(continued from KTB #117)

Initially the missile was to be launched by compressed gas but that idea was dropped in favor of steam ejection in which a small rocket motor burns over a water-filled chamber to generate a burst of steam.

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON was launched on 31 December, 1959 and conducted the first submerged test firing of the new POLARIS missile on 16 July, 1960. On 15 November 1960 USS GEORGE WASHINGTON went to sea on the first American strategic deterrent patrol, considerably ahead of schedule and within budget. Each POLARIS missile could deliver a one megaton warhead (equal to one million tons of TNT) to a target 1,200 miles away. During the patrols, which lasted 60 to 70 days, the submarine cruised slowly near the surface to maintain constant communication with the shore (receiving incoming messages only, no outgoing traffic). Communication was by Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio signals received by the submarine on its VLF mast in the sail, or by trailing a floating wire antenna paid out from a reel in the sail, or by a buoy floating near the surface which was paid out from a reel in the deck.

Following the election of President Kennedy, the program was accelerated as his administration was the first one to seek superiority in strategic arms over the Soviets. Forty-one FBM submarines were eventually commissioned with a total of 656 missiles of ever increasing capability. The following summarizes the development of the missile:

The A-1 POLARIS was first deployed in 1960. It had a range of 1,200 nautical miles and carried a single warhead of one megaton with accuracy of 1 to 2 miles.

The A-2 POLARIS was first deployed in 1962. It had a range of 1,500 nautical miles and carried a single warhead of one megaton with accuracy of 1 to 2 miles.

The A-3 POLARIS was first deployed in 1964. It had a range of 2,500 nautical miles and carried three warheads in an MRV configuration with accuracy within 3,000 feet.

The C-3 POSEIDON was first deployed in 1970. It had a range of 2,500 nautical miles and carried 14 warheads in an MRV configuration and each with a yield of 40 kilotons (equal to 40 thousand tons of TNT) with accuracy from 1,500 to 1,800 feet.

The C-4 TRIDENT I was first deployed in 1979. It had a range of 4,000 nautical miles and carried 8 warheads in an MIRV configuration & each with a yield of 100 kilotons. The missiles had STAR GUIDANCE systems and were accurate to 1,500 feet.

The D-5 TRIDENT II was first deployed in 1990. It had a range of 6,500 nautical miles and carried 12 warheads in an MIRV configuration and each with a yield of 150 kilotons. The missiles were accurate to within 300 feet!

The accuracy of these missiles was calculated as C.E.P., or Circular Error Probability. That means 50 % of the warheads will fall within a circle whose radius is the indicated distance from the aim point.

More U.S. Submarines: A Technical History

S-Class (#111)
Pre-WWII Build-up and WWII Developments (#112)
Radar and Countermeasures (#113)
Post WWII Period (#114)
Missiles, Subs, and the USS Albacore (#115)
Early Nuclear Propulsion (#116)
Boomers and Fast Attack Submarines (#117)
Polaris and Other Missiles (#118)
Trident Missiles and Attack Subs (#119)