USS Kamehameha ( SSBN - 642 ) USS " Kamehameha " ( SSBN - 642 ) ( called " Kamfish " by her crew ) , a ballistic missile submarine , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Kamehameha I , the first King of Hawaii ( c . 1758 - 1819 ) . She is one of only two ships of the United States to be named after a monarch . She was later reclassified as an attack submarine and redesignated SSN - 642 . The ship ' s motto was " Imua " , which roughly translates ( from the Hawaiian ) as " go forth and conquer . " Another motto used by her crew was " Kam do . " Construction and commissioning . The contract to build " Kamehameha " was awarded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo , California , on 31 August 1962 and her keel was laid down there on 2 May 1963 . She was launched on 16 January 1965 , sponsored by Mrs . Samuel Wilder King , and commissioned on 10 December 1965 with Commander Roth S . Leddick in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Robert W . Dickieson in command of the Gold Crew . Conducting deterrence patrols during the Cold War , " Kamehameha " ' s armament as a ballistic missile submarine was 16 Poseidon ballistic missiles plus ten to twelve Mark 48 heavy torpedoes non - ADCAP ( advanced capability ) . Service history . " Kamehameha " was built in Vallejo , CA . Upon Completion she went on her first Sea Trials , off the coast of California . Afterwards , She went directly to Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , which was her home port until 1970 . Although Pearl Harbor was her home port , She made all of her Pacific patrols out of Apra Harbor , Guam , due to her nuclear armament . Early in 1966 , " Kamehameha " joined the United States Pacific Fleet and began her first deterrent patrol on 6 August 1966 . After this patrol in November 1966 , switched crews , and was soon underway again . It was on her last Pacific patrol that the Blue crew took her to the firing range to fire two dummy warhead Posideons . After that , the Gold crew took " Kamehameha " through the Panama Canal and on to Charleston , SC , which would be her new home port , until she entered the yards . The yard period started around 1971 . Between 1975 and 1977 she belonged to Submarine Group 2 , Squadron 16 ; homeported in New London CT , and advance - based in Rota Spain . She conducted nuclear deterrent patrols in the Atlantic and ' vicinity ' without incident in 1975 and 1976 . During September - November 1976 , " Kamehameha " spent time in Charleston , South Carolina conducting SPECOPS with other units , then onto the AUTEC range for qualifications prior to resuming patrol duties after her return to Rota . Her radio callsign during this period was NKAM . For much of her operational career , " Kamehameha " was based at Rota , Spain . Conversion to attack submarine . In July 1992 , " Kamehameha " was converted to a Dry Deck Shelter / swimmer delivery platform , reclassified as an attack submarine , and given hull number SSN - 642 ; her ballistic missile capability was removed and thereafter she carried only torpedo es as armament . Henceforth there was only one crew , and her subsequent missions included SEAL special warfare operations . Decommissioning and disposal . " Kamehameha " was decommissioned on 2 April 2002 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day . She was the last of the original " 41 for Freedom " fleet ballistic missile submarines in service , and the oldest submarine in the United States Navy at the time of her decommissioning . The wardroom of the oldest submarine in the fleet carried Richard O ' Kane ' s personal cribbage board , and upon the " Kamehameha ' s " decommissioning the board was transferred to the next oldest boat , . She holds the record for the longest service lifetime of any nuclear submarine — nearly 37 years . " Kamehameha " s scrapping via the Nuclear - Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton , Washington began in October 2001 and was completed on 28 February 2003 . Commemoration . " Kamehameha " s sail with fairwater planes , the upper half of her rudder , her bust of King Kamehameha I , a koa plate , bow and spear , and the wardroom monkeypod wood table are stored at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . Her periscope s have been donated to the Deterrent Park on Submarine Base Bangor , Washington , to become part of the exhibit .