Adm. Thomas Fargo, Commander In Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet,
departs USS KAMEHAMEHA following inactivation ceremony.

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Pearl Harbor, HAWAII - The USS KAMEHAMEHA SSN-642, a Pearl Harbor based submarine, was inactivated after nearly 36 years in a ceremony held at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station Wednesday.

Senator Daniel Inouye (D - Hawaii), who spoke at the ship’s launching three decades ago, was the principle speaker. "President Kennedy asked for my input in the naming of a new submarine in 1963," said the Senator, "so I told him it would be appropriate to name it after King Kamehameha the Great. He accepted my suggestion and several months later announced that the boat would indeed bear the name USS KAMEHAMEHA."

"It was a very touching ceremony," said Adm. Thomas Fargo, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT). "It is easy to see the bond between the ship, her crew, former shipmates, and the Hawaiian community."

Adm. Fargo, himself a submariner, said the ship was a good investment towards national security. "It was an amazing return on the taxpayer investment for this ship - 36 years of service that has helped guarantee the relative peace we have enjoyed," he added.

For nearly 36 years the USS KAMEHAMEHA carved out a legacy of excellence across a diverse array of mission assignments. The Hawaii-based submarine enjoyed the namesake of a fearless leader who first conquered, and then ensured, relative peace under his leadership.

Hawaii’s King Kamehameha I, known as Kamehameha the Great, is the best known of Hawaii's ali`i (royalty) and is credited for the uniting of the Hawaiian Kingdom (the 8 major islands of Hawaii) under one rule.

He forever changed the spiritual, social and economic destiny of Hawaii and its people. Legend has it that he was born at the time of the appearance of Halley's comet and that this was a sign that he would rise to greatness. The name Kamehameha (pronounced kuh-may-ha-may-ha) means "the one set apart."

In much the same way, the submarine’s richly unique history across four decades mirrored that of the great king. The ship, the 30th of America's "41 for Freedom" Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines, was originally built to serve as a strategic deterrent at the height of the Cold War. The technological superiority and exceptional reliability of these submarines, whose mission was to patrol the oceans unseen to dissuade the Soviet Union from striking the United States under threat of massive retaliation from sea-launched missiles, ultimately contributed to winning the Cold War.

National leadership decided that the submarine could be successfully converted to satisfy other missions for which a larger submarine would be uniquely qualified. In USS KAMEHAMEHA’s case, the ship would have its strategic missiles removed and converted to accommodate Special Forces. Since the Cold War, the USS KAMEHAMEHA has endeavored to maintain peace through engaging allies and deterring aggression in the same Pacific waters King Kamehameha mastered so long ago. The submarine’s last commanding officer, Cmdr. Ed Seal, from Bellefonte, Penn., felt strongly about the unique capabilities of the crew and converted submarine.

"The submarine fulfilled an excellent mission, and the crew was well-trained and has been able to execute when directed by the National Command Authority. Despite her age, this ship was able to go anywhere in the world and conduct any mission with which it was tasked, Seal said."

Contrary to popular belief, the end of the Cold War brought an increase to submarine tasking despite the decrease in available assets. Responsibilities increasingly shifted to data collection, Tomahawk strike warfare contingencies, intelligence, surveillance, indications and warning, counter-drug operations and engagement with allies. The unlimited range, mobility, stealth and firepower of submarines have become a stalwart in the nation’s defense inventory. The conversion of USS KAMEHAMEHA, was in retrospect a prophetic decision.

The "Kam," as the submarine was affectionately known around the waterfront, was built at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, Calif., and was commissioned December 10, 1965. Her first two commanding officers were Cmdr. Roth S. Leddick (Blue crew) and then Cmdr. Robert Dickieson (Gold crew).

"I was certainly excited to be a part of the commissioning crew," said now retired Navy Capt. Dickieson, who lives in Kaneohe, Hawaii. "I was primarily a fast-attack boat Sailor so I had to learn a great deal to come up to speed." The USS KAMEHAMEHA’s final senior enlisted man, or "Chief Of The Boat," CMDMC David "Chuck" Minnich had served aboard the KAMEHAMEHA for more than three years.