USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635)

USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635) was a James Madison-class fleet ballistic missile submarine commissioned by the United States Navy in December 1964. Named after the longtime Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the submarine played a critical role in the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent during the Cold War, conducting numerous deterrent patrols armed with Polaris and later Poseidon ballistic missiles. Throughout her service, Sam Rayburn demonstrated the reliability and endurance of the Navy’s “41 for Freedom” ballistic missile submarines. She was decommissioned in 1989 and subsequently converted to a moored training ship, continuing her service to the Navy in a non-combat capacity.