USS Michigan (SSGN-727)

USS Michigan (SSBN-727/SSGN-727) is an Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided missile submarine (SSGN), converted from a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), that is part of the United States Navy. She is the third vessel to bear the name of the U.S. state of Michigan.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Michigan.

USS Michigan as SSBN-727 (2002)
History
United States
NameUSS Michigan (SSGN-727)
NamesakeUS state of Michigan
Ordered28 February 1975
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down4 April 1977
Launched26 April 1980
Commissioned11 September 1982
HomeportNaval Base Kitsap, Bangor, Washington
MottoTuebor ("I will defend")
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeOhio-class
Displacement
  • 16,764 long tons (17,033 t) surfaced[1][2]
  • 18,750 long tons (19,050 t) submerged[1]
Length560 ft (170 m)
Beam42 ft (13 m)[1]
Draft38 ft (12 m)
Propulsion
SpeedGreater than 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)[5]
Test depthGreater than 800 feet (240 m)[5]
Complement
Armament

Construction and commissioning

Michigan was constructed at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, and was commissioned on 11 September 1982. Michigan arrived in Bangor, Washington, on 16 March 1983 and completed sixty-six Strategic Deterrent Patrols. She was originally designed and commissioned as a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) capable of deploying 24 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with nuclear warheads.

Conversion to SSGN
Main article: Ohio-class_submarine § SSBN/SSGN_conversions

As of June 2007, Michigan has been converted to an SSGN at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.[6] Her hull classification symbol then changed from SSBN-727 to SSGN-727.

Post-conversion

On 12 December 2009, Michigan returned to Naval Base Kitsap, her home base, completing her first deployment after the SSGN conversion. The deployment began 10 November 2008, and included numerous missions. The boat also completed several theater security cooperation engagements with Pacific Rim nations.[7]

On 28 June 2010, Michigan was one of three Ohio-class submarines involved in a US response to Chinese missile testing in the contested East China Sea. Michigan, Ohio, and Florida all surfaced simultaneously in the waters of South Korea, the Philippines, and the British Indian Ocean Territory respectively.[8][9]

In August 2016, Chief Petty Officer Dominique Saavedra became the first enlisted female sailor to earn her submarine qualification, and was assigned to Michigan.[10] (The first female, both officer and overall was in 2011.[11])

On 25 April 2017, Michigan docked at Busan Naval Base, South Korea, during a time of heightened tensions with North Korea. She later joined the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group in the Sea of Japan for exercises.[12] Photographs show a dry deck shelter mounted on Michigan.

Michigan returned to Busan Naval Base, South Korea on 15 June 2023, the day after North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast. The visual display of the submarine - again with a mounted dry deck shelter - was done to demonstrate the US resolve to support and protect South Korea against North Korea's recent aggression.[13]

References
  1. "SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines". Federation of American Scientists. 9 February 2000. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  2. Frost, Peter. "Newport News contract awarded". Daily Press. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". Fissile Materials. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. Brendan Patrick Hanlon (July 2015). Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors (PDF) (Master thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  5. "Submarine Frequently Asked Questions". Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  6. "Ceremony Celebrates USS Michigan Conversion". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  7. "Michigan completes first SSGN deployment". Military Times. 16 December 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  8. "In 2010, the U.S. Navy Surfaced Three Missiles Subs as a Warning to China". War is Boring. Medium. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  9. Torode, Greg. "US submarines emerge in show of military might". Viet-Studies. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  10. "1st enlisted female sailor gets submarine qualification". Chicago Tribune. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  11. "USS Ohio Gold Crew Member Becomes First Female Supply Officer to Qualify in Submarines". Navy Currents. Sea Technology. August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013.
  12. "North Korea tensions: USS Michigan submarine to enter South Korean port". Fox News. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  13. "U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrives at South Korea's Busan port". Reuters. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register and various news articles.
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