during the remainder of 1989 and into the early 1990s, supported by USS SIMON LAKE and the facilities of Submarine Squadron 14.
In February 1991, the United States and United Kingdom announced plans to close the American submarine support facility at Holy Loch as part of the post-Cold War restructuring of U.S. naval forces. The decision ended the long-standing practice of forward-basing American ballistic missile submarines at the Scottish anchorage. WILL ROGERS continued operating from Holy Loch during the drawdown of the facility and completed the final ballistic missile submarine refit conducted under Submarine Squadron 14 at Site One.
On November 9, 1991, WILL ROGERS departed Holy Loch for New London, Connecticut, becoming the last ballistic missile submarine to leave the base before the deactivation of Submarine Squadron 14. Her departure marked the end of nearly 13 years of operations from Scotland. The submarine subsequently returned to the United States for the final phase of her service, as the Navy continued retiring older Poseidon-equipped ballistic missile submarines.
On November 2, 1992, WILL ROGERS entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, where she was deactivated while still in commission and entered the Navy's Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program. Preparations for dismantling included the removal of nuclear fuel, equipment and hazardous materials, together with the separation and processing of components associated with the nuclear propulsion plant.
On April 12, 1993, WILL ROGERS was formally decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. Dismantling continued at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard under the Navy's Ship and Submarine Recycling Program and was completed on August 12, 1994.
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