Decommissioning

Must obtain location of Submarine from '83-'96 before she entered recycling program.

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

The location of the Submarine Recycling Program, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard performed the recycling of the USS Thomas A. Edison from 10/01/96 and was finished on 12/01/1997 - at which point the boat ceased to exist.

Apra, Guam

The USS Thomas A. Edison was stationed at Apra, Guam from December 1975 until her decommisioning on December 1st, 1983.

Apra is a deep water port on the western side of Guam. The port acts as both military base as well as commercial port for cargo. 


History
As a military base, Apra has been operational since December 1st of 1964.

Mare Island Navy Yard

Mare Island Navy Yard was the facility that performed the second overhaul on the USS Thomas A. Edison, from August of 1973 through November of 1974. After the overhaul was complete, her shakedown was performed in January/February of 1975, and she resumed active duty in March of 1975.

New London, CT

Station: May 1968 - June 1973

New London, CT served as the base for the USS Thomas A. Edison from May of 68 through June of 73 - although the basing was split with Rota, Spain.

Charleston, SC

Station: Oct 1966 - May 1968

The USS Thomas A. Edison was brought to port in Charleston, SC for a major overhaul and refit in October of 1966. The overhaul lasted until May of 1968, at which point the boat was launched for a deterrent patrol and ultimately re-based at New London, CT and Rota, Spain.

Rota, Spain

Rota, Spain was the shared base for the USS Thomas A. Edison from XXXX-1973. It shared with New London, CT as the home port for the boat.

The Steinway Piano

One of the more interesting tidbits about the USS Thomas A. Edison is that a full upright piano rode along with the sub for the entire length of active service. It was the only known example of a piano that was on a submarine conducting nuclear deterrent patrols.

On the request of the ship's construction captain, the piano was lifted into the submarine before the hull was completed. It stayed sealed in an aluminum box until after the hull was sealed, at which point it was moved to the mess where it spent the next 22 years as a great diversion and focal point for the crews.

Photo courtesy of Steinway and Sons

The piano was brought to the Naval Museum in DC in 1983, after the ship was decommissioned. It stayed there until 2003, at which point Steinway took the piano to refurbish it as well as to show it at an exhibit in Connecticut celebrating 15 decades of Steinway pianos.

Timeline

1958 - Authorized by Congress
07/01/1959 - Ordered
03/15/1960 - Laid Down in Groton, CT
06/15/1961 - Launched
03/10/1962 - Commissioned
04/09/1962 - Collision with USS Wadleigh
04/11/1962 - Fire in rudder section
05/23/1962 - Fires first Polaris Missile
06/14/1962 - President Kennedy aboard
11/07/1962 - First Deterrent Patrol from Charleston, SC (to Holy Loch)
02/15/1963 - First Blue Crew Patrol
---Based at Holy Loch through September 1966
10/15/1966 - Ends 17th Deterrent Patrol at Charleston
10/28/1966 - Begins Overhaul
05/09/1968 - End Overhaul
09/22/1968 - 18th Deterrent Patrol
- Shortened 19th Patrol
- Follow On Target test launch

---Based New London and Rota, Spain through June 1973
Jun 1973 - Transferred to US Pacific Fleet
07/11/1973 - Arrives San Diego, CA
08/06/1973 - Moved to Vallejo, CA for Overhaul
11/30/1974 - Repairs complete
Jan / Feb 1975 - Shakedown
03/1975 - Transit Panama Canal
- Test Missles near Cape Canaveral, FL - conlcuded in July
08/08/1975 - Transit Panama Canal
-West Coast ops through Dec 1975
-Dec 1975 - New port Apra, Guam
1981 - Missile section Deactivated for SALT I
10/06/1980 - Reclassified as Attack Sub and renumbered SSN-610
Aug 1982 - Feb 1983 - Conducts first West Pacific deployment of ex-SSBN
11/29/1982 - Collision with USS Leftwich
12/01/1983 - Decommisioned
04/30/1986 - Stricken from Naval Register
10/01/1996 - Entered Puget Sound Recycling Program
12/01/1997 - Ceased to exist

Holy Loch, Scotland

Stationed: February 1963 - September 1966

Located on the west side of Scotland, Holy Loch is situated in the Argyll and Bute Council area. Holy Loch was the site of the FBM Refit Site One, a facility for refitting submarines in the US Navy. The Loch also was home to Submarine Squadron 14, a squadron of ballistic missile submarines.


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Geography
Holy Loch is a sea loch in Scotland, within the Argyll and Bute council area.

Reunion - 10/28/2010

The USS Thomas A. Edison is having a boat reunion in Groton, CT, on October 28-31.

Reunion contact information here.


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Things To Do in Groton


Dining
View Google Maps Restaurants for Groton, CT

Abbot's Lobster in the Rough
Fisherman Restaurant
Ninety Nine Restaurant
Octagon
Olio Restaurant & Bar
Ortega's Restaurant 
Paul's Pasta Shop
Seahorse Restaurant
Spot Cafe & Restaurant

Construction

The USS Thomas A. Edison was built at the Naval Shipyard at Groton, CT. Her keel was laid down on March 15th of 1960, and launched a little over a year later in June of 1961.

(Insert picture of submarine being built here)

Crews

The crew of the USS Thomas A. Edison was, like with all submarines, divided into Blue and Gold crews.

About This Blog

This blog is dedicated to the history of the USS Thomas A. Edison and the brave crew who served aboard. The Edison participated in the Cold War and the men who crewed her offered up their services to protect their country at a very dangerous time.

Thomas Edison was an inventor who brought electirc light; this is reflected in the motto of the USS TAE "Potentia Tenebras Repellendi", or "Power to Repel the Darkness". Not just darkness meaning the absence of light, but also the darkness that threatened the world in the form of Atomic War that came from the Cold War.

There were many submarines and many ships that served the USA, this is but one of them.

The USS Thomas A. Edison

In 1959, the second ship to bear the name of the famous inventor Thomas A. Edison was ordered by the US Navy. It was launched on June 15th, 1961 and spent the next 20 years in active duty. As an Ethan Allen class submarine, it's primary mission was to perform deterrent patrols in the Atlantic Ocean at the height of the Cold War.

The USS Thomas A. Edison was an Ethan Allen class submarine.