History
USNS Observation Island was converted to the first naval ship that had a fully integrated Fleet Ballistic Missile System. No major hull or engineering changes were made to the ship during this conversion. Because of the refit, the ship underwent a shakedown cruise at Guantanamo Bay.
The first at-sea launch of the A-1 Polaris missile was from the USS George Washington (SSBN-598) on July 18, 1960, and was monitored by the Observation Island. The ship was also present for initial tests of the A-2 and A-3 variants of Polaris. It was aboard Observation Island that President John F. Kennedy, on November 16, 1963, witnessed an A-3 Polaris launch, six days before his assassination. While aboard Observation Island, President Kennedy gave his final speech from a U.S. Navy vessel:
| “ | I want to express for all of us our very warm appreciation to you for providing this demonstration of Naval Power today and also to express my thanks to your very dedicated service over a good many months and years. Control of the seas, the maintenance of the flag of the United States in its traditional position on the ocean is vital to the security of the United States. To do that, of course, we have to maintain the most advanced weapons system in the world. This ship contributed direct to that maintenance and I want to express our appreciation to all of you. | ” |
In 1983, the first ever (USA) naval installation of a phased-array radar system was completed and tested on the USNS Observation Island. Weeks of sea trials were spent testing and perfecting the software required for a nonstable platform.
Read more about this topic: USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23)
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“This above all makes history useful and desirable: it unfolds before our eyes a glorious record of exemplary actions.”
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