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USS Maryland (SSBN 738)

USS MARYLAND is the 13^th ship in the OHIO class and the fourth commissioned U.S. Naval ship to be named in honor of the Old Line State, seventh of the original 13 states of the Union.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MARYLAND. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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Some Details:

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USS MARYLAND History:

USS MARYLAND was ordered on March 14, 1986, at the end of the Reagan-era naval buildup, as the thirteenth unit of the OHIO-class ballistic-missile submarine program and the fourth U.S. Navy vessel to carry the name. The contract went to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics at Groton, Connecticut, which had already become the primary builder of the U.S. Navy's Trident submarines. Construction formally began when her keel was laid at Groton on April 22, 1986, aligning the boat with a strategic context in which the United States was completing its Cold War nuclear "triad" modernization with long-range Trident sea-launched ballistic missiles.

Over the next several years the hull and internal systems were assembled, integrating the Trident II D5 strategic weapons system, nuclear propulsion plant, and a dual-crew (Blue and Gold) manning concept intended to maximize patrol tempo. By late 1990 and early 1991, fitting-out work was far enough advanced for the Navy to schedule her christening and launch. On August 10, 1991, MARYLAND was christened and launched at the Electric Boat yard at Groton. The ceremony drew senior leadership including Vice Admiral Kenneth C. Malley of Naval Sea Systems Command, Vice Admiral Henry G. Chiles Jr., Commander Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Maryland congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley; the ship's sponsor was Sarah Craig Larson, wife of Admiral Charles R. Larson. After final outfitting and trials alongside, the submarine was accepted by the Navy around May 31, 1992 and prepared for active service.

MARYLAND was formally commissioned on June 13, 1992, at Groton, with Admiral Charles R. Larson - then Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command - serving as principal speaker. Commissioning placed the boat within the post-Cold-War strategic environment: the Soviet Union had already collapsed, but U.S. nuclear force structure still relied heavily on Trident submarines to provide survivable second-strike capability under Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) constraints. Just two days after commissioning, on June 15, 1992, MARYLAND departed Groton for her new operational homeport at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, joining the Atlantic-based Trident force.

On arrival at Kings Bay, MARYLAND moved directly into preparations for strategic certification and demonstration and shakedown operations (DASO) with her Trident II D5 missiles. According to command-history and range-test sources, demonstration and shakedown operations associated with DASO-9 began on July 7, 1992, out of Port Canaveral, Florida, using the Eastern Test Range. During this period, she conducted at least one unarmed test firing of a Trident II D5 missile on July 29, 1992, validating the boat's fire-control and launch systems and the missile's performance under operational conditions. The DASO series concluded successfully on October 22, 1992, after which MARYLAND continued a pattern of inspections, tactical training, and certifications typical for a newly commissioned fleet ballistic-missile submarine.

With her initial test program complete, MARYLAND returned north to Electric Boat for post-shakedown work. She arrived back at Groton on January 30, 1993, to enter a post-shakedown availability that corrected deficiencies found during sea trials and DASO and completed remaining construction-period alterations. Once this yard period ended, she again shifted to her operational base: on April 9, 1993, she returned to Kings Bay. Over the following weeks, she completed weapons and tactical certifications and became formally integrated into Submarine Squadron 20 (SubRon 20). She returned to Kings Bay on May 4, 1993, after these certification events, now ready to begin regular deterrent patrols with a full complement of Trident II D5 missiles and associated warheads loaded aboard.

MARYLAND departed Kings Bay on June 19, 1993, on her first strategic deterrent patrol, entering the continuous at-sea deterrence cycle that is the core mission of the OHIO-class ballistic-missile fleet. Operating under SubRon 20 in the Atlantic theater, she would have remained submerged and largely undetected for many weeks at a time, providing a survivable nuclear strike capability while geopolitical attention was shifting from the completed Cold War to regional crises and the enforcement of post-Gulf-War sanctions. Specific patrol tracks remain classified, but publicly available records confirm the start of this first patrol and MARYLAND's subsequent pattern of multi-month deployments and returns to Kings Bay for refit and crew turnovers.

