USS Alexander Hamilton

SSBN-617


Forty for Freedom
One for Spare Parts


Photo taken Spring 1975 (provided by Ed Legier)
 

The Boat, The Crew

This page is dedicated to the "Island Boys" and to all the fine USS Alexander Hamilton shipmates who rode under the waves on a deterrent patrol.

In memory of John F. Johnson, EM3, and Richard P. Engelhart, ETR2.
Nuclear power and submarine school classmates assigned to the USS Scorpion (SSN-589) just prior to her last run .... now on Eternal Patrol.


WEBMASTER: Dean W. Habhegger
 MM1/SS 
Alexander Hamilton 1967 - 1971 
Email habhegx15@ssbn-617.com


Insignia of the USS Alexander Hamilton

Taken from the Commissioning Program cover


A. Hamilton Information


Summer 2024 Update from Dean:


I know this page does not get updated as often as it should but I try to do it whenever I have pertinent changes or additions. However, I do continue to update the Crew listing page and the Eternal Patrol page on a regular basis and I thank everyone who sends in current information. Reunion dates: 10/2/2024 to 10/6/2024. The REUNION PAGE has more information. Dean

Reunion XV will be in October of 2024 in the Groton/New London, CT area. Paul Skalski is the coordinator. The Registration forms are accessable on the Runion Page. Sign up soon and get your hotel rooms reserved.

An intersting tidbit about the USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON SSB(N)-617. At the time of decommissioning it had completed 1,002 Dives (more than any other SSBN). Don't know if we still have that record but I suspect that could hold for the "41 For Freedom" Boats.

USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON FACE BOOK PAGE--Yes we have one! Click Here to have a look. It is being run by "Lumpy" Viola. If you have not signed on, you should. There is a lot of fun stuff to read and tons of photos being posted.

I continue to update the Crews List, so keep sending in names and other pertinent data.

Ships History Find out where She's been and what She's done. I recently updated the History Section of the website. Several years ago I obtained copies of "Command Histories" for each year the boat was commissioned. These are completed by the Commanding Officer at the end of each year and are mostly a lot of facts and dates. Some were more complete than others but what I have is what is on that page with some editing. Someone commented recently on facebook that the history of the later years of the HAMILTON was a bit "thin" so I hope this is helpful.

Crew's List    Look here for shipmates. I update this page regularly with any new information I get. If you have sent me your e-mail address and I have not not responded, please send it again but to the above email address. Also, IF YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS NOT CORRECT, please send me the correct one and if you have a friend/shipmate who needs to update please remind them to do so. Thank you.  

Reunion Information NEW UPDATE! Check out the Reunion Page for details. REUNION FIFTEEN will be in the New London/Groton, CT area, October 3-6, 2024. Go to the REUNION PAGE for more details.

Shipmates On Eternal Patrol   Over a thousand sailors made patrols on the USS Alexander Hamilton, many have crossed the bar. This page is a memorial to them and is updated regularly.


AN ALEXANDER HAMILTON AUTHOR--Yes we have one of those too! Gary Penley sends the following note:

My name is Gary Penley. I served aboard the USS Alexander Hamilton from 1963-1966. I have recently completed my fourth book, a true story titled,
DEEP VENTURE: A SAILOR'S STORY OF COLD WAR SUBMARINES
This book is told from the viewpoint of an enlisted man. Unlike most other submarine books, it concentrates a lot on the type of men who inhabited the boats, and what we did, both onboard and off, to cope with the stresses of submarine life. As you might guess, this leads to a lot of hilarious situations, because most of the things we did to cope were pretty zany. The book is a memoir, military history, and adventure story. During the Six-Day War in the Middle East in June 1967, I was aboard a submarine on a top-secret mission in the middle of the war zone. I am sure that all submariners and ex-submariners, as well as anyone interested in military/adventure stories will enjoy it.

My book, in hardback, is available in book stores or you can order on Amazon.com and get a discount price of $16.14. You can direct order from this Amazon link Amazon Link
Thank you.
Fair winds and following seas,
Gary Penley

Be sure to Bookmark this page so you can easily return for updates.

Interesting Hamilton Stuff

Click here

Other Submarine Links

USSVI
United States Submarine Veterans Web Page

Submarine Sailor.com

Stan Tribble's SSBN-617 Site

Hull Number.com Site

Wiki SSBN-617 Site

A Special Thanks to Jack Semelsberger for the original Alexander Hamilton webpage that inspired this site.

About the Hamilton   History Interesting Stuff    Reunion  Crew's List  Eternal Patrol

This page updated on September 2024