Namesake:
Legacy name
FLORIDA is the first submarine and the sixth U.S. Naval vessel to bear
the name. The first FLORIDA was a survey sloop that served on survey
duty off of the southern coast between 1824 and 1831. The second, a
214-foot sidewheel steamer, operated from 1861-67. She saw Civil War
Service as a unit of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron patrolling
the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
At least two ships named FLORIDA were part of the Confederate Fleet
during the Civil War. One was 171-foot blockade runner, the other a
191foot cruiser that captured an impressive 37 Union ships. The third
predecessor was a steam frigate first named WAMPANOAG, then renamed
FLORIDA in 1869. She was sold in 1885. The fourth, a 252-foot monitor
(#9), served from 1901-1922 as a training vessel and submarine tender.
The fifth FLORIDA, (BB 30), a 521-foot, 21,000-ton battleship, was
commissioned in 1911. Part of Battleship Division 9 during World War I,
she served with the British Grand Fleet, performing convoy duty.
Following the war, she served as a training ship, then was scrapped
under the terms of the London Naval Treaty of 1930. The USS FLORIDA
(SSBN 728) is the third of the Ohio-Class submarines.
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Historical Notes:
The keel of the USS FLORIDA was laid on the occasion of the nation's
Bicentennial, July 4, 1976, at General Dynamics' Electric Boat
Division. The ship was unnamed at the keel-laying ceremony and remained
that way until January 19, 1981, when the Secretary of the Navy
officially assigned it the name FLORIDA.
The initial ship's crew formed the precommissioning unit on July
8,1980. The first shipboard watches were stationed on February 14,1981
to support the operational control transfer of engineering systems to
ship's force control.
On November 14, 1981, the FLORIDA was launched. Following a year of
construction and testing, the ship's nuclear reactor was initially
taken critical on November 13,1982. The ship went into service and the
crew moved onboard on January 21, 1983. FLORIDA commenced initial
builders' sea trials on February 21, 1983 and was subsequently
delivered to the Navy on May 17, 1983 - 43 days ahead of schedule. The
ship was commissioned on June 18, 1983.
Both crews successfully completed the demonstration and shakedown
operations, each culminated by the successful launch of a Trident C-4
missile. FLORIDA transited the Panama Canal in February and arrived in
Bangor, Washington on 25 March 1984. She completed her first strategic
deterrent patrol on July 25, 1984. As of November 1994, FLORIDA has
successfully completed 38 strategic deterrent patrols.
The FLORIDA has won four Submarine Squadron Battle Efficiency awards
(1988, 1989, 1991, and 1999) and in 1991 was selected as the top ship
in the Pacific Fleet by receipt of the MARJORIE STERRETT BATTLE SHIP
FUND AWARD. |
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