A notable early incident occurred during her second deterrent patrol. On September 24, 1993, while operating near Port Canaveral, Florida, MARYLAND conducted a medical evacuation for an ill crew member. Shortly after the medevac, the submarine ran aground as she attempted to leave the area. She returned to Kings Bay on September 25, 1993, for damage inspection. The investigation determined that damage to the hull and systems was minimal and, critically, that the crew was not at fault for the grounding. MARYLAND then resumed her second deterrent patrol, getting back underway on September 26, 1993. The episode highlighted both the operational risks of shallow-water navigation with large submarines and the routine requirement to divert from patrol patterns for medical emergencies even during strategic missions.

By early 1994, MARYLAND was already being used as a test platform for follow-on evaluation of the Trident II missile system. On January 3, 1994, she began a period of operations in support of Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test (FCET) 10. During this evolution, she operated from Kings Bay and the nearby Eastern Test Range off Florida, conducting at-sea preparations and coordinating with range safety and Strategic Systems Programs personnel. According to open sources derived from the 1994 command history and launch-vehicle data, MARYLAND launched four unarmed Trident II D5 missiles during FCET 10, each shot designed to collect highly precise telemetry on missile and system performance rather than to demonstrate warfighting capability. After completing the test series and related training tasks, she returned to Kings Bay late in January and then proceeded into her third strategic deterrent patrol, continuing the pattern of alternating Blue and Gold crews to maintain a high operational tempo.

Through the mid-1990s, MARYLAND remained based at Kings Bay as part of the Atlantic ballistic-missile submarine force, conducting a sequence of multi-month patrols interspersed with upkeep periods and periodic weapons-system tests. On April 21, 1996, she executed FCET 14, again from the Eastern Test Range, launching two unarmed Trident II D5 missiles as part of a program designed to verify the long-term reliability and accuracy of the missile system under fleet conditions. These test firings took place against the background of post-Cold-War arms-control implementation and continuing U.S. emphasis on maintaining a safe, secure, and effective sea-based deterrent despite reductions in overall strategic-warhead numbers.

In addition to patrols and tests, MARYLAND occasionally conducted port visits that reflected broader alliance and basing considerations. Open sources indicate that in 1995, she made a port call at Gibraltar, which is described as the first visit of an OHIO-class Trident ballistic-missile submarine to Gibraltar and the first entry of such a submarine into the Mediterranean Sea. That visit, in a strategically important chokepoint between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, signaled both NATO solidarity and the ability of the U.S. sea-based deterrent to operate flexibly beyond its usual North Atlantic patrol areas while still maintaining operational security around nuclear-armed submarines.

Routine patrols continued into the late 1990s. On April 26, 1999, MARYLAND conducted FCET 21, launching two additional unarmed Trident II D5 missiles as part of the continuing series of follow-on tests. The accumulation of such FCET events - 1994, 1996, 1999 and later - provided long-term statistical assurance that the D5 system remained reliable as the missiles aged in service and as software and guidance upgrades were introduced. Photographic records show the boat returning to Kings Bay in May 1998 after a deterrent patrol, a routine sight on the St. Marys River as families and base personnel greeted the crew after weeks at sea.

During these years, MARYLAND and her crews also began to accumulate a series of readiness and performance awards that mark her as a consistently high-performing unit within the Atlantic submarine force. Navy records show that both crews received the Submarine Squadron 20 Battle Efficiency "E" award in 1995, indicating top performance in operational readiness and inspections within the squadron. The crews repeated this achievement in 1997, again being recognized as the best-performing ballistic-missile submarine under SubRon 20 for that year.

