| Submarine Squadron Fourteen | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 1958 - 1992 |
| Disbanded | 1992 |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Part of | Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | Bangor, Washington |
Submarine Squadron 14 (SUBRON 14), also known as Site One, Holy Loch, was a United States Navy submarine squadron. It was based at Holy Loch, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, between 1958 and 1992.
During World War II, USS Bushnell (AS-15) served as tender and staff headquarters for Submarine Squadron 14's staff and Division Staff in Pearl Harbor from July to September 1943. [1] [2] Postwar, it consisted of Polaris and, later, Poseidon Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines based at Holy Loch, Firth of Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. Commissioned on July 1, 1958, the squadron arrived at FBM Refit Site One, Holy Loch, on March 3, 1961 and departed in June 1992. [3] [4] The squadron was part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The squadron also included a series of submarine tenders anchored out in the loch, initially USS Proteus (AS-19), tugs, barges, small boats, and the floating drydock Los Alamos (AFDB-7). [5] The site was a deep, sheltered anchorage which had been a British submarine base during World War II, with the Submarine Depot Ship HMS Forth serving as a support unit for submarines training in the Clyde. [6]
From the latter half of 1978 until November 1991, USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659) was forward deployed at Site One. On November 9, 1991, Will Rogers departed Site One, the last submarine to leave Holy Loch before Submarine Squadron 14 was deactivated. [7]
There was also a large number of small boats used to transport personnel and supplies from the shore to the ship. Among these small boats were 40 and 50 ft (12 and 15 m) Utility Boats, LCM Mk6 and Mk8 landing craft, some with the holds roofed over for personnel transport, and a 32 ft (9.8 m) officers motorboat. The ships' divers had a LCM Mk6 modified as a dive boat. There was also a boat known as the "Box L" of uncertain heritage.
The idea for the Polaris Military Tartan came from Captain Walter F. Schlech while he was Commodore of SUBRON 14 in the early 1960s. The design of the tartan was the work of Alexander MacIntyre of nearby Strone, Cowal. The yellow and sky blue lines are said to represent the alternating blue and gold crews of the FBM submarines. [10] The tartan is worn by the members of the United States Naval Academy Pipes and Drums.
USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), named after the American Revolutionary War figure and Founding Father Patrick Henry (1736–1799), was a George Washington class nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine of the United States Navy. She was later converted into an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-599.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600), a George Washington-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919). Initially unnamed and assigned hull classification symbol SSGN-600 as a guided missile submarine, her keel was laid down on 20 May 1958 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard using components initially assembled for the Skipjack-class submarine nuclear attack submarine USS Scamp (SSN-588). She was named Theodore Roosevelt and redesignated fleet ballistic missile submarine SSBN-600 on 6 November 1958, launched on 3 October 1959, sponsored by Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and widow of Nicholas Longworth III, and commissioned on 13 February 1961 with Commander William E. Sims commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Oliver H. Perry, Jr. commanding the Gold Crew.
USS Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601), a George Washington-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), the commanding general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War.
USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), a George Washington-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1861–1865), the first being USS President Lincoln (1907).
The Holy Loch is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
The third USS Proteus (AS-19) was a Fulton-class submarine tender in the United States Navy.
USS Betelgeuse (AK-260) was the last of the cargo ships in service in the United States Navy. On 10 April 1944, it was renamed the SS Colombia Victory after being launched as a Victory ship to carry cargo during World War II. She was transferred to the US Navy in 1951.
ABSD-7, an advanced base sectional dock, was constructed of seven advance base docks (ABD) as follows: ABD-37, ABD-38, ABD-39, and ABD-40 were built by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Morgan City, Louisiana, and completed in December 1944 and January and February 1945; ABD-51 and ABD-52 were built by Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Company, Stockton, California, and completed in January and March 1945; and ABD-58 was built by Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and completed in October 1944.
USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), a James Madison-class ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Casimir Pulaski (1745–1779), a Polish general who served in the American Revolutionary War.
Sandbank is a village on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located 2.5 miles north of Dunoon on the coastal A815 or the inland A885 and sits on the southern shore of the Holy Loch, branching off the Firth of Clyde.
His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy. It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.
USS Canopus (AS-34) was a Simon Lake-class submarine tender of the United States Navy, operational from 1965 to 1994. The vessel was used to repair and refit submarine-launched Polaris nuclear-armed ballistic missiles and the submarines that deployed with them. The vessel primarily served US naval bases on the US Atlantic Coast and in Europe. In 1969, the ship was overhauled to maintain the new Poseidon Missile Systems. Taken out of service in 1995, the US Navy's intent to have the ship broken up for scrap in the United Kingdom was controversial. By 2010 demolition had been completed.
A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing and relaxation. Depot ships may be identified as tenders in American English. Depot ships may be specifically designed for their purpose or be converted from another purpose.
USS Holland was a submarine tender in service with the United States Navy from 1963 to 1996.
USS Hunley (AS-31) was a submarine tender of the United States Navy launched on 28 September 1961 and commissioned 16 June 1962. The Hunley was designed to tend most of the long-term requirements of the Polaris Class of submarines. The ship achieved several records and milestones in its service. The Hunley was decommissioned from the regular navy, in 1995 transferred to the US Maritime Commission, and in 2007 sold as scrap to a metal recycling company in Louisiana. In September 2008, during Hurricane Gustav, the decommissioned ship broke free of its moorings in the New Orleans Inner Harbor, but caused little or no damage while adrift.
USS Alcor, AK-259, was a Greenville Victory-class cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1952 to 1968. She was originally built in 1944 as SS Rockland Victory, a World War II era Victory ship. She was sold for scrap in 1970.
Submarine Squadron 15 is a squadron of submarines of the United States Navy based at Naval Base Guam.
Events from the year 1961 in Scotland.
Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company was established in 1942 to build ships needed for World War II. Yard construction began on 1 March 1942. As part of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program, the US Navy provided some of the capital to start Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding at Port Gardner Bay in Everett, Washington. Everett-Pacific was sold in 1945 to the Pacific Car and Foundry, who was already a major manufacturer of railcars and trucks. Pacific Car and Foundry was building barges for the US Navy during World War II at plants in Renton, Seattle and Tacoma in the state of Washington. The lease for the shipyard in Everett, Washington ended in 1949 and the yard closed. Pacific Car and Foundry in 1972 changed its name to Paccar Inc. to reflect its major products. The Everett-Pacific shipyard site later became part of Western Gear, a heavy machinery manufacturer. From 1987 to 1992, the shipyard was rebuilt to become part of Naval Station Everett. Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding was started by William Pigott Jr. a Seattle businessmen and his brother Paul Pigott (1900-1961). William Pigott Jr. was born in 26 Aug. 1895 in Pueblo, CO and died on 8 July 1947 in San Francisco, CA.
Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Company was established in 1942 to build ships needed for World War II. As part of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program the US Navy provided some of the capital to start Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding at Stockton, California. The shipyard was located at San Joaquin River and Stockton Channel, near Louis Park. After the war the shipyard closed down in February 1946.
