COB (LINKS) HOME===>>THE BOATS===>>USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) LINKS

The name KAMEHAMEHA is from a Hawaiian king and warrior whose name means "the lonely one". He was born at Kohala, Hawaii, in 1758. By the time of his death, Kamehameha had consolidated the islands under one government, ending the feudal wars and anarchy which had ravaged the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

NICKNAMES - "The Kam", "KamFish", "Kah-Mee-HAH-Mee-HAH"

MOTTO - "IMUA" - loose translation: Go Forward!

CLASS - (SSBN-640) BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Ballistic Missile Submarine (3)

RECLASS - (SSN-642) BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Attack Submarine - July, 1992

AWARDED - 1962

BUILDER - Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA

IN COMMISSION - 1965 - 2002

DISPOSITION - completed Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA, February, 2003.

KAMEHAMEHA Awards/Recognition - during her 36 years of service, she earned 63 awards of the SSBN Deterrent Patrol Pin, then was reconfigured for special warfare operations and redesignated Attack Submarine (SSN-642) in July, 1992. Awarded four Meritorious Unit Commendations, three Battle Efficiency Awards, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and at least three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons. More awards may have been given but these are the only ones with proof shown aboard ship. In addition, USS KAMEHAMEHA proudly displayed one Communications "C", three Deck Seamanship "D", one Tactical "T", and one Medical "M" award. The ship has also received several Ney Awards for supply excellence.

KAMEHAMEHA factoid - she was the thirty-second of the "41 For Freedom" FBM submarines. Albeit in an SSN configuration, she was also the last of the them - in service and in commission until April, 2002.

USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) LINKS

USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - Where have you gone Chuck Kimball? Chuck used to have about the only KAM site on the Net [ www.bright.net/~ckimball/kamehameha.html ] way back when. It appears that Chuck has left us.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - Alan Stricklin's unofficial KAMEHAMEHA page.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - Greg Pancerev's unofficial KAM site and memories of his tour. Greg and friends keep alumni abreast of reunions; registry of those formerly stationed aboard; photo gallery; decommissioning and reunion information.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - I'm a little biased, this is my unofficial KAMEHAMEHA site.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - SubNet KAMEHAMEHA stats and photo page. [ www.subnet.com/fleet/ssbn642.htm ]
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - Military.com SSBN submarine KAMEHAMEHA Homepage; Buddies, Reunions, Messages, Histories; they think that she was hull number 542, what the heck do we know about it? - you have to do the email/password thing, what else is new?
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - a Boomersailors.net "41 For Freedom" KAMEHAMEHA page.
[ www.boomersailors.net/boats/41/642.php ] [Where hast thou gone, Boomersailors.net? COB (LINKS)]
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - a KAMEHAMEHA narrative page by NavyHistory.com.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - a Wikipedia.org KAMEHAMEHA page.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) - a U.S. Navy Historical Center KAMEHAMEHA DANFS narrative page.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - Keel Laying - Launching; NavSource Submarine Photo Archive.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - Commissioning - Decommissioning; NavSource Submarine Photo Archive.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - the NavySite.de KAMEHAMEHA page.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - USS Kamehameha Reunion Association; Yahoo! Groups. Membership required.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - a USSVI Ship's Profile page w/Classification, Characteristics, Key Dates, Reunion/Association, Crew Lists (available on DeckLog), History, Internet Associations and Reunions, Photo and Patch.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN/SSN-642) - an identical page to the USSVI page above by Decklog.com.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - this was an old official KAMEHAMEHA site [ www.csp.navy.mil/css1/642/index.htm ], gone forever.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - out of retirement, this is the final edition of the (formerly) official Navy KAM SSN-642
[ www.kamehameha.navy.mil/ ] website.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - KAMEHAMEHA Navy Vessel Register web page.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - Military.com SSN submarine KAMEHAMEHA Homepage; Buddies, Reunions, Messages, Histories; you have to do the email/password thing, what else is new?
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) changes hands. (11SEP98)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - Local Artist Provides Touch of "Hawaii" Onboard USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642). (JAN99)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS KAMEHAMEHA Hosts University of Hawaii Football Coaching Staff. (APR99)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESSRELEASE - USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) Departs On Maiden WESTPAC. (JUN99)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - Frank Cable "turns to" on USS Kamehameha. (NOV99)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS Kamehameha (SSN-642) Returns from Maiden Deployment. (NOV99)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - Congresswoman tours USS Kamehameha. (SEP00)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS Kamehameha Changes Hands. (JAN01)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS Kamehameha's Final Run. (APR01)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - COMSUBPAC PRESS RELEASE - USS Kamehameha returns from final deployment. (JUN01)
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - USS Kamehameha Inactivates, Leaves Behind a Regal Legacy; by COMSUBPAC Public Affairs.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - the "KING" was ceremoniously inactivated at Subase, Pearl Harbor, and dispatched to Puget Sound, WA, where she apparently went directly to thhe recycling drydock and from there was decommissioned on 02APR02.
USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) - USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) and USS JAMES K. POLK (SSN-645) are belatedly profiled on this Globalsecurity.org page.