USS ULYSSES S. GRANT SSBN 631
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
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From the laying of the keel in 1963 to it’s decommissioning in 1992,
the submarine USS U.S. Grant (SSBN 631)
had many distinguished guests that graced her decks.
Here is a list of some of her more honored guests.
Mrs. David W. Griffiths of Arlington, VA.
S he is the great granddaughter of Ulysses S. Grant and was the sponsor for the
ship. Mrs. Griffiths had the honor of smashing the champagne bottle on the bow
christening the Grant and launching her into the Thames River.
Admiral Harold P. Smith, Commander in Chief of the unified U.S. Atlantic Command; Commander in Chief of U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
He was the principal speaker at the Launching Ceremony on 2 Nov 1963.
Captain J.J. Tubbs, Chaplain at the New London Submarine Base.
He gave the invocation at the Launching Ceremony on 2 Nov 1963.
Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, Atomic Energy Commission and
Navy Nuclear Power Program Representative.
Aboard for first sea trials on 27 May 1964.
Richard Cardinal Cushing.
Came aboard while touring General Dynamics Shipyard on 13 July 1964.
Rear Admiral Vernon L. Lowrance, Deputy Commander Atlantic Submarine Force.
Principal speaker at Commissioning Ceremony on 17 July 1964.
Rear Admiral Redfield Mason, Commandant Third naval District.
Participant in Commissioning Ceremony on 17 July 1964.
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Rockwell, famous illustrator.
Entertained aboard by the Gold Crew and Captain C.A.K. McDonald in the fall of
1964 at Cape Canaveral.
Commander and Mrs. Donald V. Gorman, Commanding Officer of USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838).
The Gorman’s presented the USS Grant an heirloom pistol carried by General
Ulysses S. Grant at a change of command ceremony in Guam on November of
1966.
Gypsy Rose Lee, famous actress.
Guest of Blue Crew aboard USS Grant in 1968 in Guam.
Dependents Cruise.
Approximately 130 Guam Naval Submarine Support personnel and their
dependents went to sea on the USS Grant for a day cruise in May of 1969,
as a goodwill gesture to give the dependents an opportunity to see the results
of their support efforts.
8th Greencock Company of Boys’ Brigade.
Young boys toured the USS Grant in June of 1973.
Congressman Claude Leach (R-Louisiana).
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Posiedon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Congressman James Jeffries (R-Kansas).
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Poseidon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Congressman William Carney (R-New York).
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Poseidon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Congressman Ike Skelton (D-Missouri).
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Poseidon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Rear Admiral C.R. Larson, Director of the Strategic Submarine Division and
Trident Program.
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Poseidon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Dr. James P. Wade, Assistant to Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy.
Aboard for the submerged test firing of a C-3 Poseidon Missile at the Atlantic Fleet
Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida on 26 May 1979.
Anniversary Guest Cruise.
Families and friends of shipmates were treated to a day cruise on 21 July 1979, in
honor of the return of the USS U.S. Grant to Groton after an extensive shipyard
overhaul in Newport News, Virginia. This was the first return to it’s commissioning
port after an absence of 15 years.
Vice Admiral S.A. White, Commander Submarine Forces Atlantic.
Visited USS Grant Gold Crew during month long refit in Holy Loch, Scotland in
August of 1980.
Rear Admiral Howard W. Habermeyer, Commander Submarine Group Two.
The principal speaker at the USS Grant Deactivation and Decommissioning
Ceremony in Groton at the Sub Base on 20 December 1991.
Frank J. Williams, President of the Ulysses S. Grant Historical Association.
Speaker at the USS Grant Deactivation and Decommissioning Ceremony in Groton
at the Sub Base on December 20, 1991.
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