| The ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) was
commissioned Saturday, July 29, 1995, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
in Kittery, Maine. |
| Secretary of Defense William J. Perry was the ceremony's principal
speaker, and Donna McLartywho christened the ship in July of 1994 and the
wife of then Counselor to the President Mack McLarty, made sponsor's
remarks |
| Speakers at the ceremony included Maine political leaders Senator
William S. Cohen, Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Representative John E. Baldacci,
Representative James B. Longley, Jr., and Governor Angus S. King; as well
as Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton and the Commander-in-Chief, U.S.
Strategic Command, Admiral Henry G. Chiles, Jr. |
| Maine was the 16th of 18 Ohio Class ballistic missile
submarines authorized by Congress and is manned by two rotating crews of
16 officers and 157 enlisted personnel. Captain Gary A. Gradisnik, USN, a
native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the first commanding officer for the
Blue crew, and Commander David L. Comis, USN, of Thousand Oaks, California,
was the first commanding officer of the Gold crew. |
| Maine development was based on extensive considerations
of all aspects of survivability and capabilities required in a sea based
deterrent platform designed for operations through the next century. |
| Maine incorporates the new, more quiet machinery that
cannot be installed in other fleet ballistic missile submarines because of
space and weight constraints. It has an advanced sonar system, comparable
to that developed for the United States Navy's newest attack submarines.
This sonar suite is capable of providing long-range detection and a more
effective capabilities for tracking other ships or submarines. |
| Key features of Maine include: improved maintainability,
reliability, and availability resulting from modular replacement concepts
of major equipment, improved design and incorporation of integrated logistics
support. |
| Maine has additional growth potential to accommodate future
technology as it becomes available, both in ship systems and in larger missiles.
High patrol speeds will greatly increase ocean operating area, providing
the ability to avoid potential enemies, thus enhancing survivability. |
| Specifications: |
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LENGTH: 560ft
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HULL DIAMETER: 42ft
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DRAFT: 36ft
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DISPLACEMENT (SUBMERGED): 18,750 TONS
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MISSILE TUBES: 24
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TORPEDO TUBES: 4
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COMPLEMENT: 173
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