Tridents Mark 1,000 Patrols; from Cold War to War on Terrorism, Nuclear Subs Remain a Deterrent

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Byline: GORDON JACKSON

ST. MARYS - When the USS Ohio left port on its first three-month patrol Oct. 1, 1982, Navy officials hailed the Trident submarine as an important strategic deterrent to nuclear attack.

The federal government was still in the middle of the Cold War and contracted ship builders to construct 17 more Tridents submarines for the Navy. The last Trident built, the USS Louisiana, was commissioned in 1997.

The Cold War is long over but the patrols have continued and Thursday, the Navy and will commemorate the 1,000th patrol of a Trident submarine in a ceremony at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, where five of the boats are home ported. Nine …