James Madison-class
Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines
41 FOR FREEDOM — IMPROVED ELECTRONICS
10 BOATS · SSBN-627 TO SSBN-636 · 1964
An improved Lafayette with upgraded navigation, fire control, and electronics. Ten boats that carried the sea-based nuclear deterrent through the height of the Cold War. Several upgraded from Poseidon to Trident I C-4 missiles, extending their strategic reach. Sam Rayburn and Daniel Webster still serve as moored training ships at Charleston.
JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS James Madison
Lead Ship of Class
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1992
Status
Lead ship of the class with upgraded fire control systems and electronics over the Lafayettes. Named for the fourth president and 'Father of the Constitution.' Carried Poseidon missiles on Atlantic deterrent patrols for nearly three decades.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Tecumseh
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Named for the Shawnee leader who built the greatest Native American military confederation in history. Conducted deterrent patrols from Charleston and Holy Loch, Scotland.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Daniel Boone
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1994
Status
Upgraded from Poseidon to Trident I C-4 missiles, extending her patrol reach across the Atlantic. Named for the legendary frontier explorer. Built at Mare Island, one of the few West Coast-built boomers.
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USS John C. Calhoun
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1994
Status
Upgraded to Trident I missiles. Named for the South Carolina senator and vice president who championed states' rights. Patrolled from Charleston — fittingly, the city where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Ulysses S. Grant
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Groton
Homeport
Decomm. 1992
Status
Named for the general who won the Civil War and the 18th president. Carried Poseidon missiles on Atlantic patrols. One of the EB-built Madisons homeported at Groton.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Von Steuben
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1994
Status
Named for Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the Prussian officer who trained the Continental Army at Valley Forge and turned Washington's ragged militia into a professional fighting force. Carried Poseidon on Atlantic deterrent patrols.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Casimir Pulaski
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1994
Status
Named for the Polish cavalry officer who became the 'Father of the American Cavalry' and died leading a charge at the Siege of Savannah. Upgraded to Trident I missiles for extended deterrent patrols.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Stonewall Jackson
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1995
Status
Named for the Confederate general whose stand at First Bull Run earned him his legendary nickname. Upgraded to Trident I missiles. Last Madison-class boat decommissioned in 1995.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Sam Rayburn
Moored Training Ship
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
MTS — Charleston
Status
After decommissioning in 1989, converted alongside Daniel Webster to a moored training ship at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston. Her reactor and engineering spaces continue training nuclear operators. Named for the longest-serving Speaker of the House.
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JAMES MADISON CLASS
USS Nathanael Greene
Grounding - Retired Early
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1986
Status
Suffered a serious grounding in the Irish Sea that damaged her hull beyond economical repair. Decommissioned in 1986 — the first Madison-class boat retired and one of the youngest boomers scrapped. Named for the Revolutionary War general who was Washington's most trusted field commander.
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