USS Boston SSN-703 Submarine Model. Sail again with the crew of the USS Boston SSN-703 in this handcrafted wooden submarine model. Each piece is carved from wood and handpainted to provide a piece you’ll love. Length – 20 inches. History The contract to build Boston was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 10 December 1973 and her keel was laid down on 11 August 1978. She was launched on 19 April 1980 sponsored by Mrs. Karen Dane Hidalgo (née Jernstedt), wife of the Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo, and commissioned on 30 January 1982, with Captain Jon M. In 1998 Boston participated in a UNITAS South America deployment. Decommissioning Due to cutbacks in the Defense Budget; Boston, like many of her early Los Angeles-class sisters was not given her mid-life nuclear refueling, and was decommissioned and stricken on 19 November 1999 from the Naval Vessel Register. Her sail and upper rudder were preserved for display at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York. The crew distinguished themselves on numerous occasions by meritorious service and outstanding performance. Her other awards included.