Patrick Henry,
born in Hanover Co., Va., in 1736, was licensed to practice law
in 1760 and became an immediate success. On 20 May 1765, he became
a member of the House of Burgesses, defending the western and
northern counties against the tidewater region. He was the leader
of a new party between 1765 and 1770, thereafter consolidating
the opposition to Great Britain. Chosen delegate to the first
Continental Congress, he supported radical, nationalistic measures.
On 20 March 1775, at an assembly meeting in Richmond, he uttered
his famous saying “Give me liberty, or give me death.”
In May 1776, he was elected Governor of Virginia and twice reelected.
He was Governor again 1784-86. He died at Red Hill Plantation,
Charlotte Co., Va., 1799.
PATRICK HENRY
(SSBN-599) was laid down by the Electric Boat Division, General
Dynamics Corp., Groton, Conn.; 27 May 1958; launched 22 September
1959; sponsored by Mrs. Leslie C. Arends; and commissioned 9 April
1960, Comdr. Harold E. Shear (blue crew) and Comdr. Robert L.
J. Long (gold crew) in command.
Manned alternately
by two crews, blue and gold, to maximize her submerged operation,
PATRICK HENRY underwent shakedown with the blue crew until 16
September, when the gold crew took over. This second Fleet Ballistic
Missile Submarine commenced her first deterrent patrol in December
1960, still manned by the gold crew. Between December 1960 and
December 1964, PATRICK HENRY conducted 17 deterrent patrols while
remaining continuously deployed overseas operating out of Holy
Loch, Scotland. When she surfaced at Holy Loch 8 March 1961 she
had set a record for her type cruising submerged 66 days and 22
hours.
In December
1964, PATRICK HENRY returned to Electric Boat Division of General
Dynamics, Groton, Conn., where she remained for 18 months to complete
extensive overhaul and repair operations, including refueling
of the reactor plant and modifications to permit the handling
of the Polaris A-3 missiles. After shakedown in mid-1966 off Puerto
Rico and Cape Kennedy, Fla., PATRICK HENRY departed Charleston
in December for patrol No. 18, equipped with A-3 Polaris missiles
and assigned to Submarine Squadron 14. On 1 March 1968, PATRICK
HENRY completed her 22nd patrol at Holy Loch. She remains with
the Atlantic Fleet into 1970.
[In fiscal
year 1981, in compliance with the SALT I treaty, the missile section
of PATRICK HENRY was “decommissioned.” Cement blocks were placed
in the missile tubes, the missile fire control system was removed
as was one of the ship’s inertial navigation systems. The ship
was reclassified SSN-599 on 24 October 1981 and retained primarily
for training, ASW exercises and other secondary duties. Decommissioned
on 25 May 1984 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 25
May 1985, former PATRICK HENRY began the Navy’s Nuclear Powered
Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Washington
on 1 October 1996. When she completed it on 31 August 1997, she
ceased to exist as an entity.
Illustrated by Sabani.
