George Washington-class (SSBN-598)

The US Navy initiated its submarine-based nuclear deterrent role in 1957 using converted diesel-electric boats and the nuclear-powered USS Halibut equipped with Regulus cruise missiles. The Regulus system required the vessel to surface for launch and utilized radio-signal guidance. To address vulnerabilities and range limitations associated with cruise missiles, the Navy transitioned to ballistic missile development. Research initially focused on a sea-based version of the liquid-fueled Jupiter missile. Following the 1956 Project Nobska conference, the Navy shifted focus to the solid-fueled Polaris missile.

The George Washington class was the first US Navy class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The design utilized the Skipjack-class fast attack submarine as a baseline, incorporating a missile compartment between the navigation areas and the nuclear reactor. Five units were completed between 1958 and 1961. The first three vessels were reordered from Skipjack hulls under construction or planned at Electric Boat and Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The final two units were built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. These vessels utilized a two-crew rotation system, designated Blue and Gold.

The class entered service in 1959, with the first deterrent patrol occurring from late 1960 to early 1961. These vessels formed part of the "41 for Freedom" fleet. Initially equipped with Polaris A1 missiles, the class transitioned to Polaris A3 missiles between 1964 and 1965. At the time of their introduction, contemporary Soviet ballistic missile submarines carried fewer missiles; the Soviet Navy did not commission a comparable nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine until the 1967 introduction of the Yankee class.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the US Navy began withdrawing the class from the strategic deterrent role to comply with SALT II treaty limitations and accommodate the introduction of the Ohio class. Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were decommissioned by 1982 following the removal of their missile compartments. The remaining three units—George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Robert E. Lee—had their missiles removed and were reclassified as attack submarines, operating out of Pearl Harbor. These vessels served in that capacity until decommissioning by early 1985. All units were disposed of through the Ship-Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton.