Military

Over nearly 36 years, Kamehameha created a legacy of excellence in a diverse array of mission assignments. The Hawaii-based submarine was the namesake of a fearless leader who united the Hawaiian kingdom and then ensured relative peace under his reign. He thus changed forever the spiritual, social, and economic destiny of Hawaii and its people. Legend has it that he was born during the appearance of Halley's comet and that this was a sign that he would rise to greatness. The name Kamehameha (pronounced kuh-MAY-ha-MAY-ha) means "the one set apart."

USS Kamehameha (SSN-642) returns to Pearl Harbor, completing the final deployment of her 36-year career.

In much the same way, the submarine's richly unique history, which stretched across four decades, mirrored that of the great king - set apart. The ship, the 30th of America's "41 for Freedom" fleet ballistic missile submarines, was originally built to serve as a strategic deterrent at the height of the Cold War. Subsequently, Kamehameha had her strategic missiles removed and was converted to accommodate special forces.

The submarine's last Commanding Officer, CDR Ed Seal, felt strongly about the unique capabilities of his submarine and her crew. "The submarine fulfilled an excellent mission, and the crew was well-trained and able to execute whenever directed by the National Command Authority. Despite her age, this ship was able to go anywhere in the world and conduct any mission with which she was tasked," Seal said.

Contrary to popular belief, the end of the Cold War brought an increase to submarine tasking, despite a decrease in available assets. Responsibilities have increasingly shifted to data collection, Tomahawk strike warfare contingencies, intelligence, surveillance, indications and warning, counter-drug operations, and engagement with allies. The unlimited range, mobility, stealth and firepower of submarines have become crucial to the nation's defense inventory. Kamehameha's conversion was, in retrospect, a prophetic decision for a transformational Navy.

The "Kam," as the submarine was affectionately known, was built at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, Calif., and was commissioned December 10, 1965. Her first two commanding officers were CDR Roth S. Leddick (Blue crew) and then CDR Robert Dickieson (Gold crew).

"I was certainly excited to be a part of the commissioning crew," said now-retired Navy CAPT Dickieson. "I was primarily a fast-attack boat Sailor, so I had to learn a great deal to come up to speed."

Kamehameha's final Chief of the Boat, CMDMC David "Chuck" Minnich, had served aboard the Kamehameha for more than three years. "I think our ship really carried through in every aspect of our tour and life here. Much like the original Kamehameha, we too can say that we allowed children to live safely. The guys were really proud to go downtown into Honolulu and say 'I'm from the Kamehameha.' It always generated interest with the people they were talking to," said Minnich.

USS Kamehameha was sponsored by Mrs. Samuel Wilder King at the launching. Her husband was one of the first Hawaiians to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, served as governor of the territory of Hawaii, and strived for Hawaiian statehood.

Kamehameha served valiantly in Submarine Squadrons 1, 14, 15, 16, and 18, and deployed from diverse ports spanning the globe, from Guam, to Charleston, South Carolina, to Rota, Spain. Most recently homeported in Pearl Harbor, she was actively engaged throughout the Pacific performing in all types of exercises and operations with allies.

In addition to normal submarine missions, such as sea control, surveillance, ASW, and strike, the dual dry-deck shelter-equipped Kamehameha was provided the opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous flexibility and capabilities of submarine-delivered Special Operations Forces. The dual dry-deck shelters were fitted on the back of the submarine and served as "garages" for swimmer delivery vehicles and stowage of equipment such as inflatable rafts. Divers and Special Operations Forces could deploy from these shelters while the submarine remained submerged, which allowed covert forces to remain undetected in getting to their destination. Upon return from their mission ashore, the swimmers could again rejoin the submarine while it remained submerged. This edge in stealth made Kamehameha the ship of choice for conducting such missions.

"Kamehameha very much demonstrates the ability to take a submarine and convert it from one mission (strategic deterrence) to another (special warfare). After more than 25 years of satisfying deterrence, the submarine performed outstandingly in a whole new role," Seal said. Showcasing the inherent flexibility offered by the larger platform, Kamehameha has, in fact, carried as many as 200 troops for a short time, and did so without reducing its load of torpedoes, which are the ship's primary offensive and defensive weapons.

"Now that USS Kamehameha has been inactivated, the nation has lost the dual dry-deck shelter capability, flexibility, and a dedicated platform for operations," said LT Chap Godbey, the ship's final Navigator. "The Navy does have an opportunity to re-establish this capability fully with the proposed conversion of four SSBN's to a strike and special operations configuration (SSGN). This proposal would retain the first four TRIDENT submarines for more than 80 submarine-years of continued service rather than decommission them before the end of their hull lives," he added.

The four oldest TRIDENT submarines, USS Ohio (SSBN-726), USS Michigan (SSBN-727), USS Florida (SSBN-728), and USS Georgia (SSBN-729), are under active consideration for conversion from SSBN (ballistic missile submarine) to SSGN (guided missile submarine). Carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles, or a large special operations force contingent (four platoons), Trident SSGNs would build on the concepts proven by ships like the Kamehameha and USS James K. Polk (SSN-645) to provide our CINCs with extraordinary firepower, capability, and versatility. Inactivation of the first four Trident SSBNs begins in 2003.

Following the ceremony recently held in Pearl Harbor, the USS Kamehameha is scheduled to journey to Bremerton, Washington to be de-fueled, cut up, and recycled. "Decommissioning the ship and transferring off leaves an empty spot in my heart. I appreciate the work of the crew and their dedication to keep it operating. I think the accomplishments of the crew and submarine created a legacy and demonstrated what the spirit of the American people do every day," said Minnich.