Tecumseh SSBN-628

Tecumsah IV

(SSBN-628: dp. 7300 (surf.), 8,260 (subm.); 1. 426'; b. 33'; dr. 31'4'; s. 16 k. (surf.), 21 k. (subm.);cpl. 140; a. 16 Polaris mist, 4 tt.; cl. James Maduen)

The fourth Tecumseh (SSBN-628) was laid down on 1 June 1962 at Groton, Conn., by the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corp., launched on 22 June 1963; sponsored by Mrs. Robert L. F. Sikes; and was commissioned on 29 May 1964, Comdr. Arnett B. Taylor (blue crew) and Comdr. Charles S. Carlisle (gold crew) in command.

Tecumseh soon departed the east coast, bound for Hawaii. Based at Pearl Harbor, the nuclear-powered submarine deployed to the Marianas on 17 December 1964, arriving at Guam 12 days later to commence deterrent patrols. Alternately manned by "blue" and "gold" crews, she conducted 21 of these missions into 1969.

The submarine was then transferred to the Atlantic Fleet where she proceeded via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal to the east coast and arrived at Newport News, Va., on 8 November 1969. Soon thereafter, she entered the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company yards for a conversion which replaced her Polaris missiles system with its Poseidon counterpart. Emerging from drydock on 9 May 1970, Tecumseh underwent a thorough overhaul through that fall and winter before being assigned a new home port of Charleston, S.C., on 18 February 1971.

Tecumseh conducted sea trials and shakedown out of Charleston before conducting two deterrent patrols in late 1971. Subsequently deployed to Holy Loch, Scotland, Tecumseh arrived in Scottish waters on 9 February 1972. She conducted 18 more deterrent patrols out of Holy Loch through 1976.

Tecumseh was homeported in Charleston, South Carolina at least from March 1982 until entering Newport News shipyard for a refueling overhaul in 1983. After completion of this overhaul in Spring of 1987 she successfully completed sea trials, shakedown, and a successful missile launch and returned to her home port of Charleston, South Carolina,

From 1987 to 1992 Tecumseh was homeported in Charleston SC, making patrols from both Charleston and Holy Loch Scotland. In 1992, Tecumseh off-loaded its missiles and participated in war games out of Charleston for training of attack boats and other Anti-Submarine warfare vessels or planes. January 1993, Tecumseh transited the Panama Canal, and subsequently ported in Bremerton, WA for decommissioning.

Tecumseh was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 July 1993. Her scrapping via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington, was completed on 1 April 1994.