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SSBN-616 Lafayette-Class FBM Submarines

The USS James Monroe (SSBN-622) on 9 January 1968 became the first submarine with POLARIS A2's to enter overhaul and to receive POLARIS A3 capability.

In 1974 the SSBN Extended Refit Program (ERP). was initiated. Previously, an operational SSBN was scheduled to undergo an overhaul approximately every 7 ½ years, which resulted in taking it off line for almost 2 years. To increase the SSBNs at sea effectiveness, it was decided to initiate a program to accomplish some preventive/corrective maintenance (mini-overhaul) on SSBNs at its normal refit site. This was done by extending a normal 32-day refit/upkeep between patrols to provide a 60-day extended refit period. This was to be conducted at 4-year and 7 ½ year intervals after initial deployment or overhaul of a SSBN. The time between overhauls was then extended to 10 years versus the 7 ½ years. The first SSBN to undergo ERP was the USS James Madison (SSBN-627); the ERP was conducted at the Holy Loch, Scotland, tender refit site in September- November 1974.

Lockheed commenced the TRIDENT I (C4) program in November of 1973 with the missile's IOC date established as 1979. The first of the new Ohio-Class submarines was authorized in 1974 but would not be available until 1979. Thus the Navy decided to borrow a page from the Extended Refit Program (ERP) book and a C3 to C4 SSBN "backfit" program was initiated in mid- 1976. Five additional SSBNs 629, 630, and 634 underwent a "pierside backfit" while three other SSBNs (627, 632, and 633) were backfitted during their normally-scheduled second shipyard overhauls.

Sources and Resources

• Nuclear Submarine Homepages

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