https://militaryboatsonline.com Mon, 04 May 2026 14:53:50 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.5 https://militaryboatsonline.com/2026/03/original-uss-von-steuben-ssbn-632-commanding-officer-double-sided-sign/ https://militaryboatsonline.com/2026/03/original-uss-von-steuben-ssbn-632-commanding-officer-double-sided-sign/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:20:42 +0000 https://militaryboatsonline.com/2026/03/original-uss-von-steuben-ssbn-632-commanding-officer-double-sided-sign/ read more)]]>











Original Commanding Officer Sign from the USS Von Steuben SSBN 632. It is double sided and appears to be made of a fiberglass or similar plastic like material. Measures 16″ x 4 5/8″. Has holes for hanging. Has some age wear as can be seen in photos, and they are separating as shown. I did not attempt to clean; it is as acquired. From a military estate. Thank you for looking..

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USS Von Steuben SSBN-632 Submarine Model. Sail again with the crew of the USS Von Steuben SSBN-632 in this handcrafted wooden Submarine Model. Each piece is carved from wood and handpainted to provide a piece you’ll love. Length – 20 inches. US Veteran Owned Business. The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger. Construction and commissioning The contract to build Von Steuben was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, on 20 July 1961 and her keel was laid down there on 4 September 1962. She was launched on 18 October 1963, sponsored by Mrs. Fred Korth, and commissioned on 30 September 1964, with Commander John P. Wise in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Jeffrey C. Metzel in command of the Gold Crew. During the autumn of 1964, the Von Steuben completed two shakedown cruises – one for each crew – and a period of antisubmarine warfare training between the two cruises. On 22 December 1964, her Gold Crew fired her first Polaris ballistic missile on the Atlantic Missile Range before returning to Newport News for Christmas. In March 1965, Von Steuben headed for her first duty assignment. She joined Submarine Squadron 18 at Charleston, South Carolina, her new base of operations, and immediately began conducting strategic deterrent patrols. At the end of her 11th deterrent patrol early in 1968, Von Steuben was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 16 and operated out of Rota, Spain, until the middle of 1969. Larson (1959) and before that was named Alan Seeger (1954). The submarine suffered external damage to the sail and superstructure. After local repairs at the submarine squadron facilities in Rota, she reported to Groton, Connecticut, for more detailed repairs at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation, after which she resumed deterrent patrols out of Rota. This incident was revisited, when USS Greeneville, on 9 February 2001, also conducted an emergency main ballast tank blow off the coast of Oahu while hosting several civilians. [3] Von Steuben had conducted an emergency main ballast tank blow due to its planes tangled in the submerged towline of the tug, jamming them so that the sub threatened to sink. Greenville blew her main ballast tanks merely to demonstrate a maneuver and not to escape from danger. Her captain consciously surrendered control of the vessel. The captain of Von Steuben had acted properly in ordering the emergency blow. However, Greenville’s captain had to face a court of inquiry and possibly a full court-martial, until his request to retire was approved. Upgraded ballistic missile system. In November 1970, Von Steuben visited Groton once again, this time near the end of a 16-month overhaul during which she was modified to carry the newly developed Poseidon C-3 ballistic missile, which boasted major advances in warhead technology and accuracy and systematically was replacing the older Polaris missiles in the Lafayette, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin-class submarines. Von Steuben conducted post-conversion shakedown during the early months of 1971 and, while escorted by the destroyer USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) for range security, conducted a two-missile Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) in which she fired her first and second Poseidon missiles in February and March 1971, respectively. She conducted an Extended Refit Period at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard between March 1978 and May 1978. Von Steuben’s ballistic missile system was upgraded a second time in the early 1980s to use Trident I (C4) ballistic missiles. [7] These missiles were also retrofitted to 11 other SSBNs of the James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes, replacing their Poseidon missiles, and also were the first missiles carried by the early Ohio-class submarines. Trident missiles were three-stage missiles that provided for increased range along with advances in inertial guidance systems. [8] Von Steuben continued making strategic deterrent patrols into the early 1990s with the Trident I missile. Decommissioning and disposal Von Steuben was decommissioned on 26 February 1994 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register simultaneously.

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