In the early 2000s, MARYLAND continued routine deterrent patrols from Kings Bay while also taking part in more visible fleet exercises. Her 2001 command history, summarized in secondary sources built on official documents, describes a notable live-fire event on October 16, 2001. On that date, MARYLAND joined a carrier battle group centered on USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) in a sinking exercise (SINKEX) using the decommissioned amphibious assault ship ex-USS GUAM (LPH 9) as the target. From a submerged firing position, MARYLAND launched a live Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo that struck and ultimately sank the former GUAM after the target had already absorbed a variety of weapons from other units. The exercise, conducted only a few weeks after the September 11 attacks, took place against the backdrop of the unfolding U.S. response in Afghanistan and was used to validate torpedo performance and fleet-integration procedures in a realistic war-at-sea scenario.

Awards data indicate that MARYLAND's Blue and Gold crews continued to perform strongly in this period. The submarine earned the Submarine Squadron 20 Battle "E" again in 2001 (Blue crew) and 2002 (both crews), reflecting sustained excellence in tactical readiness, engineering performance, and inspections. In 2003, the boat's Gold crew received the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for outstanding food service, a Navy-wide competition that, in this case, recognized the quality of the "Crab Cafe" galley aboard MARYLAND. The recognition underscored the importance of habitability and morale on extended submerged patrols and highlighted the logistical and culinary standards maintained aboard a front-line strategic asset.

MARYLAND's record of awards continued: both crews were recognized with the Battle "E" from Submarine Squadron 16 in 2004, reflecting a shift in administrative alignment while remaining based at Kings Bay. In 2005, the Blue crew earned the Chief of Naval Operations Afloat Safety Award, indicating a strong safety culture in navigation, engineering, and weapons handling. Throughout this mid-2000s period, the submarine remained focused on Atlantic strategic-deterrent patrols, contributing to a patrol tempo that analysts have noted remained near late-Cold-War levels for the U.S. SSBN force.

In parallel with these routine patrols, MARYLAND continued to serve as a test platform for the Trident II D5 system. She conducted FCET 30 on November 5, 2003, and FCET 36 on November 21, 2006, each involving the launch of two unarmed missiles from the boat in the Eastern Test Range, adding further long-term reliability data to the Trident program. By the end of the decade, MARYLAND had established a reputation not only for reliable patrol performance but also for being a frequent contributor to missile-system test and evaluation.

A key public milestone came in 2010. On June 8 and 9, 2010, MARYLAND's Gold crew carried out two follow-on commander's evaluation tests for the Trident II D5 system, launching one unarmed missile on each day as part of FCET 42 and FCET 43. The Navy reported the flights as successful and emphasized their role in verifying the continuing reliability of the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad. The same period saw formal recognition of MARYLAND's broader performance: the boat had already received the Submarine Squadron 20 Battle "E" for 2008, and United States Strategic Command awarded her the Omaha Trophy for 2008 in the Submarine Ballistic Missile category. This trophy recognized the combined Blue and Gold crews' superior performance in maintaining high readiness and safety standards for strategic deterrent operations. A photograph from late 2009 shows the Omaha Trophy being presented to MARYLAND's crews at Kings Bay.

In the years immediately preceding her mid-life overhaul, MARYLAND continued to patrol from Kings Bay. A widely used image taken on August 1, 2012, shows the submarine transiting the St. Marys River returning to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay following routine operations, illustrating her continued role in the Atlantic deterrent posture just before entering major maintenance. Around this time, open sources note that on September 21, 2012, the Blue and Gold crews were combined in preparation for a mid-life refueling and overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a standard step as an OHIO-class submarine approaches the half-way point of its service life.

MARYLAND arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, in December 2012 to begin her Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO), a complex, multi-year dockyard availability that would refuel the reactor and modernize major systems to extend the submarine's service life to its planned design length. During this period, shipyard workers and ship's force undertook extensive work, including replacement of distilling plants with reverse-osmosis fresh-water systems, installation of an upgraded motor generator, modernization of combat and navigation electronics, and wide-ranging hull, mechanical, and electrical overhauls. ERO work also incorporated lessons learned from earlier overhauls of sister ships as the Navy standardized its mid-life modernization across the class.

