USS Halibut ( SSGN - 587 ) USS " Halibut " ( SSGN - 587 ) , a unique guided missile submarine turned special operations platform , later redesignated as an attack submarine SSN - 587 , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after the halibut . Operational history . " Halibut " s keel was laid down by Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo , California , on 11 April 1957 . She was launched on 9 January 1959 , sponsored by Mrs . Chet Holifield , wife of Congressman Chet Holifield of California , and commissioned on 4 January 1960 with Lieutenant Commander Walter Dedrick in command . Regulus deterrence patrols , 1960 - 1965 . Begun as a diesel - electric submarine but completed with nuclear power , " Halibut " was the first submarine initially designed to launch guided missiles . Intended to carry the Regulus I and Regulus II nuclear cruise missiles , her main deck was high above the waterline to provide a dry " flight deck . " Her missile system was completely automated , with hydraulic machinery controlled from a central control station . " Halibut " departed on her shakedown cruise 11 March 1960 . On 25 March , underway to Australia , she became the first nuclear - powered submarine to successfully launch a guided missile . She returned to Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 18 June 1960 , and after short training cruises sailed 7 November for Pearl Harbor to join the Pacific Fleet . During her first deployment she successfully launched her seventh consecutive Regulus I missile during a major Southeast Asia Treaty Organization weapons demonstration . Returning to Pearl Harbor on 9 April 1961 , " Halibut " began her second deployment 1 May . During subsequent cruises , she participated in several missile firing exercises and underwent training . " Halibut " deployed for the third time to the Western Pacific in late 1961 , establishing a pattern of training and readiness operations followed through 1964 . On 4 May 1964 " Halibut " departed Pearl Harbor for the last Regulus missile patrol to be made by a submarine in the Pacific . Then , from September through December , " Halibut " joined eight other submarines in testing and evaluating the attack capabilities of the " Permit " - class submarine . Special operations missions , 1965 - 1976 . In February 1965 " Halibut " entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul , and on 15 August was redesignated as an attack submarine and given the hull classification symbol SSN - 587 . She sailed from Pearl Harbor on 6 September for the West Coast , arriving at Keyport , Washington , on 20 September . On 5 October she departed Keyport for Pearl Harbor and , after an eight - day stop over at Mare Island , California , arrived 21 October . " Halibut " then began ASW operations in the area , continuing until August 1968 when she transferred to Mare Island for overhaul and installation of : side thrusters ; hangar section sea lock ; anchoring winches with fore and aft mushroom anchors ; saturation diving ( mixed gas ) habitat ; long and short range side - look sonar ; video and photographic equipment ; mainframe computer ; induction tapping and recording equipment ; port and starboard , fore and aft seabed skids ( " sneakers " ) ; towed underwater search vehicle ( " fish " ) and winch ; and other specialized oceanographic equipment . She returned to Pearl Harbor in 1970 and operated with the Pacific Fleet and Submarine Development Group One ( SubDevGruOne ) out of San Diego with attachment offices at Mare Island until decommissioning in 1976 . " Halibut " was also used on secret underwater espionage missions by the United States against the Soviet Union . Her most notable accomplishments include : Final disposition . " Halibut " was decommissioned on 30 June 1976 . She was " mothballed " at Keyport / Bangor Trident Base , Washington in 1976 , struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 April 1986 , and disposed of through the Ship - Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , Bremerton , Washington , on 9 September 1994 . Awards and commendations . Presidential Unit Citation – 1968 . Citation was given for the search and discovery of the wreck of a soviet submarine K - 129 in 3 miles of water during Project Azorian References . < br > Gardiner , Robert . " Conway ' s All the World ' s Fighting Ships 1947 - 1995 . " London : Conway Maritime Press , Ltd , 1995 Pg . 610 < br > http : / / www . navsource . org / archives / 08 / 08587a . htm NavSource Online : Submarine Photo Archive : Halibut ( SSGN - 587 ) ( SSN - 587 ) Keel Laying - Construction