| THE HONORABLE HENRY M. JACKSON (1912-1983) |
| Henry M. Jackson served on Capitol Hill for 42 years, the last
31 of which he spent in the Senate. As a dominant member of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, he led an important faction within the Democratic party
in his support of a more aggressive role in world affairs. Senator Jackson
was a strong proponent of the TRIDENT submarine program, a watchdog over
U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations, and a critic of SALT. Held in the ship's library
and dating back to 1955 is a set of point papers, newspaper articles, and
speeches which give clear testimony to his firm commitment to rapid development
of nuclear submarines and the POLARIS program (vessels which he often called
"underwater satellites"); a greatly expanded attack submarine program to
counter a rapidly growing Soviet fleet; emphasis upon arctic operations;
and most recently, the TRIDENT program. In 1959, after riding the USS
Skipjack (SSN 585) at sea with (then) VADM Rickover, Senator Jackson
called for the establishment of a Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Undersea
Warfare because he believed submarines were "lost in a welter of naval
bureaucracy." |
| Senator Jackson was lauded as a true "Defender of Freedom" in
a speech given on the Senate floor shortly after his death. These words are
now, appropriately, found in the ship's insignia |
| In a September 1973 Senate speech, Senator Jackson stated the
following: |
| "If we choose the prudent course - to proceed without delay with
the TRIDENT program - we can at least be certain that we will have done what
we can do to support the effort of our negotiators to obtain an equitable
SALT agreement if we can - and to protect our national security if we cannot.
" |
| This submarine bearing his name is a fitting tribute to the man
who so labored to keep America strong and free. |
| Statistical Data: |
-
KEEL LAID - 19 January 1981
-
LAUNCHED - 15 October 1983
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COMMISSIONED - 6 October 1984
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SPONSORED BY - Mrs. Anna Marie Jackson Laurence
-
LENGTH - 560 FEET
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DISPLACEMENT
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SURFACED: 16,764 TONS
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SUBMERGED: 18,750 TONS
-
HULL DIAMETER - 42 FEET
-
DRAFT - 36 FEET
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MISSILE TUBES - 24
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COMPLEMENT - Total 154
-
Officers 17
-
Chief Petty Officers 15
-
E6 And Below 122
|