On February 21, 2015, Norfolk Naval Shipyard successfully undocked MARYLAND, moving her from the dry dock to a pier-side berth to complete the later phases of the ERO. This undocking, reported on March 6, 2015, marked a visible milestone indicating that major structural and underwater-hull work was complete, even though substantial system testing and reassembly remained. After additional months of pier-side completion and testing, the shipyard formally finished MARYLAND's Engineered Refueling Overhaul on February 24, 2016. Navy and industry releases stressed that nearly all major systems had been overhauled or upgraded, positioning the submarine to operate through the remainder of her planned service life.

Following the ERO, MARYLAND returned to sea for post-overhaul trials and re-certification. A crucial step in this process was another demonstration and shakedown operation. On August 31, 2016, USS MARYLAND (Blue), assigned to Submarine Group 10, completed Demonstration and Shakedown Operation DASO-27 by launching an unarmed Trident II D5 missile in the Eastern Test Range off the coast of Florida. Navy public-affairs releases emphasized that DASO-27 was intended to demonstrate the readiness of the ship's strategic weapon system and crew after the mid-life refueling overhaul and noted that it represented the 161st successful test flight of the Trident II D5. With this test completed, MARYLAND was cleared to resume operational deterrent patrols.

After re-entering the operational fleet, MARYLAND remained assigned to Submarine Squadron 20 at Kings Bay under Submarine Group 10 and U.S. Strategic Command. In March 2018, she made a rare foreign port visit when she moored at the SSBN jetty at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, Scotland. Contemporary reporting described the visit - lasting several days in mid-March 2018 - as a high-visibility demonstration of the close relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom in the area of sea-based nuclear deterrence, as Faslane is home to the Royal Navy's own VANGUARD-class ballistic-missile submarines. The port call took place in a context of renewed NATO focus on North Atlantic and North European security following Russia's actions in Ukraine in 2014.

MARYLAND's post-overhaul performance was formally recognized soon afterward. On April 25, 2018, at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, the crews of MARYLAND received the Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy. Vice Admiral Joseph Tofalo, Commander, Submarine Forces and Submarine Force Atlantic, presented the award in person. The citation honored the Blue and Gold crews for returning the submarine to strategic readiness after the extended overhaul and for completing the first alert patrol in four years, underscoring the complexity of the ERO and the effort required to restore full deterrent capability.

Operational photographs from this period illustrate the resumption of routine patrol activity. On February 5, 2019, MARYLAND's Gold crew was photographed returning to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay following a strategic deterrent patrol, transiting the St. Marys River with tug assistance. This visual evidence, together with additional references to extended refit periods at Kings Bay in the early 2020s, indicates that MARYLAND has continued the typical OHIO-class pattern of alternating deterrent patrols and refit periods, with periodic extended refits (ERP) at the Trident Refit Facility to maintain material condition between major overhauls.

Throughout her career, MARYLAND has accumulated an extensive list of awards that illustrate her long-term role and performance within the U.S. strategic deterrent force. In addition to the mid-1990s Battle "E" awards and the 2003 Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award, she received further Battle "E" recognition in 2004, 2008, and 2009, with those later awards reflecting the combined excellence of both crews under Submarine Squadron 20. The Omaha Trophy for 2008, presented in a 2009 ceremony at Kings Bay, singled her out as U.S. Strategic Command's top submarine ballistic-missile unit for that year. The Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2018 capped this record by recognizing the effort required to return the ship to service after her mid-life overhaul and resume patrols.

As of the mid-2020s, open sources describe USS MARYLAND as an active OHIO-class ballistic-missile submarine assigned to Submarine Squadron 20 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, operating under United States Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Strategic Command.

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USS MARYLAND Image Gallery:

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the MARYLAND at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va., during her 36-month Engineering Refueling Overhaul there. The photo was taken on April 29, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MARYLAND at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va., during her 36-month Engineering Refueling Overhaul there. The photos were taken on October 6, 2015.

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