USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654)

• Namesake: USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654) was named after General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during World War II and architect of the Marshall Plan. • Class and Type: She was a Benjamin Franklin-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, part of the "41 for Freedom" submarines built during the Cold War. • Commissioning: The submarine was commissioned on April 29, 1966, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia. • Strategic Role: She served as a key component of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear deterrent, carrying Polaris, later Poseidon, and finally Trident I ballistic missiles. • Blue and Gold Crews: Like other SSBNs, USS George C. Marshall operated with two alternating crews (Blue and Gold) to maximize patrol time at sea. • Patrols: Over her service life, she conducted more than 70 strategic deterrent patrols, spending thousands of days submerged and on alert. • Quiet Operations: The submarine was once awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" for operational excellence and for conducting the quietest patrol in her squadron. • Humanitarian Effort: In 1981, while on patrol, the crew responded to a distress call and provided assistance to a civilian vessel in the Atlantic, earning commendations. • Decommissioning: USS George C. Marshall was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on September 24, 1992, as the Cold War wound down. • Legacy: Her sail and other artifacts are preserved at various locations as memorials, and her service is remembered for contributing to nearly three decades of nuclear deterrence during the Cold War.