USS Theodore Roosevelt ( SSBN - 600 ) USS " Theodore Roosevelt " ( SSBN - 600 ) , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for President Theodore Roosevelt ( 1858 – 1919 ) . Initially unnamed and assigned hull classification symbol SSGN - 600 as a guided missile submarine , her keel was laid down on 20 May 1958 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard using components initially assembled for the nuclear attack submarine . She was named " Theodore Roosevelt " and redesignated fleet ballistic missile submarine SSBN - 600 on 6 November 1958 , launched on 3 October 1959 sponsored by Mrs . Alice Roosevelt Longworth ( 1884 – 1980 ) , daughter of the ship ' s namesake , and commissioned on 13 February 1961 with Commander William E . Sims commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Oliver H . Perry , Jr . commanding the Gold Crew . 1960s . On 18 February 1961 , " Theodore Roosevelt " departed Mare Island , California , bound for the United States East Coast . On 7 March , she became the first FBM submarine to transit the Panama Canal . On 11 March 1961 , she arrived at Cape Canaveral , Florida . After successfully firing her first Polaris A1 missile on 20 March 1961 and completing her shakedown training , she arrived in Groton , Connecticut , on 1 May for post - shakedown repairs at the Electric Boat Company shipyard . She completed those repairs on 24 June 1961 and departed Groton , bound for Charleston , South Carolina . " Theodore Roosevelt " stopped at Norfolk , Virginia , along the way and arrived at Charleston on 7 July 1961 . Between 7 July and 19 July 1961 , she loaded Polaris missiles at the Naval Ammunition Depot , Charleston , and made all other preparations for her first deployment . On 19 July 1961 , she stood out of Charleston on her first deterrent patrol . She concluded that patrol on 23 September 1961 at the FBM submarine base at Holy Loch , Scotland . Over the next three and one - half years , " Theodore Roosevelt " made 15 more deterrent patrols from the Holy Loch . Late in the spring of 1965 , she departed Holy Loch on her 17th and final patrol of the deployment to Holy Loch . She concluded that patrol and the deployment when she arrived in Charleston on 15 June 1965 . She unloaded her 16 Polaris missiles and then departed Charleston for New London , Connecticut , where she arrived on 26 June 1965 . At New London , " Theodore Roosevelt " entered the shipyard of the Electric Boat Division for an extensive overhaul . Between July 1965 and January 1967 , her nuclear reactor was refueled and her Polaris weapon system was modified to accept the more advanced Polaris A3 missile . She completed overhaul on 14 January 1967 and began sea trials and refresher training , all of which culminated in the successful firing of a Polaris A3 missile at the Cape Canaveral missile range late in April 1967 . At the end of the training period , she returned to Charleston to load missiles and to prepare for another series of deterrent patrols out of Holy Loch . She embarked upon her 18th patrol on 1 June 1967 and completed that cruise at the Holy Loch base . " Theodore Roosevelt " ' s second tour of duty operating from the Scotland base proved to be very brief in comparison to her first . Between mid - June 1967 and February 1968 , she completed her 18th through 21st patrols . On 20 March 1968 while returning to Holy Loch from her 21st patrol , she ran aground off the western coast of Scotland . After drydocking for temporary correction of the damage , she departed Holy Loch on 5 April 1968 to return to the United States for permanent repairs . Between 18 April and 20 April 1968 she unloaded her missiles at Charleston and headed north to New London . On 23 April 1968 , she arrived in the shipyard of the Electric Boat Division and commenced an extended repair period . Labor disputes caused delays , and " Theodore Roosevelt " did not complete her repairs until mid - October 1968 . She spent the latter part of that month in sea trials and then departed New London on 2 November 1968 on her post - repair shakedown cruise . She visited Norfolk , Virginia , Puerto Rico , and St . Croix in the United States Virgin Islands before concluding the cruise at Charleston on 27 November 1968 . She conducted training operations out of Charleston before deploying to Holy Loch again early in 1969 . 1970s . That tour of duty lasted until May 1971 . During the interim , " Theodore Roosevelt " conducted nine more deterrent patrols , returning to Holy Loch for refit after each . On 12 May 1971 , she stood out of Holy Loch on the 31st patrol of her career . On 20 July 1971 , she arrived in New London completing both the patrol and the Holy Loch deployment . She remained in New London for three weeks , during which time members of her Blue crew and her Gold crew were brought together into a single overhaul crew while other members of both crews moved on to other assignments . On 10 August 1971 , she headed south to Charleston where she arrived on 13 August 1971 . Over the next month , she underwent refit and then departed Charleston on 11 September 1971 for special operations . " Theodore Roosevelt " returned to Charleston on 30 September 1971 and remained there a week and a day before returning to sea for another three weeks of special operations . She reentered Charleston on 1 November 1971 and began preoverhaul restricted repairs . Three weeks later , she officially began her refueling overhaul , which lasted for more than two years . " Theodore Roosevelt " completed her overhaul in January 1974 . During the following two months , she conducted sea trials out of Charleston . In April and May shakedown training and nuclear weapons certification preparations occupied her time . In June , she conducted a one - week United States Naval Academy midshipman familiarization cruise out of New London , then underwent nuclear propulsion safety training before deperming at Norfolk . In mid - June , she received word of her reassignment to the United States Pacific Fleet with her new home port to be Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . Between July and September 1974 , " Theodore Roosevelt " conducted another midshipman training cruise ; then settled into predeployment training and preparations . She departed Charleston on 20 September 1974 , transited the Panama Canal on 5 October , and , after a nine - day stop for missile loadout at Strategic Weapons Facility , Pacific in Bangor , Washington , continued on to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived on 4 November 1974 . On 10 November , she departed Pearl Harbor , bound for the Mariana Islands . She entered port at Guam on 24 November , underwent refit at her new advanced base there , and began her first deterrent patrol in the Pacific Ocean on 31 December 1974 . " Theodore Roosevelt " conducted patrols out of Guam until 16 December 1977 at which time she departed on her 43rd deterrent patrol . Decommissioning and disposal . On 1 December 1982 , " Theodore Roosevelt " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and her hulk was stored in Bremerton , Washington , until its turn came to enter the Nuclear Power Ship and Submarine Recycling Program . On 24 March 1995 , ex - " Theodore Roosevelt " ceased to exist .