USS Tecumseh ( SSBN - 628 ) USS " Tecumseh " ( SSBN - 628 ) , a ballistic missile submarine , was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Tecumseh ( c . 1768 – 1813 ) , the leader of the Shawnee people . Construction and commissioning . The contract to build " Tecumseh " was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation in Groton , Connecticut , on 20 July 1961 . Originally , she was to have been named " William Penn " , and would have been the first Navy ship to bear that name , but was renamed on 11 April 1962 . " Tecumseh " s keel was laid down on 1 June 1962 . She was launched on 22 June 1963 sponsored by Mrs . Robert L . F . Sikes , and commissioned on 29 May 1964 , with Commander Arnett B . Taylor in command of the Blue Crew and Commander Charles S . Carlisle in command of the Gold Crew . Service history . Based at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , " Tecumseh " deployed to the Mariana Islands on 17 December 1964 , arriving at Guam on 29 December 1964 to commence deterrent patrols . " Tecumseh " had conducted 21 strategic deterrent patrols in the Pacific by 1969 , when she transferred to the United States Atlantic Fleet . She proceeded via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal to the United States East Coast and arrived at Newport News , Virginia , on 8 November 1969 . Soon thereafter , she entered Newport News shipyard for a conversion which replaced her Polaris ballistic missile system with the new Poseidon ballistic missile system . Emerging from drydock on 9 May 1970 , " Tecumseh " underwent a thorough overhaul through that fall and winter before being assigned a new home port of Charleston , South Carolina , on 18 February 1971 . " Tecumseh " conducted sea trials and shakedown out of Charleston before conducting two deterrent patrols in late 1971 . Subsequently deployed to Holy Loch , Scotland , " Tecumseh " arrived in Scottish waters on 9 February 1972 . She conducted 18 more deterrent patrols out of Holy Loch through 1976 . " Tecumseh " was home ported in Charleston , South Carolina at least from March 1982 until entering Newport News shipyard for a refueling overhaul in 1983 . After completion of this overhaul in Spring of 1987 she successfully completed sea trials , shakedown , and a successful missile launch and returned to her homport of Charleston , South Carolina , From 1987 to 1992 Tecumseh was home ported in Charleston SC , making patrols from both Charleston and Holy Loch Scotland . In 1992 , Tecumseh off - loaded its missiles and participated in war games out of Charleston for training of attack boats and other Anti - Sumbarine warfare vessels or planes . February 1993 , Tecumseh transited the Panama Canal , and subsequently ported in Bremerton WA for decomissioning . Decommissioning and disposal . " Tecumseh " was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 July 1993 . Her scrapping via the Nuclear - Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton , Washington , was completed on 1 April 1994 . Memorials . " Tecumseh " s port torpedo tubes and a large piece of pressure hull were preserved and are now on display at the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport , Washington .