As SSBN The contract to build her was awarded to the
Electric Boat Division of
General Dynamics Corporation in
Groton, Connecticut on 1 July 1974 and her keel was laid down on 10 April 1976 by Katherine Longworth Whittaker Taft, wife of Senator
Robert Taft Jr. of Ohio. On 2 February 1978, the Precommissioning Unit was formed with Commander A. K. Thompson as its commanding officer.
Ohio was
launched on 7 April 1979 sponsored by Mrs. Annie Glenn, wife of Senator
John H. Glenn of Ohio. In the summer of 1981, sea trials were held to test the equipment and systems, and the submarine was delivered to the
U.S. Navy on 28 October 1981. On 11 November 1981,
Ohio was commissioned. The principal speaker,
Vice President George H. W. Bush, remarked to the 8000 assembled guests that the boat introduced a "new dimension in our nation's strategic deterrence," and Admiral
Hyman G. Rickover noted that
Ohio should "strike fear in the hearts of our enemies." On that day, command of the two crews (designated Blue and Gold) of
Ohio was assumed by Captain A. K. Thompson (Blue) and Captain A. F. Campbell (Gold). Following Post Shakedown Availability at Electric Boat Division,
Ohio left the Atlantic and transited to her new home port,
Bangor, Washington, by way of
Cape Canaveral – where she tested her missile launch systems – and the
Panama Canal, arriving on 12 August 1982. During August and September 1982, the first loadout of
Trident C-4 missiles and a predeployment refit were conducted.
Ohio and her Blue Crew departed on the first Trident Submarine Strategic Deterrent Patrol in October 1982. From June 1993 to June 1994
Ohio underwent overhaul at
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,
Bremerton, Washington, receiving extensive upgrades to sonar, fire control, and navigation systems.
Ohio resumed strategic deterrent patrols in January 1995 as part of Submarine Squadron Seventeen, Submarine Group Nine, Pacific Submarine Force.
Conversion to SSGN Original plans called for
Ohio to be retired in 2002. Instead,
Ohio and three sister boats were modified and remain in service as cruise missile submarines (
SSGNs). In November 2002
Ohio entered drydock, beginning a 36-month
refueling and conversion overhaul. Electric Boat announced on 9 January 2006 that the conversion had been completed.
As SSGN Following her conversion to a SSGN,
Ohio rejoined the fleet on 7 February 2006. On 21 January 2007, the Gold Crew departed
Naval Base Kitsap for
Hawaii to conduct a forward-deployed crew exchange, the first such forward-deployed swap in approximately 20 years. Ballistic submarines of
Ohios class employ two crews,
Blue and
Gold, in order to facilitate continuous operation at sea, called "forward-presence" in USN parlance. In November 2011, Lt. Britta Christianson became the first U.S. female officer, and first female overall, to complete submarine warfare qualification, while she was assigned to
Ohios Gold Crew.
CSC Dominique Saavedra became the first enlisted female to earn her submarine qualification aboard
Ohio in August 2016. She would go on to deploy with
Michigan, the first sub specially modified with separate accommodations for enlisted female crew. In December 2020, it was announced that
Ohio would be decommissioned and enter the
Ship-Submarine Recycling Program by 2026. ==Awards==