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USS George Washington, the first U.S. missile submarine, successfully launched the first Polaris missile from a submerged submarine on July 20, 1960. The A-2 version of the Polaris missile was essentially an upgraded A-1, and it entered service in late 1961. It was fitted on a total of 13 submarines and served until June 1974.
A Polaris A-1 missile (left) and a Polaris A-3 missile (right) at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. A mission led by Sir Solly Zuckerman, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, left for the United States to discuss Polaris on 8 January 1963.
Polaris A-1 on launch pad LC-25A in Cape Canaveral. The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was USS George Washington (SSBN-598) with 16 Polaris A-1 missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961. [6]
Polaris missile launch from HMS Revenge in 1983 Sixteen tubes for Polaris A3 Submarine-launched ballistic missiles were carried, in two rows of eight. [ 4 ] The missiles had a range of 2,500 nautical miles (2,900 mi; 4,600 km), [ 7 ] [ 8 ] and each missile could carry three 200 kt (840 TJ) nuclear warheads. [ 9 ]
On 20 July 1960 the United States Navy made history by demonstrating the first dedicated ballistic missile designed to be fired while submerged from the world's first dedicated ballistic missile submarine. The missile in question, designated the UGM-27 Polaris, proved to be a success, and would usher in the age of the ballistic missile ...
The missile traveled a distance of 1,020 nmi (1,890 km; 1,170 mi). The test was observed by two submerged US submarines stationed approximately 30 miles (48 km) from the target point, USS Carbonero and USS Medregal. The missile warhead detonated at 23:30 GMT on May 6, 1962, approximately 1.2 miles (2 km) from the designated target point, and at ...
The main rocket motor ignited automatically when the missile had risen approximately 10 metres (33 ft) above the submarine. The first test launch took place on 16 August 1968, the first successful at-sea launch was from a surface ship, the USNS Observation Island (from July 1 to December 16, 1969), earning the ship the Meritorious Unit ...
The construction was unusual in that the bow and stern were constructed separately before being assembled together with the American-designed missile compartment. The design was a modification of the Valiant-class fleet submarine, but greatly extended to incorporate the missile compartment between the fin and the nuclear reactor. The length was ...