Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657) during sea trials following its refueling overhaul at NNS in 1985. NNS Photo Archive

Throwback: Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657) Completes Refueling Overhaul at NNS

Published August 13, 2025

Forty years ago this month, Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657) completed its refueling overhaul and sea trials at Newport News Shipbuilding.

This boat was a Benjamin Franklin-class submarine and the only ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for Francis Scott Key, who authored the poem “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” best known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

In 1979, SSBN 657 conducted the first submerged launch of a Trident missile and later became the first submarine to deploy with Trident I missiles.

Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657) was commissioned on Dec. 3, 1966, and decommissioned on Sept. 2, 1993.

A montage showing parts of the launching of a Trident I C-4 missile from Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657). Image from the public domain